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TURKISH ACADEMICS ATTEND YAD VASHEM SEMINAR
The Times of Israel
June 26 2014
15-member delegation participates in week-long workshop on Holocaust
education with goal of improving methods in Turkey
By Aron Dónzis
An exclusive seminar on Holocaust education was conducted for
a delegation of Turkish academics this week at the Yad Vashem
International School for Holocaust Studies.
The week-long seminar, the first of its kind, came after an educational
conference held at the Galatasaray University in Istanbul in October
2013.
Fifteen academics participated in the event, a joint Yad Vashem
and Aladdin Project endeavor, also supported by the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and the ICHEIC Humanitarian Fund.
Yad Vashem said the Turkish participants experienced in-depth tours
of the museums, archives and monuments at Israel's Holocaust memorial
site, in addition to discussions with prominent historians and experts
in Holocaust history, research and education. It was the first visit
to Israel for most of the participants, most of whom hold PhDs in
history, political science and international relations.
A follow-up session, set to explore concrete projects to educate the
Turkish public on the Holocaust, is scheduled for later this year.
"We are very pleased to be hosting this impressive group of academics
at our International School for Holocaust Studies," Yad Vashem Chairman
Avner Shalev said in a press release. "Given the significance of
Turkish society in the Muslim world this is an important step. At
Yad Vashem we are witnessing interest in the Holocaust that traverses
countries, religion and language and are ready to meet the challenges
ahead."
Despite Turkey's status as a neutral actor during World War II,
Turkish diplomats independently saved tens of thousands of Jews from
Nazi persecution in France, Eastern Europe and the island of Rhodes.
One of them, Selahattin Ulkumen, was declared one of the Righteous
Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1989.
Istanbul also served as a major conduit for European Jews traveling
to Palestine by sea and rail.
The Turkish government, at the behest of Albert Einstein, opened its
doors to tens of prominent German academics and their families after
many were removed from their positions in the 1930s.
The mission was led by Ibrahim Bukel, director of textbook editing
in Turkey's Education Ministry, Ynet reported.
"We are grateful to Yad Vashem for their invitation. After acquiring
this important information we will share it with the Turkish
authorities," he said. "We believe that teaching about the Holocaust
will assist in raising awareness to it in Turkey."
The Holocaust is only lightly touched upon in the Turkish education
system today. Selin Nasi, a foreign policy analyst for Å~^alom,
a Jewish weekly newspaper in Turkey, said that was due to multiple
reasons.
"Religious circles in Turkey do not sympathize too much with the Jewish
people's suffering during the Second World War, and though it's rare,
there are even those who deny the Holocaust," she told The Times of
Israel. "But there is also a concern that the historical facts of the
Nazi-perpetrated genocide would force the Turkish people to confront
some of the realities of the Armenian genocide as well."
It is too soon to say whether the Islamic AKP-led government will
implement the ideas of this group of academics, but Nasi said that
they're hopeful.
"In my opinion, the individual consciousness by these faculty members
and intellectuals will probably stimulate interest and research in
the Holocaust," she said. "In particular, private universities are
the most likely to promote Holocaust education because they are able
to develop an autonomous curriculum."
One such example was Kadir Has University's decision to host an
event on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January 2014,
which was attended by Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru and
Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/turkish-academics-participate-in-yad-vashem-seminar/
The Times of Israel
June 26 2014
15-member delegation participates in week-long workshop on Holocaust
education with goal of improving methods in Turkey
By Aron Dónzis
An exclusive seminar on Holocaust education was conducted for
a delegation of Turkish academics this week at the Yad Vashem
International School for Holocaust Studies.
The week-long seminar, the first of its kind, came after an educational
conference held at the Galatasaray University in Istanbul in October
2013.
Fifteen academics participated in the event, a joint Yad Vashem
and Aladdin Project endeavor, also supported by the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and the ICHEIC Humanitarian Fund.
Yad Vashem said the Turkish participants experienced in-depth tours
of the museums, archives and monuments at Israel's Holocaust memorial
site, in addition to discussions with prominent historians and experts
in Holocaust history, research and education. It was the first visit
to Israel for most of the participants, most of whom hold PhDs in
history, political science and international relations.
A follow-up session, set to explore concrete projects to educate the
Turkish public on the Holocaust, is scheduled for later this year.
"We are very pleased to be hosting this impressive group of academics
at our International School for Holocaust Studies," Yad Vashem Chairman
Avner Shalev said in a press release. "Given the significance of
Turkish society in the Muslim world this is an important step. At
Yad Vashem we are witnessing interest in the Holocaust that traverses
countries, religion and language and are ready to meet the challenges
ahead."
Despite Turkey's status as a neutral actor during World War II,
Turkish diplomats independently saved tens of thousands of Jews from
Nazi persecution in France, Eastern Europe and the island of Rhodes.
One of them, Selahattin Ulkumen, was declared one of the Righteous
Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1989.
Istanbul also served as a major conduit for European Jews traveling
to Palestine by sea and rail.
The Turkish government, at the behest of Albert Einstein, opened its
doors to tens of prominent German academics and their families after
many were removed from their positions in the 1930s.
The mission was led by Ibrahim Bukel, director of textbook editing
in Turkey's Education Ministry, Ynet reported.
"We are grateful to Yad Vashem for their invitation. After acquiring
this important information we will share it with the Turkish
authorities," he said. "We believe that teaching about the Holocaust
will assist in raising awareness to it in Turkey."
The Holocaust is only lightly touched upon in the Turkish education
system today. Selin Nasi, a foreign policy analyst for Å~^alom,
a Jewish weekly newspaper in Turkey, said that was due to multiple
reasons.
"Religious circles in Turkey do not sympathize too much with the Jewish
people's suffering during the Second World War, and though it's rare,
there are even those who deny the Holocaust," she told The Times of
Israel. "But there is also a concern that the historical facts of the
Nazi-perpetrated genocide would force the Turkish people to confront
some of the realities of the Armenian genocide as well."
It is too soon to say whether the Islamic AKP-led government will
implement the ideas of this group of academics, but Nasi said that
they're hopeful.
"In my opinion, the individual consciousness by these faculty members
and intellectuals will probably stimulate interest and research in
the Holocaust," she said. "In particular, private universities are
the most likely to promote Holocaust education because they are able
to develop an autonomous curriculum."
One such example was Kadir Has University's decision to host an
event on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January 2014,
which was attended by Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru and
Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/turkish-academics-participate-in-yad-vashem-seminar/