YAD VASHEM Vol. 94, Winter 2021 JERUSALEM A Man of Vision and Action Avner Shalev Retires as Yad Vashem Chairman (4-9) A Man of Vision and Action Avner Shalev Retires as Yad Vashem Chairman | 4-9 International Holocaust Remembrance Day | 10-15 “My Lost Childhood” New Online Exhibition on Children’s Homes for Holocaust Survivors | 16-19 Starting Anew The Rehabilitation of Child Survivors of the Holocaust in the Early Postwar Years | 20-21 In Their Own Voice The Djurin Orphanage Testimony Project | 22-27 International Book Prize Awarded to Publication on Child Labor | 28-29 Rescue by Jews During the Holocaust | 30-33 New Exhibition and Stamp Honor Jewish Rescuers | 34-35 “For the Sake of My People” Efforts by Jews to Rescue Other Jews in the Face of Total Annihilation | 36-39 Closing Circles Online Information and Reference Services Help Family Discover New Information | 40-43 Dilemmas and Morality Among Jews During the Reality of the Holocaust | 44-45 Golda Maria Winner of the 2020 Avner Shalev Award | 46-49 10 16 36 46 Poetry and the Holocaust New Free Online Course Reflects on Literary Works of Jewish Authors | 50-51 COMMEMORATION ONLINE RESCUE COLLECTIONS Graduate Spotlight: Belarus | 52-54 News | 55-61 INTERNATIONAL “MY LOST “FOR THE SAKE GOLDA MARIA Sheldon Adelson (1933-2021) Loyal Friend and Patron of the Mount of HOLOCAUST WINNER OF THE 2020 Remembrance | 62-63 CONTENTS CHILDHOOD” OF MY PEOPLE” AVNER SHALEV AWARD Friends Worldwide | 64-70 REMEMBRANCE NEW ONLINE EXHIBITION ON EFFORTS BY JEWS TO RESCUE DAY CHILDREN’S HOMES FOR OTHER JEWS IN THE FACE OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS TOTAL ANNIHILATION Do you have On the cover: anything you Avner Shalev in the Hall of would like to say Names, Holocaust History about this edition Museum. 4-9 ? Please click here NEWS Avner Shalev: “Our visitors are inspired by individual narratives A MAN OF of the Holocaust.” VISION AND ACTION AVNER SHALEV RETIRES AS YAD VASHEM CHAIRMAN n 1993, Shalev, a former IDF Though Shalev was born in educator at heart, I understood that Brigadier General and then 1939 in Jerusalem to parents who our most important mission was in IDirector General of the Culture had emigrated from Poland, his the area of education. Though Yad Avner Shalev has long been the public face of Yad Vashem, welcoming Authority in Israel’s Ministry family did not emerge from WWII Vashem had already assembled a of Education and Culture, was unscathed. “Some of my aunts very impressive archive and held popes, presidents and prime ministers to the Mount of Remembrance. approached by Dr. Yitzhak Arad, and uncles were murdered in the important memorial ceremonies, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Shoah, together with their children. including the annual State Yet Shalev is far more than a master of ceremonies. For the past 27 Directorate, who suggested My family, just like all Jewish families Opening Ceremony for Holocaust he take over the position. “The who lost relatives and friends Remembrance Day, I knew that we years, he has been the driving force behind the numerous changes and idea was not mine,” says Shalev during the Holocaust, mourned needed to foster teaching about advancements that have secured Yad Vashem’s status as the world’s candidly, “he tried to convince their death until their last days.” the Holocaust in order to reach the me, unsuccessfully.” Finally, Prime next generations.” leading source of Holocaust remembrance and education. Minister Yitzhak Rabin urged him New Leadership, New Direction First on the agenda was the to accept the offer. “At that point, I Shalev recalls his first major decision creation of a global educational couldn’t refuse.” as Yad Vashem Chairman. “As an center, providing the necessary 04 NEWS NEWS 05 NEWS A MAN OF VISION AND ACTION AVNER SHALEV RETIRES AS YAD VASHEM CHAIRMAN tools to ensure that the Holocaust would remain a relevant topic to the Jewish people and humanity for future generations. It is for this The International School for Holocaust Studies reason that he established the has developed an exceptional multidisciplinary International School for Holocaust Studies, “in order to attract educational philosophy, teaching the Holocaust in an educators, community leaders and opinion shapers from Israel age- and culturally-appropriate manner and all over the world to view Yad Vashem and its distinct approach to the Holocaust as an invaluable educational and remembrance Educating about and researching and active network of partnerships resource.” the Holocaust, notes Shalev, is far and agreements with institutions, Each year the International School more than speaking about the cattle friends and donors from all over the trains thousands of educators to cars, the death camps, and forced world, Jewish and non-Jewish alike.” Surrounded by delegates to the International Youth Congress, January 2008 teach the history of the Holocaust, labor. Of equal importance, he develops