After two-year hiatus in study visits and conferences caused by the Covid-19 pandemic the time has finally come for return to face-to-face meetings. In late April, and early May 2022, together with the Yad Vashem Institute, Forum co-organized a seminar devoted to the issues of Holocaust memory. Nineteen Poles active in Polish/Jewish dialogue and commemorative efforts joined us in Jerusalem for an intense week of lectures, discussions, and site visits.
The seminar’s program was focused on the place of Holocaust in contemporary Israel’s consciousness and the forthcoming 80th anniversary of the Aktion Reinhardt. The participants had a unique opportunity to listen to the leading authorities in the field of Holocaust research like Professor Yehuda Bauer and Ophir Yarden. They also met Holocaust Survivors Alona Frankel and Jakub Weksler-Waszkinel, as well as representatives of the second generation. An analysis of the characteristics of Israeli Holocaust discourse, especially how it is visible in public spaces, was a key topic of the seminar. To experience that, the participants took part in guided tours of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Yad Vashem campus focused on this aspect. They have also joined the official ceremonies of Yom HaShoah held at Yad Vashem.
When asked about their impressions of the seminar, the participants stressed not only the value of learning about the Israeli perspective: “It was a time for discovering previously unknown fields of Holocaust research and confronting myself with the Israeli narration. Time of amazing meetings with people who deeply care for the heritage of Polish Jews,” shared one participant. The possibility of meeting fellow Polish activists was also a big asset of the program, as expressed by another participant: “This seminar reassured me that what I am doing is important. The feeling that every, even small local project contributes to Poland’s great map of dialogue gives you energy to keep going.”
In 2022, the program is co-financed by the Dutch Humanitarian Fund and the Orange Foundation.
