In 2011, Centropa received a grant from the Division of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the US State Department, to create a program to expand our innovative approach to Holocaust education – and Jewish history – to schools in Hungary, Lithuania and Poland. To implement that program, we offer teachers three inter-related tools: at least one multimedia film based on an interview in each country, an exhibition based on those interviews, and an internet site that contains all of the above.
We help educators use these tools by offering seminars that provide them with historical knowledge, expose them to our online resources and give them the opportunity to collaborate with other teachers.
In 2015 Centropa received a support from the Good Will Foundation of Lithuania. This programme is dedicated for arranging Centropa Seminars in Lithuania. The first seminar in previous years was held in Vilnius, the second one is due in Kaunas.
A third seminar in Vilnius took place in January 2015. In total, 30 teachers from Vilnius, Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Šilutė, Druskininkai, Jieznas, Prienai, Grigiškės, Plungė, Vilkija, Klaipėda, Alsėdžiai and Kaunas participated. The teachers met Fania Bransovskaja, a Ghetto survivor.
Seminar was opened by the director of Shalom Aleichem ORT school. Teachers had a chance to see the places of Jewish Vilnius. During the seminar the participants learned how to use Centropa database, worked together on how to use our films and our exhibition, and exchanged ideas lesson plans. Numerous projects from different cities of Lithuania and films created by the studentscaused a lot of interest.
Centropa offers a different approach to Holocaust education by including how Jews lived before the Holocaust, as well as how they rebuilt their lives after – in other words, we expand teachers’ understanding of what it means to teach the Holocaust by including Jewish life before and after those terrible events. We want to understand the ways our seminars change how teachers think about 20th century Jewish history, so we ask them about the quality of Holocaust education in their schools, whether we meet our goals of expanding their concept of Jewish history, and whether they think it important to teach about Jewish life beyond the Holocaust. Later in this report you will see their responses to those seminar sessions devoted to teaching about Jewish life and traditions.
THE SEMINAR
The Seminar was opened by the representative of Centropa Marcel Kenesei and the coordinators of Centropa in Lithuania Gintarė Kuklienė and Raimonda Sadauskienė. Marcel introduced the institute, the mission. He also explained why they are collecting photos and create films.
Mr. Vytautas Višinskis, the Director of the Goodwill Foundation spoke about the importance of the Centropa projects for the education in Lithuania. He also pointed out the fact, that till now only Holocaust was treated as the most important factor in teaching Jewish History.
The students of Vilnius Sholom Aleichem ORT High school introduced a film on the story and misson of Centropa.
The Chairman of Panevežys Jewish community also attended the Seminar. He said, that he did not know a lot about Centropa before. He was very glad that the teachers and students from Panevežys are very actively participating in the projects.
The film “The Jews of my small town” was nominated and received The Price of the Year. The author of this film is the 11th grade student Smiltė Kyžaitė from Panevėžys Secondary School. Seven films were presented for the competition and they were very different in quality and duration.
FULL PROGRAMME OF THE SEMINAR
Friday, January 16
14:30 – 15:00 Registration of the participants at “Conti” hotel;
15:00 – 15:15 Getting acquainted. Introductions. (Marcell Kenesei, Gintarė Kuklienė,). Why do we collect old family photos? How we use photos and interviews to bring history to life. Students of Vilnius Sholom Aleichem ORT high school introduce a short film about Centropa.
15:15 – 15:40 Guest speakers:
Mrs.Faina Kukliansky, Chairperson of the Lithuanian Jewish Community;
Mr. Misa Jakobas, Headmaster of Shalom Aleichem ORT High school.
15:40 – 15:50 Presentation of Centropa website by Marcell Kenesei and Gintare Kukliene
15:50-16:05 All participants: Participant present themselves (school name, city, subject). What do I want to know in this seminar?
16:05 -16:45 Teachers break up into smaller groups. They present movies from Centropa’s site and tell the main idea. Mrs. Irena Veisaite, President of the Open Society in Lithuania Foundation
16:45 – 17:00 Coffee break.
17:05 – 18:00 Jewish Community of Vilnius in XIX-XX century. Presenter Dr Ph Lara Lempertiene.
18:10 – Leave to Lithuanian Jewish community. Opening of Centropa exhibition. Teachers will see how the exhibition works: there are eight themes, like On Vacation, In School, At Work, Holocaust, Religious Life—and each of the 64 pictures in the exhibition is accompanied by the story about that picture—as told by our 26 Lithuanian interviewees.
