On October 5-8, a seminar on the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Program “Tolerance – Lessons of the Holocaust” (Program Director Dorina Zilbermintz) for teachers of public non-Jewish schools of Georgia and Armenia took place in Georgia. The seminar was made possible by the well-coordinated work of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies (Director – EAJC General Council member Anatoliy Podolsky), and the Jewish Cultural Education Foundation (Director – EAJC General Council member Elena Berkovich), jointly with the Georgian Ministry of Education and the Jewish Community of Armenia.

EAJC General Council Chairman Josef Zisels spoke at the opening of the seminar. He spoke about Congress projects and the importance of fostering and preserving tolerance in society.

Over thirty history teachers from Georgia and Armenia took part in the seminar, representing not only the teaching community, but different cultures. The seminar was held in the spirit of unity, mutual understanding, and tolerance. The teachers listened to 20 hours of lectures, of which the following attracted the most interest: “The General and the Specific in Intolerance and Anti-Semitism in the XIX and XX Centuries: Examples from the History of the Holocaust”; “The History of the Holocaust in Context of XXth Century Genocides: Terms, Typologies, Pecularities”; and “Acknowledging the Holocaust as a Path to Concord and Peace.” Practical workshops were held, among others, on the following topics: “Identity and Human Dignity”; “Tolerance – the Term and International Documents”; “History of the Holocaust: Special and Interdisciplinary Approaches and Teaching Methods.” The teachers worked with photographic and audio-visual sources, learned new methods of holding classes, and received necessary teaching aids.

The seminar was closed with a round table titled “Memory of the Holocaust as a Way of Fostering Tolerance: Memorial Dates and Recommendations for Holding [Memorial] Events,” during which the teachers were able to exchange their thoughts and opinions on teaching gray areas, as well as voice their ideas on cooperation and educational exchanges.

The teachers evaluated the program and the organization of the seminar itself highly, and spoke their thanks for being able to participate in this project, as well as expressed interest in further similar projects.