An innovative international educational initiative uniting future teachers from Israel, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic for a transformative journey across Holocaust memorial sites in Poland, leading to the collaborative development of advanced pedagogical methods for Holocaust education.
“New Ways in Remembering Together: A Global Initiative for Holocaust Pedagogy”
In 2021, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and local security crises such as Operation “Guardian of the Walls,” Dr. Daniela Ozacky Stern co-organized a unique international educational initiative titled “New Ways of Remembering Together.” Initiated and financed by the German organizations KIgA and EVZ, the project brought together thirty education students from Israel, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic to foster international collaboration in Holocaust pedagogy and historical-political instruction.
The comprehensive program began with rigorous online theoretical coursework, followed by virtual workshops utilizing Zoom, Padlet, and WhatsApp to build group cohesion. The pinnacle of the experience was a week-long, intensive educational journey in October 2021 across various Holocaust-related sites in Poland, including former ghettos, camps, and museums.
Throughout the journey, students confronted deeply emotional and raw historical realities. While visiting sites like Majdanek and Bezaec provided stark spatial contexts, two specific locations triggered profound emotional breakdowns. At Auschwitz, Block 5—which preserves the belongings of disabled victims—overwhelmed participants with the sheer scale of mass murder and the targeting of the defenseless. Even more impactful was the visit to the Buczyna forest in Zbylitowska Góra, near Tarnów, where an execution site and a dedicated children’s grave moved German and international students to tears. Conversely, visits to the controversial Ulma Family Museum in Markowa deeply resonated with participants, illustrating the complex moral dilemmas of rescue, sacrifice, and collaboration under Nazi occupation.
Following the exhausting physical journey—which concluded with collaborative brainstorming sessions at the former Płaszów camp—the international student cohorts worked in small groups over several months to translate their experiences into innovative educational methods. This cooperative endeavor yielded five distinct pedagogical frameworks designed for schoolteachers.
Ultimately, “New Ways of Remembering Together” transcended traditional academic instruction. By uniting future educators from diverse nations at significant historical sites, the project successfully equipped participants to combat secondary antisemitism, navigate complex national narratives, and develop empathetic, multi-perspectival tools for teaching the Holocaust to future generations.
The full lecture was delivered at the BIAHS online conference on February 2, 2024.
