Laurie Austen
Social Studies Department Chair
NOVEMBER 23, 2004

Yeshivat Rambam was very honored to have Elie Wiesel as our guest speaker at the 14th Anniversary Event held on Sunday 7th November. He is best known as the author of “Night” an autobiographical account of his experiences in the Nazi death camps, published in 1958 and winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. The students of Yeshivat Rambam High School received complimentary tickets and attended the inspiring Evening with Nobel Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel. Although Mr. Wiesel did not speak about the Holocaust per se, this was a wonderful opportunity for our students to be able to hear and experience the wise words of someone of Professor Wiesel’s caliber.

Last Summer I was privileged to attend the Jewish Educator’s seminar held each year at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. This is a unique seminar for Jewish teachers working in Jewish day schools where thousands of educators gather from all over the world.

As more than half a century has elapsed since the almost total destruction of European Jewry, a new approach has evolved on how to teach about the Holocaust and what it means to us today. The program focused on pre – Holocaust Jewry, Jewish responses during Nazi occupation, use of survivor testimony, age appropriate methodology and the impact of the Holocaust on the Jewish world.

We explored many questions in depth during our two and a half week seminar, which featured academic lectures by leading scholars and educational experts from Yad Vashem and Israeli universities. Some of the areas we explored were how we implement Holocaust education in our schools and instill a positive Jewish identity in our students, how we will commemorate Yom Hashoah in the future and how we will transmit Holocaust remembrance without survivors. Special workshops and discussion groups enabled participants to explore educational issues, pedagogical theories and practical applications in Jewish educational frameworks.

I returned to Rambam with many new ideas on how to teach the Holocaust. Rambam now has a full Holocaust curriculum, which begins in the 1st grade with age appropriate materials. The major emphasis takes place in the 10th grade where twentieth century world history is studied. A period of six weeks is devoted to in - depth research of the period which culminates in a visit to the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C.

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to Dr Shloush and Yeshivat Rambam for giving me the wonderful opportunity to attend the Seminar. It was also made possible by generous funding from the Crane Foundation and Yad Vashem.

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