Conference Program

Monday, June 25 

The Holocaust History Museum, Museum of Holocaust Art and Visual Center will be open to the public
until 17:00. There will be no scheduled guided tours except for:

12:00-17:00 Guided Tours of Two New Exhibitions

• They Say There Is a Land: Longing for Eretz Israel During the Holocaust
• Flashes of Memory - Photography during the Holocaust 

18:30-20:00  Light Meal will be served at Yad Vashem in the Square of Hope 

20:00 Opening Ceremony at the Monument to the Jewish Soldiers and Partisans who fought against Nazi Germany
M.C. Ephraim Kaye, Yad Vashem

Greetings:
Shlomo Gur, Associate Executive Vice President, Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Israel
Opening Remarks: 
Dorit Novak, Director General, Yad Vashem
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chairman, Yad Vashem Council
Musical Performance – David D’Or

Tuesday, June 26
The Holocaust – Shifting Definitions, Misrepresentations and Comparisons 

Morning Session – 8:50-12:00 (Simultaneous translation to Spanish, French & Russian) 

Chairperson:

Mark Weitzman, Director of Goverment Affairs, Simon Wiesenthal Center, USA

Greetings:

Ambassador Dr. Michael Oren, Deputy Minister for Diplomacy in the Prime Minister's Office

Opening Remarks – 9:00-9:30

• Why the Holocaust is Still Relevant after 70 Years
  Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate

Presentations – 9:30-11:15 

• What was the Holocaust? 
  Dr. David Silberklang, Yad Vashem 
• The Holocaust and Other Genocides
  Prof. Michael Berenbaum, American Jewish University, USA 
• My Opposition: the Diary of Friedrich Kellner
  Dr. Robert Scott Kellner, USA 

Lecture – 11:15-12:00 

• Are we Still Relevant in the 21st century? The Implementation of New Yad
  Vashem Pedagogical Tools and Resources for Teaching the Holocaust
  Shulamit Imber, Yad Vashem

Lunch – 12:00-13:30 

Afternoon Lectures – 13:30-14:30 
The Holocaust – Content and Relevance 

1.  The Catholic Church During the Holocaust 
   Dr. Iael Nidam-Orvieto Yad Vashem
2. The Tension between National Narratives and the Holocaust 
   Dr. Rafi Vago, Tel Aviv University
3. Perpetrators of the Shoah: A Reassessment 
   Dr. Robert Rozett, Yad Vashem
4. Transports to Extinction: Recording Holocaust-Era Deportations 
   Dr. Joel Zisenwine, Yad Vashem
5. The Phenomenon of the New Antisemitism
   Prof. Dina Porat, Yad Vashem
6. The Jewish Dimensions of the Holocaust 
   Prof. Dan Michman, Yad Vashem
7. Women in the Holocaust 
   Dr. Naama Shik, Yad Vashem
8. The Holocaust in North Africa
   Dr. Irit Abramski
9. Memorias confrontadas: Relaciones entre polacos, judíos e israelíes durante el
   Holocausto y en tiempos recientes
   Dr. Yosi Goldstein, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Spanish) 
10. Auschwitz dans la conscience collective Européenne 
    Dr. Annette Wieviorka, Historian, Member of the Board of Directors of the
     French "Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah" (French) 

Break – 14:30-15:00

Afternoon Pedagogical Workshops – 15:00-16:30 
Making the Holocaust Relevant in the Classroom 

1. An Educational Approach to Discussing Contemporary Antisemitism
   Shani Lourie, Yad Vashem
2. Righteous Behavior during the Holocaust – Teaching Initiatives 
   Stephanie McMahon-Kaye, Yad Vashem
3. Teaching Jewish Armed Resistance in the Classroom 
   Mitch Braff, Executive Director, Jewish Partisan Education Foundation
4. Relevance without Trivialization: Pedagogical Challenges
   Shlomit Steiner, Yad Vashem
5. Using New Yad Vashem Digital Resources (Oneg Shabbat) 
   Sandra Rosenfeld-Katz, Yad Vashem
6. Teaching the Trauma without Traumatizing: Holocaust Education in Elementary School 
   Yael Richler-Friedman, Yad Vashem
7. How Was It Humanly Possible? Teaching about the Perpetrators 
   Dr. Noa Mkayton, Yad Vashem
8. L'enseignement de la Shoah et l'outil audio-visuel
   Yoni Berrous, Yad Vashem (French)
9. "Mi corazón está en el Oriente, y mi pincel en el fin del Occidente" – Uri Kochba un
   pintor en los Campos
   Nora Gaon, The Ghetto Fighters House (Spanish)

