The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and the United Nations Information Centres
The "Holocaust and the United Nations" outreach programme provides the network of United Nations information centres (UNICs), services (UNIS) and offices (UNOs) in over 60 countries with guidelines on Holocaust commemoration days, teaching manuals on Holocaust education, combating intolerance and educational documentaries to promote the lessons of the Holocaust in order to help to prevent future acts of genocide.
In 2007-2008, the outreach programme organized four week-long training programmes for National Information Officers from the global network of United Nations information centres. The seminar examined the events that led to the Holocaust and the vital role that its lessons have today in the prevention of genocide. Click on the links below to learn more.
Berlin, Germany, 13-18 April 2008
Paris, France, 10-16 November 2007
Jerusalem, Israel, 26 October-1 November 2007
Washington, D.C. USA, 14-18 May 2007
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United Nations and the House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational site
organize fourth training seminar -
"Holocaust Awareness and Genocide Prevention”
13 to 18 April 2008
Berlin, Germany
The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme partnered with The House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Site and the Government of Germany to hold the fourth in a series of week-long training programmes for National Information Officers from the global network of United Nations information centres. The seminar examined the events that led to the Holocaust and the vital role that its lessons have today in the prevention of genocide.
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| Participants of the seminar pose with Wolf Kaiser, Deputy-Director of the Wannsee House, and Kathryn Meyer Executive-Secretary of the Task Force for International Cooperationon Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. |
The participants, responsible for the implementation of General Assembly resolution 60/7 on Holocaust remembrance at the national and local levels, serve in offices located in Accra, Canberra, Colombo, Dar Es Salaam, Dhaka, Harare, Islamabad, Jakarta, Kathmandu, Kazakhstan, Khartoum, Lagos, Lusaka, Maseru, Nairobi, New Delhi, Prague, Sana’a, Tehran, Uzbekistan, Vienna, Windhoek, Warsaw and Yangon.
The vast majority of the participants had never undertaken formal studies on the subject and most had never met a Holocaust survivor. Visiting the various memorials to the murdered Jews of Europe, following the path of the perpetrators as they arrived at a scheme to implement the “final solution” and hearing a survivor’s first-hand account of her experience helped the participants to understand the human dimension of this tragedy.
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| Kimberly Mann, Manager of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Protramme and Moha Rajai-Moghadam (UNIC Tehran) attend a briefing at the German Foreign Office. |
The seminar traced the evolution of anti-Semitism, which resulted in the destruction of European Jewry during the Holocaust. Tactics and techniques of the system of terror imposed by the Nazis illustrated how they were able to spread hate and fear amongst the populations of Europe. Participants learned how Nazi racist ideology, fueled by the media and supported at every level of society, became the justification to persecute and kill, resulting in countless victims, including other minorities.
Experts explained how the abuse of power led to the breakdown of democratic values and the need for the international community to take action to ensure the protection of basic human rights for all. Participants studied the role of the United Nations in the establishment of mechanisms intended for this purpose and examined the international legal norms designed to deter, prosecute and punish crimes against humanity and genocide. These presentations led to meaningful discussions on racism and ways to combat xenophobia around the world today.
Seminar Structure:
The seminar included the following activities (a) experiential tours, (b) briefings and debates and (c) practical workshops.
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| Information officers gather in working groups to brainstorm and plan meaningful activities on Holocaust remembrance, confronting racism and combating xenophobia. |
a. Participants saw and experienced several Holocaust memorials in and around Berlin. The Jewish Museum helped the participants to understand the life and traditions of the Jews of Europe and their contributions to society. The tragic loss of these families was poignantly expressed at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Participants also toured the former concentration camp Sachsenhausen, which served as the training ground for SS troops who ran the entire network of forced labour and death camps. They also visited the Topography of Terror Foundation, as the site of the former Nazi Headquarters. The permanent exhibit at The House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Site chronicled the history of the Holocaust at the villa where SS officials met to plan the extermination of all Jews.
b. Throughout the week the participants attended 16 briefings and lectures, notable among which were panel discussions on combating anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance at the German Institute for Human Rights and another on Interfaith Dialogue, with the participation of NGOs and Middle East experts. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the German Foreign Office and hold discussions with the Division for United Nations Affairs.
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| Ms. Melanie Prud'homme of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme coordinated the daily activities of the seminar participants while in Berlin. |
c. Practical workshops were held on: the International Criminal Court and the various International Tribunals, the development of educational programmes on the Holocaust and implementation of General Assembly resolution 60/7.
Outcomes:
Participants benefited from in depth briefings on the Holocaust, human rights and international law by leading experts in these fields. They had the opportunity to clear up any misunderstanding or preconceived notions that they might have formulated on the topic or on the mandate of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. In addition, they shared with each other personal experiences and provided suggestions on how to implement activities to combat racism and xenophobia at the national and local level. They also learned strategies to communicate the dangers of hatred and bigotry in order to promote respect for diversity. Also, these field offices will now receive ongoing support from the House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Site, a leading institution in the area of Holocaust remembrance and education.
Participant remarks:
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| Information officers toured the Nazi concentration camp Sachsenhausen. |
One participant said, "The seminar made me realize that genocide remains a real threat and that Holocaust- related outreach activities are truly needed to prevent it."
