NY's Yeshiva University partners with Israeli center to boost Holocaust literacy

Deena Yellin, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read
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With antisemitic incidents on the rise in North Jersey and across the U.S., New York's Yeshiva University has partnered with a world-renowned Israeli museum to boost awareness of the Holocaust.

The college in upper Manhattan is developing teacher training programs and other resources with Yad Vashem, the World's Holocaust Remembrance Center, the two institutions said in a statement this week.

“The intention of this partnership is to amplify the impact of institutional resources during an unprecedented rise in antisemitism and decline in Holocaust literacy," said Rabbi Ari Berman, Yeshiva's president. "We are excited to partner Yeshiva University’s world-class educators with Yad Vashem to help advance the mutual goal of increasing Holocaust awareness in America’s classrooms."

The sun shines through the Star of David on top of the Congregation Ahavas Israel on Van Houten Avenue in Passaic on Saturday, April 3, 2021. Amid a rise in antisemitism, New York's Yeshiva University and the Yad Vashem Holocaust remembrance center in Israel are collaborating to develop new teacher training resources about the Jewish genocide during World War II.

Yeshiva and Yad Vashem agreed to work together on curriculums, educator training and other initiatives to promote Holocaust studies and remembrance in schools, universities and other institutions.

The university's Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies has already developed an advanced certificate program designed to train middle and high school teachers to become skilled educators about the Holocaust, according to the statement. The program, which was recently approved by New York state, was developed to bridge the knowledge gap for the growing number of states that require some form of Holocaust and genocide studies programs in middle and high schools.

Holocaust awareness declines

The effort comes as surveys show a decline in awareness among younger Americans of the Holocaust, Nazi Germany's extermination of 6 million Jews during World War II. According to a 2020 study by the Claims Conference, which represents Holocaust survivors, knowledge of the genocide was surprisingly low even in New York, with its large Jewish population.

The survey found that 58% of millennials and Generation Z were unable to name a single concentration camp. It also found that 60% of young people did not know the number of Jews who were murdered during World War II.

"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," Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan said in the statement. "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."

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com; Twitter: @deenayellin

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yeshiva University Yad Vashem collaborate to boost Holocaust literacy