Final Session – 17:00-18:00 
Short Musical Performance 

Wednesday, June 27 
What Only the Heart Can Know – Meaning & Relevance of Arts in Holocaust

Morning Session – 9:00-12:30 (Simultaneous translation to Spanish, French & Russian)

Chairperson: 

Ariel Ben Dayan, Adelson Family Foundation, Israel

Presentations – 9:00-10:30

• Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction
  Ruth Franklin, New York University, School of Journalism, USA
• Music and the Holocaust
  Prof. Shirli Gilbert, Director of the Parkes Institute for Jewish/Non-Jewish
  Relations at the University of Southampton, UK

Break – 10:30-11:00

Presentations – 11:00-12:30 

• From Newsreels to YouTube 
  Liat Benhabib, Yad Vashem
• Giving Meaning to Life after Auschwitz through Art
  Yehuda Bacon, Israel

Lunch – 12:30-13:30 

Afternoon Lectures – 13:30-14:30 
What Only the Heart Can Know – The Place of the Arts in Holocaust Education

1. Medicine in the Holocaust and Beyond – Reexamination of Fundamental Issues
   and their Relevance to the Present 
   Dr. Miriam Offer, Western Galilee College
2. Holocaust Films in the Classroom: Uses and Abuses
   Rich Brownstein
3. Calendars in Ghettos and Camps: Marking Time in Space
   Dr. Avraham (Alan) Rosen
4. Jewish Religious Thought Amid the Catastrophe
   Dr. Gershon Greenberg, American University, USA
5. Holocaust Diaries: Echoes & Reflections Materials for American Educators
   Sheryl Ochayon, Yad Vashem
6. Flashes of Memory - Photography during the Holocaust – A Guided Visit to the
   New Exhibition
   Vivian Uria, Yad Vashem
7. Music in the Holocaust 
   Tamar Machado
8. La Shoah en film y el cine de David Perlov: Una trayectoria cinemática por los
   ejes personales e históricos, en la vida y la filmografía de David Perlov,
   galardonado el Permio Israel en 1999 
   Liat Benhabib, Yad Vashem (Spanish)
9. L'Art pour vocation: Trois femmes artistes pendant la Shoah
   Eliad Moreh-Rosenberg, Yad Vashem (French)

Break – 14:30-15:00

Afternoon Pedagogical Workshops – 15:00-16:00 
Teaching through Arts in the Classroom

1. The Auschwitz Album: Using Visual Images in the Classroom 
   Nurit Davidson, Yad Vashem
2. Utilizing Holocaust Art in the Classroom Using the Yad Vashem Website
   Orit Margaliot, Yad Vashem 
3. Theological Responses to the Holocaust
   Rabbi Moshe Cohn, Yad Vashem
4. Holocaust and Human Behavior: The Facing History and Ourselves' Approach to Visual Art and Literature
   Jeremy Nesoff, Associate Program Director for Staff Development, USA
   Mary Johnson, Facing History and Ourselves
5. Integrating Photographs, Literature, Art, and Poetry in the Classroom to Tell the
   Human Story: Echoes & Reflections Materials for American Educators 
   Sheryl Ochayon, Yad Vashem
6. Last Letters: Using this Precious Resource in the Classroom
   Noam Gitin, Yad Vashem
7. Le cinéma à l'appui de l'enseignement de la Shoah
   Yoni Berrous, Yad Vashem (French)
8. Arte en el Holocausto
   Dalia Ofek, Yad Vashem (Spanish)

Break – 16:00-16:30

Final session – 16:30-18:00
Moderated Round Table Discussions in English, Spanish, French & Russian reflecting on the
topics of the day

Thursday, June 28 
Preservation and Commemoration: Historical, Educational, and Personal
Relevance after 70 Years 

Morning Session – 9:00-12:15 (Simultaneous translation to Spanish, French & Russian)

Panel Discussion – 9:00-10:00
Moderator: Dr. Iael Nidam-Orvieto, Yad Vashem 

• Holocaust Museums and the Preservation of Holocaust Memory: The Challenges
  Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate
  Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywiński, Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
  Sara J. Bloomfield, Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Break – 10:00-10:30 

Presentations – 10:30-12:15 

• Educational Technology in the 21st Century 
  Mark Lester, Director of Partnerships at FutureLearn, UK
• A World Without Survivors: Different Approaches
  Dr. Stephen Smith, Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation
• Where are We Going? Holocaust and Memory
  Paul Salmons, Program Director, UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, UK 
• Yad Vashem's Pioneering Online Courses and Implementation of New Digital Pedagogical Tools 
  Dr. Naama Shik, Yad Vashem 

Lunch – 12:15-13:30 

Afternoon Session – 13:30-14:30 

Holocaust Survivors will speak about their immigration and contribution to the building
of the State of Israel.
 