19:30 – Shabbat dinner at the restaurant
Saturday, January 17
9:00 – 9:15 How to integrate Centropa’s lessons in school education programs
Gintare Kukliene, teacher of history at Shalom Aleichem ORT High school, coordinator of Centropa in Lithuania.
9:15- 9:35 Presentation of the Film “A world destroyed, a world remembered”. The story of Ranana Malkhanova and her survival during the holocaust.
9:35 – 9:50 Presentation of the lesson on the film (Grazvydas Kaskelis history teacher of Vilniaus Tuskulenu school).
9:50-10:40 Teachers break up into smaller teams—English teachers, history teachers and literature teachers go in different groups. Discussion on how to use R.Malkhanova’s film in class and write down basic ideas (using the internet if needed).
10:40-11:30 Each team presents its ideas on using the Malkhanova film to the larger group. Everyone gives feedback, advice, poses questions.
11:30 – 11:45 Coffee break.
11:45 – 12:30 Team work: Teachers rejoin their teams and find the exhibition on the internet. We will give out hard copies, and teachers can find the themes, pictures and stories in both Lithuanian and English. Teachers discuss ways how to use the exhibition in their schools.
12:30 – 12:45 Teachers experience of using Centropa exhibition at school.
Mrs. Gita Baltutienė, teacher of English
Mrs. Rovena Kvaraciejūtė, teacher of English
12:45 – 13:00 Presentation of the project “Lithuania-USA-Poland”. Gintare Kukliene, teacher of history at Shalom Aleichem ORT High school, coordinator of Centropa in Lithuania.
Raimonda Sadauskiene, teacher of English at Shalom Aleichem ORT High school, coordinator of Centropa in Lithuania.
13:00 – 14:00 Discussion: How to create video material and use it in the classroom.
Lokline-The history of our town. Presentation of the best film, created in Lithuania and an award ceremony.
14:00 -14:15 Presentation of the project “Awareness of different cultures”.
Mrs. Gintarė Kuklienė, teacher of history, Shalom Aleichem ORT High school, Centropa coordinator in Lithuania.
Mrs. Daiva Gramaliene, teacher of history at Alsedziu Hight school.
14:15 – 15:15 Lunch.
15:15 – 15:30 Interviews – a method to learn history.
Mrs. Gintarė Kuklienė, teacher of history, Mrs. Gintarė Kuklienė, teacher of history, Shalom Aleichem ORT High school, Centropa coordinator in Lithuania.
15:30-15:45 Ways to use Centropa interviews in teaching English.
Mrs. Raimonda Sadauskienė, teacher of English, Centropa coordinator in Lithuania.
15:45- 16:30 Meeting the survivors of Holocaust (Fania Bransovskaja, I. Veisaite). Work in groups.
16:30-16:45 Presentation of the project “The last Jew in our town”.
Vaidotas Rackauskas, history teacher at Plunges „Saules“ Hight School.
16:45- 17:00 Coffee break.
17:00-17:15 Introduction of the Centropa student movie. Rachel’s Centropa.
17:15- 17:30 Presentation of integrated History/English lessons “History of my family”. Gintare Kukliene, teacher of history at Sholom Aleichem ORT High school coordinator of Centropa in Lithuania.
Raimonda Sadauskiene, teacher of English at Shalom Aleichem ORT High school, coordinator of Centropa in Lithuania.
17:30- 17:45 Short Discussion on the project.
17:45 Free evening
Sunday, January 18
9:00 – 9:15 The Premjere of the Centropa film In Lithuania „Survival in Sarajevo“.
9:15 – 9:35 Presentation of the project based on this film „ Human helps human“
Mrs.Jolita Stačiokaitė, teacherof English, Jieznas High school
9:35- 10:25 Teachers break up into smaller teams—English teachers, history teachers and literature teachers go in different groups. Discussion on how to use film in class and write down basic ideas (using the internet if needed).
10:25 – 11:05 Each team presents its ideas on using the film to the larger group. Everyone gives feedback, advice, poses questions.
11:15-12:45 Walking tour of Jewish Vilnius: Participants visit the Vilnius ghetto, synagogue, Vilnius Gaon, then return to seminar site (Roza Bieliauskiene).
13:00 – 13:45 Lunch.
13:45 – 14:30 Final panel. Closing of the Seminar (we give certificates of qualification).