by James Nadel, Communications Outreach Associate <\/p>\n
A month ago, the Center for Jewish History hosted \u201cEchoes On Sunday, March 13th<\/sup>, Echoes and Reflections With her, Ochayon brought the several Echoes and Reflections With this idea in mind, the program at the Center featured If you are interested in arranging Echoes and Reflections to
\nand Reflections<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0a traveling program for educational
\nprofessionals that focuses on Holocaust pedagogy. Echoes and Reflections was
\noriginally co-designed by three of the world\u2019s most significant Jewish
\ninstitutions: the Anti-Defamation League<\/a>, Yad-Vashem\u00a0<\/a>(the Holocaust museum of Israel) and the USC Shoah Foundation<\/a>.
\nSince 2005, the program has traveled all over the world to \u201cenhance educators\u2019
\ncontent knowledge\u201d and to more generally encourage \u201ccritical thinking through
\nthe study of the Holocaust.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nrepresentative Sheryl Ochayon arrived at the Center to promote this message and
\nhelp those in attendance bring the story of the Holocaust to their schools and
\ninstitutions. Her audience included teachers primarily from the New York City
\narea, but also a few non-locals from as far away as Denver. Over the course of
\nfour hours, Ochayon offered advice on approaching the complex topics of this
\nhistory \u2013 including the history and origins of anti-Semitism, and the
\nexperience of liberation from the concentration camps. Throughout her
\npresentation, Ochayon pointed to interesting options for teachers to consider
\nwhen approaching these subjects with their students. For instance, when
\ndiscussing anti-Semitism, Ochayon brought up many examples of Nazi propaganda,
\nand then prompted her audience to consider examples of propaganda that they had
\nexperienced in their own lives. Gathering such responses from students would
\nallow them to better understand anti-Semitism and its affect on Jews throughout
\nEurope.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nhandbooks, which were free for program attendees. At a solid 281 pages, the
\nhandbook includes 10 entire lesson plans covering everything from the rise of
\nthe Nazis to the death camps themselves to the foundation of Israel in the
\naftermath of World War II. In addition to background information, the handbook
\nalso seamlessly incorporates literature and fine arts into this history. A
\ndescription of the Lodz Ghetto is followed by a poem by Avraham Koplowicz <\/a>.
\nA section on life in the concentration camps is illustrated with Ainovii
\nTolkatchev\u2019s painting Appell<\/a> <\/i>.\u00a0 These primary accounts and depictions
\nsupported something that Ochayon wanted to emphasize: the Echoes and
\nReflections approach seeks to describe the Holocaust through the eyes of
\nindividuals; the real people who experienced it. Indeed, the handbook often
\nrefers to video testimonials by Holocaust survivors (each of which is available
\nthrough the Shoah Foundation website) that illustrate specific points of the
\nlesson.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\nan hour-long tour of the Lillian Goldman Reading Room with Senior Manager for
\nReference and Outreach Melanie Meyers and Reference Services Librarian Michelle
\nMcCarthy, who showed the group a few choice items from the Center\u2019s partners\u2019
\ncollections related to the Holocaust. This \u201cpop-up\u201d exhibit even included an
\nissue of der St\u00fcrmer<\/i>, an anti-Semitic
\nNazi periodical that Ochayon had actually mentioned in her presentation and of
\nwhich the Leo Baeck Institute has a comprehensive collection <\/a>.
\n\u00a0The newspaper\u2019s hideous caricatures of
\nJews, hinted at in our discussion of anti-Semitism, made a strong impression on
\nthose on the tour. The object gave the group another window into and a tangible
\nrepresentation of the reality of life leading up to the Holocaust. Several
\nvisitors remarked that they would take the experience back to their schools,
\nand that they hoped to be back soon with student groups. <\/p>\n
\ncome to your institution, see this site<\/a> <\/p>\n