1. Frieda Kliger – Poland                               Moderator: Sheryl Ochayon
2. Yehudit Kleinman – Italy                            Moderator: Nurit Davidson
3. Tibi Ram – Hungary                                   Moderator: Irit Dagan 
4. Daniel Gold – Lithuania                              Moderator: Shlomit Steiner   
5. Elisheva Lerman – The Netherlands            Moderator: Yiftach Meiri 
6. Nachum and Genya Manor – Poland           Moderator: Ephraim Kaye
7. Moshe Ha-Elion – Greece (Spanish)            Moderator: Eliana Rapp- Badichi
8. Dora Weinberger – France (French)            Moderator: Yoni Berrous 

Break – 14:30-15:00

Afternoon Sessions – 15:00-16:30

• Panel Discussion

Topic: Educational Challenges of Teachers in Visiting Authentic Holocaust Sites with
their Students
Moderator: Shani Lourie, Yad Vashem

1. Rachel Metalin – Upper Canada College, Toronto, Canada 
2. Chris Bradbury – The King’s School, Parramatta, Australia 
3. Prof. Glenn Timmermans – Macau University, China
4. Jacub Niewiński – Hipolit Cegielski Middle School, Warsaw, Poland 
5. Orit Margaliot – Yad Vashem, Israel

• Panel Discussion

Topic: Educational Challenges of Teachers in Visiting Authentic Holocaust Sites with
their Students
Moderator: Sheryl Ochayon, Yad Vashem

1. Christer Mattsson – Goteborgs University, Sweden 
2. Edelgard Baron-Krömer – St. Martin School, Sendenhorst, Germany 
3. Jackie Boocock – Lycée Aragon à Givors, France
4. Ronaldas Racinskas – Director of the Secretariat, International Commission,
   Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes in
   Lithuania
5. James McMillan – Enka Private School, Adapazari, Turkey
6. Nitza Shabtay-Melamed – Yad Vashem, Israel

• Panel Discussion

Topic: Shifting Narratives of the Holocaust in Contemporary Societies 
Moderator: Dr. Robert Rozett, Yad Vashem

1. Prof. Dan Michman – Head, International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad
   Vashem (Israel) 
2. Prof. Michael Berenbaum – American Jewish University (USA) 
3. Dr. Laurence Weinbaum – Chief Editor, The Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs
   (Poland) 
4. Dr. Ilya Altman – Director, Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Center (Russian
   Federation)
5. Dr. Annette Wieviorka – Historian, Member of the Board of Directors of the
   French "Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah" (France)

• Panel Discussion

Topic: Jewish Life in the Aftermath of the Holocaust: Challenges in Jewish Education
Moderator: Rabbi Moshe Cohn, Yad Vashem

1. Rachel Urowitz – TanenbaumCHAT, Canada
2. Rachel Fink – Jewish Free School, London, UK
3. Stephanie Klein – Heichal Menachem School in Paris, France
4. Susan Sennett – Ida Crown Jewish Academy, Chicago, USA
5. Dominique Seigelshifer - Tarbut School, Buenos Aries, Argentina

• Panel Discussion

Topic: A World without Survivors: The Educational Challenges
Moderator: Richelle Budd Caplan, Yad Vashem

1. Dr. Birte Hewera – Witnesses and Education, Yad Vashem 
2. Jayne Josem – Walking with a Survivor, Jewish Holocaust Center, Melbourne,
   Australia
3. Edward Serotta – Holocaust Testimonies, Director, Centropa, Vienna, Austria
4. Jody Spiegel –Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program, The Azrieli Foundation,
   Toronto, Canada
5. Sophie Nahum – The Last Ones, Paris, France 
6. Dorothee Wein – Video Testimonies in School Education, Free University, Berlin, Germany 

Light Refreshments – 16:30-17:15 

Closing ceremony  – 17:15-18:00 (Simultaneous translation to Spanish, French & Russian)
In Memory of Izzy and Babs Asper 

M.C. Ephraim Kaye

Opening Remarks – Shai Abramson, The Asper Foundation

Closing Lecture – The Impact of the Holocaust on Today's World
Prof. Yehuda Bauer, Yad Vashem 

Musical performance - 18:00-18:45 
Kippalive – Celebrating 70 Years of the State of Israel