About the Program

This three-day journey exposes participants to the history of the Holocaust in an interactive and active way and connects the distant past to the current situation, all while discussing values and emphasizing humanistic values. As part of the discussion, we will address racism, fear of the other, democracy, personal and civil responsibility, discourse and dialogue, conflict resolution, and dealing with extreme situations.

The shared journey involves a range of methods, including the museum’s exhibitions, watching a film that is followed by a workshop, simulation activities, group activities, meaningful games with a message, taking part in dialogue circles, and learning their rules including respectful listening, dealing with disagreement, and more.

We believe in personal connection and teamwork, and in this way, one teacher from the school joins all three days of the journey. We offer assistance in all technical aspects, including transport, ordering food, scheduling, etc. This is in order to ensure that the program will be as effective as possible and that the group will have the opportunity to participate in value-based, social, and educational activities.

The Program’s Goals

1. The student’s personal empowerment

• An opportunity to sit in a circle and talk about themselves

• Developing dialogue skills

• Developing awareness of themselves, their environment, and society

• Increasing their sense of self-worth

• Awareness of the choices we have in any situation, and developing a sense of responsibility regarding the choices we make.

2.  Addressing the Holocaust as a universal story:

• Leaning about values: compassion, empathy, equality, acceptance, and responsibility

• The tension between universal values and Jewish history

• Questions of majority and minority

• Differentiating between learning about historical events (a universal message) and historical learning (the personal story of a particular nation).

3.  Addressing racism towards ourselves and others

• Analysis - what is racism

• Between racism and human rights

Program Structure

Day One - Preparation for addressing the Holocaust

We will begin the journey by getting acquainted on a personal and group level: we will get to know the place and the educator, we’ll do some activities to test dialogue skills, we will define the rules of our shared circle and our wishes regarding group dynamics throughout the journey. This preparation is critical in order to ensure the deep impact of the program, for the participants to open up emotionally to other group members, and it also raises the participants’ self-awareness and creates an optimal group dynamic.

Day Two

On the second day we will start addressing the historical aspect of the program - we will check where we stand in terms of knowledge, and then we will go deeper into exploring the past with a focus on the people that were living then and the social processes that took place, and then discuss their implications in today’s world.

Day Three

We will raise questions of values and civic responsibility while focusing on what the Holocaust can teach us about addressing and preventing racism. We will explore what racism is and when it is expressed, and ask the question: are we racist or are we victims of others’ racism? We will look inwards and ask ourselves again, are we racist, and if so, towards whom?