News & Notes
The Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation Essay Contest
How has learning about the life lessons of the Jewish partisans affected you? Because of the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation (JPEF), many people now know that during World War II 20,000-30,000 Jews, many of them teens, escaped the ghettos and camps to form or join organized, armed resistance groups. These men and women--even some of them were children--known as Jewish partisans, saved thousands of lives while fighting the Germans and their collaborators.
The incredible history of the Jewish partisans is only part of the story. To understand their legacy, we asked many Jewish partisans from our archives to share their life lessons from their experiences. Three came out:
- Young people can make a difference.
- Stand up to tyranny, oppression, discrimination, and prejudice...early
- Question Authority
The most inspiring essays in the 8-9th grade level and the 10th to 12th grade level will win the writer an iPod Touch with all of JPEF short films and Defiance pre-loaded. Second and third place winners will receive JPEF Resist t-shirts and posters. The educator whose student wins first place will be treated no different than their pupil--they will also receive an iPod Touch.
For more information and to register, visit
http://www.jewishpartisans.org/contest
Museum Teacher Fellowship Program
The National Institute for Holocaust Education of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum announces the 2010-2011 Teacher Fellowship Program, to be held July 11-16, 2010.
Since 1996 the Museum Teacher Fellowship Program has developed a national corps of 246 skilled educators who serve as the core of the Museum’s efforts to ensure quality Holocaust education in secondary schools. Teacher Fellows organize conferences, lead workshops, write curricula, serve on boards of Holocaust museums and education centers, lead study trips to Holocaust sites, and serve as conduits to the Museum for educators, institutions, professional organizations, and community groups in their regions.
Each year up to 15 educators in grades 7 through 12 and community college faculty are designated as new Museum Teacher Fellows. These educators must show evidence of extensive knowledge of Holocaust history, successful teaching experience, and participation in community and professional organizations.
For more information, visit http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/prodev/teacherfellowship/
Arthur and Rochelle Belfer National Conference for Educators
The Education Division of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is pleased to announce the 2010 annual Arthur and Rochelle Belfer National Conference for Educators. The conference is funded by a grant from the Belfer Foundation.
For the 2010 program, special emphasis will be placed on the Museum’s new exhibit, State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda and the interactive installation, From Memory to Action: Meeting the Challenge of Genocide.
Middle- and high-school educators with less than five years of experience teaching about the Holocaust are invited to apply to attend this conference. In addition to history, social studies, foreign-language and English teachers, teachers of journalism and other content areas are encouraged to attend. Community college faculty members are also eligible to apply.
For more information, visit http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/prodev/belfer/