by Richelle Budd-Caplan

Educational experts have long realized that first-person testimony is a unique and effective way for studying the past. This fall, “Echoes and Reflections”—a new Holocaust curriculum highlighting the visual testimonies of 52 Holocaust survivors and other witnesses—will be initiated in schools in North America. The comprehensive ten-lesson program is the fruit of a unique partnership between Yad Vashem, the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation and the Anti-Defamation League, and includes innovative strategies to foster anti-bias education. Combined with rare archival materials, it will provide an engaging educational experience for junior and senior high school students across the United States.

The curriculum combines the pedagogical experience of all three organizations, incorporating the historical expertise and vast archival holdings of Yad Vashem, the national outreach network of the Anti-Defamation League, and the unmatched visual history resources of the Shoah Foundation. This multi-layered multimedia course— which has already been field-tested in four cities—focuses on the history of the Holocaust within the context of contemporary issues such as cultural diversity, intolerance and genocide.

The combined resources of the three partner organizations—each leaders in different aspects of Holocaust and anti-bias education—will expand the potential impact and reach of this unprecedented program, explains Pedagogical Director of Yad Vashem’s International School of Holocaust Studies Shulamit Imber. She describes the program as “a vital addition to the tools available to teachers and students in Holocaust education, as well as its relationship to society.”

Businessman and hi-tech entrepreneur Yossie Hollander is supporting the development of “Echoes and Reflections,” launched this month in Los Angeles in the presence of Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev and members of the project development team.

The author is Project Manager of “Echoes and Reflections” and Head of International Relations at the International School of Holocaust Studies.

top