Recommended Workshops

The Birmingham Holocaust Education Center (BHEC) recognizes the need for conscientious teachers, equipped with proper knowledge, to develop engaging and pedagogically sound Holocaust curriculums.  The following organizations offer Holocaust Education Workshops that are recommended by the BHEC for Teacher Scholarship recipients.  Other workshops under consideration for scholarship requests must be approved by the BHEC.

 

 

 

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Belfer Conference

Subject-specific Belfer Conferences will be offered for Social Studies and English/Language Arts teachers. Educators who teach a subject outside these two disciplines may pick which session to attend that better suits their subject matter. Museum educators and scholars will share rationales, strategies and approaches for presenting this complex topic to students.  Sessions are designed specifically for middle- and high-school teachers with five or fewer years teaching the Holocaust.  Participants will have extensive time to view the Museum's permanent exhibitions, The Holocaust and Remember the Children: Daniel's Story, as well as other special exhibitions.  They are also able to visit the Wexner Learning Center and other resource areas.

Requirements:		Taught Holocaust 1-5 years.
Location:		U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
Accommodations:		Hotel per conference recommendation.
Dates:		English/Language Arts:  Sunday, July 8 - Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Social Studies:  Wednesday, July 11 - Friday, July 13, 2012
Session Length:		3 days
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the BHEC. USHMM Application (English/Language Arts) USHMM Application (Social Studies)
Application Deadline:		June 22, 2012.
Cost:		Registration Fee $50, paid by Scholarship Recipient. Each participant receives a voucher worth $100 toward purchase of Holocaust-related resources in the Museum Shop. BHEC scholarship does not cover the registration fee.  It will cover 100% of travel, accommodations and per diem as budgeted by the BHEC.
USHMM Scholarships:		Up to forty (40), $1,000 stipends will be awarded by the USHMM for teachers in schools meeting certain criteria. Deadline: June 22, 2012. Apply Here.

 

 

Museum Teacher Fellowship Program

This program invites skilled secondary school teachers and community college faculty to join a national corps of teachers who serve as leaders in Holocaust education in their schools, communities and professional organizations.  It is a five-day, all-expense paid summer institute at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., designed to immerse participants in advanced historical and pedagogical issues.  Following the summer institute, Fellows are expected to create and implement an outreach project in their schools, colleges, communities or professional organizations.  In July of the following year, Fellows will attend a follow-up program at the Museum to assess their various efforts and to continue their study of the Holocaust with Museum staff and noted speakers.  See the USHMM Informational Flyer.

Requirements:		Community college faculty and middle- and high-school history, social studies, foreign-language, English and journalism teachers, as well as librarians and instructional media specialists are encourage to apply.  other content areas will also be considered.  It is expected that applicants will have taught the Holocaust for a minimum of five years. Applicants must teach in U.S. schools.
Location:		U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
Accommodations:		Hotel per conference recommendation.
Dates:		Sunday, July 15 - Friday, July, 20, 2012
Session Length:		5 days
Application:		USHMM Online Application. USHMM Application Check List.
Application Deadline:		February 10, 2012
Cost:		All expenses paid by the USHMM, including travel and hotel.

 

 

Facing History and Ourselves

Holocaust and Human Behavior

Sessions consider individual and group behavior.  How our identity is formed?  How we acquire membership in a group?  Participants also consider the relationships among perpetrators, their victims and bystanders.  Other sessions examine the choices Germans and others made in the 1920s and 1930s.  As we come to understand the way many of those choices undermined democracy, we begin to realize how hatred, indifference, denial and opportunism, little by little, can shape a period in history.  As we learn how the Jews, "Gypsies" and others were humiliated, isolated and ultimately murdered during the Holocaust, we discover that history is not inevitable.  In closing sessions, participants consider questions of right and wrong, of guilt and responsibility.  They also contemplate issues related to prevention, ethical decision making and choosing to participate in a democracy, by returning to themes developed in the opening sessions.

Throughout the course, connections are made to other histories.  Participants relate the choices people made at other times with those faced in the world today.  The course presents an array of teaching strategies that help develop the skills, values and beliefs needed to build and sustain a democratic society.  Participants will be provided with resource material and engage in studies based on the books developed by the staff including:  Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior.

If you are not able to attend a seminar in person, check out the Facing History Online Seminars.