pedagogic and didactic says, is learning how the Jews lived, Memory for the Sake of the tools, and conducts educational particularly in the years prior to the Future workshops for hundreds of Holocaust. “In order to understand The development of a modern thousands of youth and soldiers. what the world and humanity lost, it museum complex on the Mount of Vashem’s core tasks. To that end, “We believe that it isn’t enough Yad Vashem is using technology in It has developed an exceptional is essential to study what was once Remembrance that complements the institution has continued to to just fight the spread of hate- the area of testimony as well. “We multidisciplinary educational there. We must recognize the rich Yad Vashem’s endeavors was expand and develop its collections, filled lies,” Shalev adds. “It is also are endeavoring to assemble all of philosophy, teaching the Holocaust and deeply rooted lives the Jews of also undertaken under Shalev’s including the Central Database of incumbent upon us to bolster the the visual testimony in the world, in an age- and culturally-appropriate Europe and North Africa led before direction, and tells the complete Shoah Victims’ Names, survivor presence of the facts and truth, including from other collections, manner. the destruction of the Shoah – story of the Holocaust from the testimonies, artifacts, artworks and ensuring that this information is which together number more than In addition to fundamental their creativity and contribution to point of view of its victims – Jewish documentation from the Holocaust accessible to each and every person, 130,000 interviews,” says Shalev. Holocaust education, Yad Vashem’s local and general culture as well men, women and children. “The period. Yad Vashem preserves and in as many languages and on as many What is key, he emphasizes, is knowing renowned International Institute as their influence in many aspects Holocaust History Museum [which catalogs its unparalleled assets platforms as possible. In addition, we how to utilize visual material. “Every for Holocaust Research promotes of technological advancements of Shalev curated] is the cornerstone from the Holocaust era, scans offer online courses and lectures year, we teach how to integrate academic investigation of the the twentieth century. Yad Vashem of much of the activity here in millions of archival documents about the Holocaust and antisemitism these testimonies into courses for a Holocaust through a myriad of therefore encourages academic Jerusalem. Each year [save for each year, and makes them in order to help understand, identify range of learners, both in the formal angles, holds international study and teaches students and during the COVID-19 pandemic], accessible online. Many are and deal with the phenomena in it and informal spheres. I believe that conferences and workshops for educators about the lives of the the museum attracts some one available on the Yad Vashem many varied forms.” our expertise in knowing how to novice and veteran scholars, and Jews in prewar Europe, North Africa, million visitors, to learn from and be website, currently in eight languages, Shalev notes that despite the use the video testimony of survivors publishes dozens of academic and the Balkans. It is an integral inspired by individual narratives of as part of online exhibitions new technologies continually being will continue to have an impact on papers and publications every part of the story that we tell.” the Holocaust, including firsthand and databases, thus harnessing introduced, there is no substitute for millions of lives around the world.” year. “Free and impartial research Of course, he adds, “the testimonies from the survivors.” modern technology in the service of face-to-face contact in communicating Certainly, these types of videos is the very basis of our educational implementation of Yad Vashem’s Indeed, preserving the memories Holocaust remembrance for future a message or idea. Nevertheless, as were used in the permanent efforts,” clarifies Shalev. vision is bolstered through a strong of the Holocaust is one of Yad generations. the survivor generation dwindles, ‘Shoah’ exhibition in Block 27 at the 06 NEWS NEWS 07 NEWS A MAN OF VISION AND ACTION AVNER SHALEV RETIRES AS YAD VASHEM CHAIRMAN In the current period of political to cultivate and uphold basic moral friendships; they chose to live and instability, Shalev expressed values. After all, it was one of the to love.” In early 2020, Shalev welcomed over 50 world his willingness to assist Ronen most advanced modern societies leaders to Yad Vashem for the Fifth World Plot, Deputy Chairman of the in the world that caused the This interview is based on an article Holocaust Forum. Directorate, to the full extent complete collapse of those intrinsic that appeared in “The Jerusalem Post.” necessary during the period of values during the Holocaust.” In his service as volunteer Acting contrast to this stark warning, Chairman.