On January 24-28, 2016 International Seminars for Students and Young Teachers dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day was conducted in Dnipropetrovsk. The event was organized by “Tkuma” Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies, Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine, “Drzewo Oliwne” Foundation. The workshop was made possible due to assistance of and financial support of Conferenceon Jewish Material Claims against Germany and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

Students and young teachers from Ukraine, Poland and Moldova became the participants of the seminar. The event started with the welcoming speech on Dr. Igor Shchupak, “Tkuma” Institute and the Holocaust Museum Director, who told that even though the Holocaust was not the only genocide of the 20th c. and many peoples suffered purposeful extermination or deportations, but understanding of the Holocaust is a pass in a modern European community.

Seminar participants joined very rich program of events including psychological trainings, workshops, and lectures. Special attention was paid to family issues, historical memory and its fixation. Leading scholars and public figures from Ukraine, Poland, and Israel took part in realization of the educational part of the seminar. Among them there were Dr. Aharon Weiss, Coordinator of Jewish Renewal Programs JDC-CIS, “Tkuma” Institute Scholarly Adviser; Dr. Anzhela Helback, Associate Professor of Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Correctional Education of Kirovohrad Regional Institute of Advanced Teachers Training; Dr. Mridula Ghosh, Director of East European Development Institute; Dr. Oleg Repan, Associate Professor of Department of History of Ukraine of Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk National University; Dr. Igor Shchupak, and others. It should be noted that lectures did not end within the walls of lecture halls, participants continued to communicate with lecturers in an informal atmosphere.

In addition to lectures, seminar participants participated in practical classes. Dilfuza Hlushchenko and Tetyana Selyutina, “Tkuma” Institute Research Associates, held classes on working with Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” funds. Young people had the opportunity to see the archival material stored in the Museum and create their own mini-exhibitions on the history of World War II and the Holocaust and the fate of individuals during those tragic events. During the session “My family during World War II” by Dr. Yegor Vradiy each participant had the opportunity to make presentation and talk about the lives of his/her relatives during the war.

Excursion program was rich as well. In addition to Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” guided tour participants of the International Seminar had guided tour around Dnipropetrovsk conducted by Valentyn Rybalka, “Tkuma” Institute and the Museum Research Associate. During the excursion participants conducted commemorational ceremony to the Holocaust victims near the monuments to Jews killed during the Nazi occupation of Dnipropetrovsk.