For more information click here.

Requirements:		For teachers planning to teach or currently teaching the Holocaust. Summer 2010 will be an advanced seminar designed for teachers who have been previously trained by Facing History.  The BHEC will consider applications from those teachers not previously trained by Facing History if they have a thorough Holocaust background. Seminar limited to 35 participants.
Location:		Christian Brothers University;  Memphis, TN
Accommodations:		Accommodations are responsibility of attendee.
Dates:		Not offered in 2012.
Session Length:		5 days, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the BHEC. Facing History Online Application
Application Deadline:		Two weeks before start of workshop or until spaces fill.
Cost:		$400 registration fee includes materials, breakfast and lunch. BHEC scholarship covers the registration fee as well as 100% of travel, accommodations and per diem as budgeted by the BHEC.

 

 

 

Effective Pedagogical Approaches for Teaching The Holocaust and Race in American History

This interactive multimedia seminar will combine a study of our key case studies:  The Holocaust and Race in American History.  We will introduce literacy and other teaching strategies (including the use of technology) that foster students engagement while creating safe, reflective classrooms.  We will explore primary source documents through rigorous content that effectively align with Tennessee State Standards, Common core and other measures of student outcomes.  Teachers will receive 40 hours of professional development, access to Facing History's online content, lending library and ongoing consultation from program staff.

If you are not able to attend a seminar in person, check out the Facing History Online Seminars.

For more information click here.

Requirements:		For teachers planning to teach or currently teaching the Holocaust. Summer 2010 will be an advanced seminar designed for teachers who have been previously trained by Facing History.  The BHEC will consider applications from those teachers not previously trained by Facing History if they have a thorough Holocaust background. Seminar limited to 35 participants.
Location:		Christian Brothers University, 650 East Pkwy. South,  Memphis, TN
Accommodations:		Accommodations are responsibility of attendee.
Dates:		Tuesday, June 19 - Thursday, June 21, 2012
Session Length:		3 days, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the BHEC. Facing History Online Application
Application Deadline:		Two weeks before start of workshop or until spaces fill.
Cost:		$500 registration fee includes materials, breakfast and lunch. BHEC scholarship covers the registration fee as well as 100% of travel, accommodations and per diem as budgeted by the BHEC.

 

 

 

Jewish Foundation for the Righteous

The Alabama Holocaust Commission (AHC) is designated a "Center of Excellence" by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous.  The Holocaust Centers of Excellence Program is a partnership between the JFR and the participating Holocaust Center.  In agreeing to participate in the program, each center agrees to nominate two educators each year to attend the Summer Institute for Teachers.  Additionally, each center agrees to sponsor Holocaust teacher education programs that draw on JFR materials and training modules.  The Centers make a commitment to teach the Holocaust in as comprehensive a manner as possible and to include the subject of rescue.  Teachers who attend JFR programs are known as Alfred Lerner Fellows and form a cadre of educators for each local center as well as for the JFR.

The JFR's additional education programs are comprehensive and far-reaching.  They include not only the summer residential program but an advanced seminar, and educators' trip to Germany and Poland, an academic newsletter, a teachers' Internet resource and partnerships with Holocaust Centers throughout the country.  The cornerstone of the program is the book, Voices & Views: A History of the Holocaust, introduced and edited by Professor Deborah Dwork, a leading Holocaust historian.

 

Summer Institute for Teachers

The Summer Institute is held at Columbia University in New York City during the last week in June.  The program is a high-level, intensive academic seminar in which participants are exposed to Holocaust survivors as well as noted Holocaust scholars. The Institute is designed to allow participants to meet in small groups following each lecture.  These small groups enable the teachers and Holocaust Center staff to share teaching concepts and to develop approaches to introducing the subject matter to their students.

