08 September 2020
Tomorrow, 9 September 2020, Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Notre Dame and its global network, including the University of Notre Dame at Tantur, located in Jerusalem. This agreement underscores Yad Vashem's endeavors to increase and encourage advanced Holocaust education and research across the world. The agreement will be signed by Yad Vashem Director-General Dorit Novak and Vice President and Associate Provost for Internationalization at the University of Notre Dame, Michael Pippenger.
In addition to the signing, scholars from both institutions will offer remarks that explore how millions of people were allowed to be dehumanized and murdered, and the role healing justice plays in our world today. This is the focus of a new online educational tool recently uploaded to the Yad Vashem website. Based on Yad Vashem's Learning Center – Center for Major Questions Arising from the Holocaust – this resource raises open issues about the Holocaust to encourage thoughtful discussion and writings.
Director-General of Yad Vashem Dorit Novak says:
"It is with great satisfaction that Yad Vashem is signing this important agreement with the University of Notre Dame. Yad Vashem is committed to ensuring that the history of the Holocaust continues to be relevant today and for future generations, and is not relegated to yet another chapter in human history. Our efforts aim to equip students and teachers alike with the necessary tools and materials to address the topic of the Holocaust and engage young scholars in the need for further research into its multifaceted nature and relevance today. Yad Vashem hopes that this agreement will open opportunities at many more universities and college campuses across the United States and in the rest of the world."
The MoU will create a basis for ongoing fruitful cooperation between these two internationally renowned institutions: Yad Vashem's International Institute for Holocaust Research and International School for Holocaust Studies will work together with members of the faculty, staff, and students at the University of Notre Dame. The agreement also includes developing a strong connection with Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) to sustain, strengthen and transform Holocaust education in Catholic schools and in its professional development programming.
Dr. Eyal Kaminka, Lily Safra Chair of Holocaust Studies and Director of the International School for Holocaust Studies states:
"For decades, Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies has been training teachers from all faiths from across the globe and it looks forward to embarking on this new partnership with Notre Dame's ACE program."
VP Mr. Michael Pippenger remarks:
“The University of Notre Dame is very proud to enter into this partnership with Yad Vashem. For our students who study abroad in Jerusalem, the collaboration will allow for greater access to Yad Vashem's extraordinary resources – both its world-renowned experts and its unparalleled archives – to pursue their research and become a part of the global conversation on Holocaust studies. For our students on campus, we hope that the partnership will lead to a better understanding of the history and legacy of the Holocaust and what that understanding calls us to study and act on today. We also look forward to our faculty members forging new connections with the excellent scholars at Yad Vashem to produce research and scholarly initiatives that enlighten, educate, and heal our communities.”
