28 June 2007
On Sunday, July 1, 2007, Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies will present its 2007 Prizes for Excellence in the Field of Holocaust Education. The ceremony will take place at 18:00 in the Yad Vashem Auditorium, in the presence of Education Minister Prof. Yuli Tamir, Chairman of Yad Vashem Avner Shalev, and Director of the International School for Holocaust Studies Dorit Novak. Participating in the ceremony will be the prizewinners, students, educators, donors’ family members and members of the Aloumim Association.
Among the prize recipients are Sr. Gemma Del Duca, S.C., of Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education (USA) and High School Student Shai Roessler, of the Israel Academy for Science and Art. Sr. Gemma Del Duca will receive the prize for Outstanding Excellence in Holocaust Education. Sister Gemma, with the encouragement of Seton Hill University, has been leading seminars for Holocaust education with Yad Vashem for about two decades. The seminars are intended for groups of Catholic educators and clergy, primarily from the United States. In recent years, these seminars are taking place as part of Yad Vashem's annual International Seminar for Educators (which will take place this year between July 1 - 19, 2007.) Over the years, hundreds of educators have participated in the seminars. Every year, Sr Gemma coordinates the Seton Hill aspect of the seminar. Dr. JoAnne Boyle, President of Seton Hill University will attend the ceremony. The prize is donated by the Chuno and Blima Najmann Foundation.
Shai Ressler will receive the prize for Outstanding Matriculation Paper on the Holocaust for her work on “The rise and activity of the Hitler Youth until the outbreak of World War II.” To research her work, Shai interviewed her paternal grandfather, a former member of the Hitler Youth, and his friends in Germany. The prize is donated by the Luba and Mark Uveeler Foundation.
The awards ceremony will take place during the annual conference for Israeli educators, "Holocaust and Identity", July 1-3, 2007. The conference brings together hundreds of educators from across the country for discussion on various aspects of the relationship between the Holocaust and identity, and in particular among young people and educators. For more information and the program in Hebrew
