In recent years, educators at the International School have been working closely with the police forces in Germany as well as expanding programs for members of Israel's Police Force.
In Germany, explains Dr. Birte Hewera, who works in the German Section of the European Department, Yad Vashem staff work with state-level police colleges, which train police cadets – civilians studying for a BA in Public Administration in order to become police officers, as well as active-duty police who are seeking promotion to the mid-level ranks – and the German Police University, a federal-level institution for police officers wishing to become eligible for promotion to higher ranks.
So far, following agreements made with a number of German states, the School has conducted six full seminars for cadets from North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein since 2016, as well as a recent special study day for high-ranking police officers from the state of Baden-Württemberg, who serve as liaisons with the Jewish communities and institutions.
In Israel, Yad Vashem staff have held over 43 seminars to date for some 3,350 police cadets and officers, including staff at the Police Commissioner's office. "Every Holocaust-related activity conducted by the police is part of the value-based educational outlook of the Israel Police Force," states the Israel Police College's Guiding Division. "The Israel Police views the Shoah as a central event in human history, with vital national and universal ramifications. Dealing with the Holocaust raises questions of identity, human dignity and the protection of individual rights, as well as mutual assistance, comradery, responsibility, restraint and tolerance for the other – all of these are intrinsic to the police force in any country."
Police seminars in Germany, of course, take on a special responsibility given the notorious history of the German police during WWII. During these sensitive training sessions, cadets and officers learn about everyday interactions between law enforcement and Jewish people during the Holocaust, as well as discussing concepts of free choice, professional dilemmas and responsibility to the public, regardless of ethnic background. They are also provided with tools on how to deal with antisemitism on the street. However, warns Dr. Hewera:
"Police aren’t teachers, so we have to tailor our approach to fit with their tasks and outlook. Participants are from many different ranks and age levels, some with more specialized background knowledge than teachers, particularly regarding the involvement of the police in the Holocaust. And most importantly, while participants in European teachers’ seminars don’t usually meet Israeli teachers as part of the program, German police usually visit the Israel Police Academy in Beit Shemesh as a way to consolidate their learning and build mutual ties with their contemporaries in the modern Jewish state."
Back in Israel, activities organized by Yad Vashem for police officers range from tours to workshops, as well as study days focusing on remembrance projects. "One particular challenge, as in every other country worldwide, is that in Israel, too, those serving in the Israel Police Force come from a range of backgrounds, including non-Jewish ones," points out Yael Assaraf, Head of the Security Forces Section in the International School's IDF and Security Forces Department. "We are sensitive to this, and our use of Kolchem Shamati, an anthology of writings and music from the Holocaust period we created last year for the security forces, greatly assists participants to connect to the Holocaust in a more personal manner, regardless of their backgrounds."
In the near future, the School plans on expanding the initiative to police forces in France and Austria, as well as further across Europe. And as the survivor generation continues to diminish, the challenge to keep Holocaust memory relevant is one that Yad Vashem is already embracing. "Our task in passing on the meanings of the Holocaust is only growing," reads a portion in Kolchem Shmati:
"The Israel Police Force is committed to internalizing the fact that Holocaust remembrance is not only the responsibility of those who lived through it, but of all of us, who wish to safeguard both the present and the future."
This article originally appeared in the "Yad Vashem Jerusalem Magazine," volume 92.
