The strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)—signed by Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan—creates a framework for joint partnerships in curriculum building, resource sharing, educator training and event design. The agreement pledges that the two organizations will work collaboratively toward a shared goal of strengthening efforts to promote education and remembrance of the Holocaust and encourage the study of the Holocaust in schools, universities, communities and other institutions.
The signing of the MoU comes on the heels of The Fish Center’s development of an advanced certificate program designed to train middle and high school teachers to become skilled educators about the Holocaust. Recently approved by New York State, YU’s certificate program was developed to bridge the knowledge gap for the growing number of states who require some form of Holocaust and genocide studies programs in their middle and high school classrooms.
YU will bring rigorous education to these teachers, helping them spread awareness and foster understanding about the Holocaust where’s its needed most, with America’s students. According to a 2020 study by the Claims Conference, and in which Yad Vashem experts were included on the Steering Committee, that covered the 50 states, New York is among those with the lowest Holocaust knowledge scores, with 58% of Millennials and Gen Z being unable to name a single concentration camp. The study also found that 60% of young people did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.
“Yad Vashem is committed to ensuring that the history of the Holocaust continues to be relevant today and for future generations and is not relegated to yet another chapter in human history,” said Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan. “This agreement with Yeshiva University provides the next generation of educators with the necessary tools and materials to address the topic of the Holocaust and engage young scholars in the need for further research into its multifaceted nature and relevance today. Yad Vashem hopes that this agreement with YU will continue to open opportunities in higher education in the United States and all over the world. It’s about reaching out to audiences around the world to ensure that the chronicles of this singular Jewish and human event reach every significant and relevant audience worldwide.”
Emil Fish,Holocaust survivor and founder of the Fish Center, reflected: “Since I came out of Bergen Belsen, the infamous Nazi concentration camp, in the summer of 1945, I promised myself that what my people, my family, and I had experienced must never happen again. And it never will, I do believe so, but only if we do all that is in our power to learn the lessons of history and educate the next generations. The partnership with a world-class international organization like Yad Vashem is exactly the kind of relationship that the Fish Center needs to form, and I am so proud of this achievement.”
For more information about this agreement and Holocaust education, please contact:
YU Contact: Hanan Eisenman, YU Director of Communications, 714-794-4288
Simmy Allen / Head, International Media Section / Yad Vashem / +972 2 644 3412 Email: simmy.allen@yadvashem.org.il
About Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center
The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center was established in 2019 with the objective of building a cadre of teachers, and professional and lay leaders across the U.S. who are committed to Holocaust education and remembrance. A cornerstone initiative of the center is its cutting-edge accredited M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies which informs students about the complex history of the Shoah and best educational practices for generating awareness and preserving public memory. To learn more about the Fisch Center please visit https://www.yu.edu/fish-center
About Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, was established by the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) in 1953. As the world’s largest and preeminent Holocaust institution, Yad Vashem maintains the most extensive archive and collections of Holocaust-era artifacts, documentation and artworks worldwide, which serve as the foundation for its activities both on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem and online. Yad Vashem’s educational method integrates a multigenerational and interdisciplinary approach to telling the story of the Holocaust as the unique and unprecedented event perpetrated against the Jewish people, as well as its universal significance. For more information, visit us at www.yadvashem.org
About Yeshiva University
As the flagship Jewish university, Yeshiva University is animated by its five core Torah values: Seek Truth (Torat Emet), Live Your Values (Torat Chaim), Discover Your Potential (Torat Adam), Act With Compassion (Torat Chesed) and Bring Redemption (Torat Zion). Founded in 1886, Yeshiva University brings together the ancient traditions of Jewish law and life and the heritage of Western civilization. More than 7,400 undergraduate and graduate students’ study at YU’s four New York City campuses: the Wilf Campus, Israel Henry Beren Campus, Brookdale Center, and Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus. YU’s three undergraduate schools – Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women, and Sy Syms School of Business – offer a unique dual program comprised of Jewish studies and liberal arts courses. Its graduate and affiliate schools include Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, the Katz School of Science and Health and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. YU is ranked among the nation’s leading academic institutions. For more information, visit www.yu.edu.
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