Requirements:		Teacher must be nominated by the Alabama Holocaust Commission (AHC), a designated "Center of Excellence. The AHC will nominate 2 teachers each year from the state of Alabama.  Teachers can express interest in this nomination by applying for a scholarship through the BHEC. Teacher must teach English or Social Studies at the middle or high school level, or they must work in an education capacity with the AHC. Teacher must have taught for at least five years and must be at least four years from retirement. Teacher must currently teach the Holocaust in the classroom. Teacher must have attended at least one Holocaust-related professional development program. Teacher must agree to serve as a resource for the JFR and the AHC.
Location:		Columbia University;  New York City, NY
Accommodations:		Dorms of Columbia University.  Rooms will be shared. Single rooms are available for an additional fee.
Dates:		Sunday, June 24 - Thursday, June 28, 2012 Program beings 9:00 a.m. on Sunday and runs through 2:00 p.m. on Thursday.  Participants should arrive at Columbia by the evening of Saturday, June 23.
Session Length:		5 days
Program Agenda:		Available soon.
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the AHC via the BHEC Scholarship application process. JFR's application will be sent to you by the AHC. Your application should be mailed to / and submitted to the JFR by the BHEC.
Application Deadline:		Mid-February, 2012
Cost:		$700 registration fee includes accommodations as well as all breakfasts and lunches and two dinners. AHC Scholarship covers the registration fee as well as 90% of travel and per diem as budgeted by the AHC.

 

 

Advanced Seminar

The JFR holds its Advanced Seminar every year over the birthday weekend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  This two-day, intensive program is open only to Alfred Lerner Fellows and is limited to 20-22 participants. The Advanced Seminar is designed to deepen knowledge of the Holocaust in particular geographies or thematic areas.  Participants are expected to complete required readings and writing assignments prior to the start of the program.

Requirements:		Teacher must have completed JFR's "Summer Institute for Teachers" and must be nominated by the Alabama Holocaust Commission (AHC).
Location:		Newark, NJ
Accommodations:		Hilton Hotel at Newark Airport
Dates:		Saturday, January 14 - Monday, January 16, 2012
Session Length:		3 days
Program Agenda:		The Best of the Best:   Robert Jan van Pelt, Tim Cole, Debórah Dwork, Christopher Browning
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the ACH via the BHEC Scholarship application process. JFR's application will be sent to you by the AHC.
Application Deadline:		October 1, 2012 for AHC application. October 15, 2012 for JFR application.
Cost:		$350, based on double occupancy. $120, additional for a single. AHC Scholarship covers the registration fee as well as 90% of travel and per diem as budgeted by the AHC.

 

 

European Study Program in Germany and Poland

The European Study Program in Germany and Poland offers participants an intensive educational experience.  This two-week program is scheduled every other year and is limited to fifteen Lerner Fellows.  It includes visits to concentration camps, ghetto sites, form shtetls and meetings with survivors, rescuers, local historians and teachers.  The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous sees the European Study Program as its capstone and provides a subsidy for each participant.

Requirements:		Teacher must have completed JFR's "Summer Institute for Teachers" and must be nominated by the Alabama Holocaust Commission (AHC).
Location:		Germany and Poland
Accommodations:		Europe - various
Dates:		Sunday, July 8 - Saturday, July 21
Session Length:		2 weeks
Program Agenda:		Professor Robert Jan van Pelt will be the scholar-in-residence. Itinerary
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the ACH via the BHEC Scholarship application process. JFR's application will be sent to you by the AHC.
Application Deadline:		January 13, 2012 for AHC application. First-come basis for JFR application and $500 non-refundable deposit.
Cost:		$4000-$4500 per person, based on double occupancy. Full payment due April 30, 2012. AHC Scholarship will only be able to cover a portion of the trip. 2012 European Study Terms and Conditions

 

 

Appalachian State University Center for Judaic, Holocaust & Peace Studies

Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium for Educators and the Community, "Remembering the Holocaust"

The purpose of this conference is to provide a wide audience of public school teachers, university faculty, students and concerned citizens with information and insights about the victims, perpetrators and consequences of the Nazi Holocaust.  The symposium will raise basic questions about intolerance, indifference, and human courage in a dangerous world.  It will provide approximately forty hours of instruction.  Teachers who complete all forty hours will receive four CEU units.

Requirements:		Open to middle and high school teachers and interested community leaders.
Location:		Broyhill Conference Center, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
Accommodations:		Provided by Appalachian State in nearby University apartments.
Dates:		Sunday, July 15 (1:00 pm)- Thursday, July 19 (3:00 pm), 2012
Session Length:		5 days
Program Agenda:		2012 Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium Agenda.
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the Martin & Doris Rosen Foundation. Apply for a Scholarship from the BHEC.
Application Deadline:		Applications are accepted beginning February 15, 2012.
Cost:		Full scholarships are awarded by the Symposium to the first 30 participants to sign up.  This includes registration, some materials, room and breakfast and lunch each day. Applicants are responsible for evening meals.

