Forum’s educators continuously work on upgrading their teaching and facilitating skills, as well as on deepening their knowledge about the history and culture of Polish Jews. Last month they have participated in a seminar conducted by Renata Masna and Michał Chojak of Yahad – In Unum, a French organization founded to locate the sites of mass graves of Jewish victims of the Nazi mobile killing units in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, and Poland. It achieves this mission through archival research and research trips collecting testimonial and forensic evidence of the murders. Its publication “Holocaust by Bullets” was awarded the 2008 National Jewish Book Award by the Jewish Book Council.

Renata and Michał presented the “Holocaust by Bullets” and later shared with the educators Yahad’s unique investigative methodology. This was also an opportunity for the educators to practice their interviewing skills so important when talking to people who witnessed and experienced historical events. Interviewing is a skill useful while working with School of Dialogue students who very often include interviews with elderly members of their local communities into the research for their commemorative projects.