Elena Hoffenberg
“The first time I visited Yad Vashem, I arrived at the museum on a bus with the two dozen other members of my summer program. We wore our backpacks and drank from our water bottles as we crossed the open plazas under the blazing sun. Plunging into the cool concrete space of the main exhibit of the museum, we followed the story of the destruction of European Jewry as it unfolded, led by a knowledgeable guide who showed us the way through the dense galleries and difficult history.
Even before we stepped off the bus in the driveway near Yad Vashem’s entrance, I knew this visit would be different. I would be visiting the museum not as a visitor but as a student and researcher and as a part of a cohort of scholars, educators, curators, and tour guides who are visiting Yad Vashem not as an essential stop in a tour of Israel, but as a place for critical engagement.
In the Weiss-Livnat International Program in Holocaust Studies, we are training to become the people who will contribute to the exhibitions and education that happens in Holocaust centers throughout the world. To do so, we are learning to ask questions, apply concepts, and create our own arguments when we encounter places like Yad Vashem. In this brief seminar of four days’ length, we engaged with the museum and research institute as scholars entering the field, benefitting from the tremendous knowledge and generosity of the staff. Continue reading →
Holocaust Studies in Haifa 