 

 

Yad Vashem

International Seminar for Educators:
"Teaching About the Shoah and Antisemitism"

This seminar is one that requires a tremendous amount of physical, intellectual and emotional stamina.  Throughout most of the seminar you will find yourself sitting in the classroom listening to the pre-eminent scholars in the various fields of Holocaust education.

The seminar is built upon three major pillars:  academic, pedagogical and experiential.

-  The academic component will take you through the history and culture of the Jewish people in the interwar period.  It will continue through the history of antisemitism, the stages of the Final Solution, and the Jewish response to the Nazi onslaught.  This element, although historically based, will include lectures on literature, theology, psychology and art.

-  The pedagogical component will provide the participants with the tools to translate this academic content into suitable pedagogical materials that are age appropriate and multi-disciplinary.

-  The experiential component has three varied parts.  The first and most important is meetings with survivors.  During the course of this seminar, participants meet with ten to twelve survivors whose testimonies document and personalize this tragic historical event.  The second element is field trips that will connect educators not only with the recent history of the Jewish people but also with its ancient roots in the Land of Israel.  The final component is a series of films and optional workshops that will enhance both the historical and pedagogical components of the program.  We will address the recent upsurge of antisemitism and Holocaust denial throughout the world today including strategies for combating these phenomena.

This seminar is accredited by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a participant can receive up to four MA credits.

Requirements:		For dedicated teachers planning to teach or currently teaching the Holocaust. In order to be eligible for a BHEC Scholarship, teacher must have attended a minimum of two (2) previous national Holocaust workshops.
Location:		Jerusalem, Israel
Accommodations:		Hotel (bed & breakfast) paid by attendee: The Prima Kings Hotel Approximately $120/day (single) or $75/day (double). Cost includes breakfast.
Dates:		Sunday, July 1- Thursday, July 19, 2012 This seminar takes place six days a week:  Sunday to Thursday, 8:30-5:00 and on Friday, the lectures end by 2:00.
Session Length:		19 days
Program Agenda:		Summer Seminar.
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the BHEC. Yad Vashem Application.
Application Deadline:		March 31, 2012
Cost:		$1,200 (This includes the opportunity to take one Yad Vashem online course at any time after the seminar.  It does NOT include payment for MA credits. Some scholarships available from Yad Vashem.

 

 

Jewish Labor Committee

Holocaust & Jewish Resistance Teachers' Program

An intensive three-week learning and living experience initiated in 1984 by Vladka Meed, a member of the Jewish underground in the Warsaw Ghetto.  The program takes place in Washington, D.C., Poland, Germany and Israel.  It is for U.S. secondary school teachers who are committed to teaching about the Holocaust and Jewish resistance in their classrooms.  This program includes educational activities in Poland, Germany and Israel with the participation of scholars from Israel's Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and the Study Center of the Ghetto Fighters' House at Kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta'ot.  This program is sponsored by the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, American Federation of Teachers, and the Jewish Labor Committee, with active support of the Atran Foundation, Inc., the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Requirements:		Open to secondary school teachers who implement Holocaust studies in their classroom.
Location:		Washington, D.C., Poland, Germany and Israel.
Accommodations:		Accommodations included in fee.
Dates:		TBD
Session Length:		3 weeks
Program Agenda:		Last year's itinerary began with a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The group then traveled to Poland to see a number of the death camps - including Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Plaszow, Majdanek and Belzec - as well as the site of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.  For the first time, the trip included Germany to visit the Jüdisches Museum in Berlin, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  The stop in Israel featured a visit to Yad VaShem.  The trip will conclude with a return visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Application:		Apply for a Scholarship from the BHEC. 2011 Holocaust & Jewish Resistance Program Application.
Application Deadline:		March 28, 2012 Applications are filled on a rolling basis.
Cost:		Registration Fee:  TBD Payment due upon acceptance. Includes round-trip travel from Washington, D.C., trips to historic sites, hotel accommodations (2 to a room) and 2 meals daily.

 

 

 

 

 

Page last updated: February 11, 2012