The Jewish Historical Institute’s educational activities began in 1992, when week-long summer courses were launched for high school teachers, teaching methodologists and lecturers from teacher training colleges. It was called the “Summer School of History and Culture of the Polish Jews”. Over the next few years, the educational activities offered to teachers were broadened to include museum visits for school children and public lectures as well. The aim was to acquaint a broader segment of society with the history and culture of the Polish Jews. The main educational aims of the Institute is to discuss all aspects of the Holocaust, to debunk myths and stereotypes, to show the Jews’ and Poles’ common historical heritage, to analyze the genesis and manifestations of anti-Semitism as a problem in Poland today, and also to suggest methods for teaching in this field.
The experiences gained from the early phase of those educational activities led to the publication in 1993 of primary sources materials for high school students and teachers. This series Dzieje Zydów w Polsce: Wybór tekstów zródlowych [The History of the Jews in Poland: A Selection of Primary Sources Materials], was recommended by the Polish Ministry of Education as supplementary material for history courses above the elementary school level. Another publication Studia z dziejów Zydów w Polsce [Studies in the History of the Jews in Poland] (2 vols., 1995), contains a selection of lectures given at the courses.
In recent years, special emphasis has been placed on the Institute’s educational activities in the field of advancing knowledge about the Holocaust in Polish schools. Cooperation has begun with the SPIRO Institute (currently the London Jewish Cultural Centre), and several conferences for teachers have been organized, which have been very successful. Approximately 300 teachers from all over Poland have taken part. At these conferences, the main themes were: teaching about Polish-Jewish relations and about the Holocaust in a new situation, when some basic, general information about the Holocaust has been recently added to textbooks.
In order to promote the results of the program on a broad scale among teachers from all over Poland we are intending to publish the most interesting lectures, methodological proposals and documentary material used during the courses.
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The Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture
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