REPORT
ON THE 23rd SEMINAR FOR TEACHERS ON
“TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST IN GREECE”,
ORGANISED BY THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF GREECE
ATHENS, 15–16 MARCH 2018
INTRODUCTION
The Jewish Museum has already organised and conducted, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, 22 seminars for primary- and secondary-school teachers on the theme of “Teaching the Holocaust in Greece”. Ten of these seminars were held in Athens (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) and three in Thessaloniki (2005, 2014, 2015). In 2012 and from 2014 to 2016, seminars were also held in Ioannina, Volos, Zakynthos, Patras, Larissa, Karpenisi, Distomo and Drama, where we focused on the local dimensions of the Holocaust. This particular seminar in Athens, which was kindly funded, as in 2017, by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, provided an opportunity to renew the programme, with the creation of new workshops as well as the invitation of distinguished lecturers from abroad to participate.
GENERAL FRAMEWORK
The 23rd seminar took place in Athens on 15–16 March 2018, at the Ionic Centre (11 Lysiou St, Plaka). In total, more than 90 teachers participated in the three-day workshop, offering their concerns and thoughts on what was a successful educational seminar. The warm response the seminar receives from educators each time provides the JMG with a strong incentive to continue its contribution to the promotion of democratic education.
CONCLUSIONS
Out of the 66 questionnaires that were completed by attendees, it is clear that the JMG’s educational work is highly regarded. The teachers responded to the seminar’s innovations with similar enthusiasm. The European perspective of the Holocaust provided the necessary historical background for understanding the deportations of Greek Jews during the occupation. In addition, the teachers showed particular interest in Angelos Palikidis’ lecture on the educational approaches to the traumatic past. Just as in previous seminars, the need for more experiential workshops, practical tips and lesson plans was expressed. Furthermore, the educators offered interesting suggestions for future seminars, such as the history of antisemitism, camp literature, cinema and the Holocaust. They responded very positively to the organisation of the seminar and to the need for the educational community to be made more aware of these topics. Finally, the participants expressed their gratitude for the educational material (both printed and electronic) which was distributed to them and committed themselves to making immediate use of it.