A scond particpant said, "
It was a very rewarding experience. I never thought I would have this close contact with the relevant German authorities to hear and see the Holocaust from their perspective."
Another remarked, " The issue of the Holocaust is of exceptional importance and this seminar will help to make it an issue in more countries."
A fourth particpant commented, " The seminar broadened my outlook and deepened my understanding of the Holocaust. The visits to various sites of the Holocaust will enable me to explain better during the briefings and convince those who deny it and provide such people with texts and photos to help them rethink their position."
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| Information officers visited the Topography of Terror - Exhibition on the former site of the Nazi Headquarters and received a briefing from the German Institute for Human Rights. |
"The critical relationship between the human rights framework and the theory of responsibility when rights are violated is a key idea that will enable me to introduce Holocaust commemoration in my country. I realized that hate and discrimination need to be constantly targeted through education and civil society discussion. I landed in Berlin unsure of what I would learn and whether it would have any impact on my work. I return after a stimulating intellectual tour of human rights behavior, state response and responsibility, and the role of international law and the UN in preventing such human tragedies from recurring. The idea of memory, of observance and commemoration as an ongoing education exercise was vividly reiterated", said another.
United Nations and le Memorial de la Shoah
organize third training seminar -
"Holocaust Awareness and Genocide Prevention”
10 to 16 November 2007
Paris, France; Crackow, Poland; and Auschwitz Birkenau
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| Information officers attend a briefing on Jewish life in Europe before WWII by Philippe Boukara, Coordinator, Department of Education, Memorial de la Shoah. |
The Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme partnered with le Memorial de la Shoah to organize the third in a series of regional one-week training seminars for National Information Officers from the French-speaking United Nations information centres (UNICs) in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. This seminar helped to further the participants’ understanding of antisemitism, the underlying causes of genocide, the history of the Holocaust and its relevance today. The seminar, funded by le Memorial de la Shoah, was held in Paris from 10 to 18 November 2007, with visits to the old Jewish quarter in Cracow, Poland and to Auschwitz Birkenau, the former Nazi death and concentration camp.
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| Participants of the seminar participate in a guided tour and briefing of Auschwitz Birkenau, the former Nazi death and concentration camp. |
The participants also learned of pre-World War II life for Jewish people in Europe, through a visit to the Museum of Art and History of Judaism, and followed their plight as the Nazi’s rose to power and imposed their racial ideology across the map. They studied the various phases of the Holocaust and were able to analyze its consequences and the devasting impact of World War II, resulting in the founding of the United Nations. The emergence of a legal system to help deter, prosecute and punish crimes against humanity was outlined. Also highlighted was the role of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (UNRRA) after the war in helping to care for and settle displaced persons and refugees.
Following a briefing by Kimberly Mann on the objectives of General Assembly resolution 60/7, participants discussed ways in which to integrate the work of the centres into the overall communications strategy of the Outreach Programme. Jacques Fredj, the Director of le Memorial, joined the National Officers in a brainstorming session on follow-up activities. As one outcome, the centres will establish a list serve through which they can share information and ideas and generate support for regional outreach efforts, such as joint materials for the website. Memorial de la Shoah will assist these efforts by making resource materials available in French and serving as experts when needed.
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| Participants tour the historical Jewish neighbourhood of Paris, Le Marais. |
Seminar Structure:
The seminar was divided into briefings and lectures, interactive sessions and field visits, conceived by Claude Singer, Pedagogical Director of le Memorial de la Shoah.
a. The lectures were given by educators and historians at le Memorial, along with Professors from Universities such as the Sorbonne and Science Politique, among other professionals. Presentations on the history of the Jews and antisemitism in Europe helped to clarify how the Nazis and their collaborators were able to perpetrate a genocide against the Jews. Through understanding the concept of genocide, as codified in international law, the participants were able to appreciate the legal instruments and bodies that the United Nations has in place to help to deter, prosecute, and punish crimes against humanity and genocide.
b. Interactive sessions on using information resources such as film, publications and the Internet, including the Holocaust Programme’s “Electronic Notes for Speakers”, were held. Testimony from a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, that traced life in the ghetto and was illustrated by a large scale model of the city housed at le Memorial, was moving and instructive.
c. Field visits to authentic sites in Poland offered a deeper understanding of the depravity of a regime that brutally murdered Jews at gunpoint, and then went to great lengths to develop an industrialized killing machine in the camps to ensure that that no Jew would survive, along with countless other victims. The opportunity to visit the prisoners’ barracks and view crumbling crematoria and other exhibits was unique and had a profound affect on the participants, who were accompanied by Dr. Henri Borlant, a survivor of the camp.
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| Information officers pose in front of the memorial wall where the names of the 76,000 Jews (including 11,000 children) deported from France have been engraved. |
Dr. Borlant, a French citizen, was deported and sent to Auschwitz as a teen. He suffered three years in the camps before escaping. Allied Forces helped him to return home where he was eventually able to finish school and live a productive life. In Henri’s view, the seminar was invaluable in that by examining the breakdown of democratic values and respect for human rights, the participants would learn of the dangers that totalitarian regimes pose. As a result of the seminar, the participants can help ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust, including the inability of the international community and local civic and political leaders to act at that time, are known to the world.
It is noteworthy to mention that Auschwitz Birkenau receives a million visitors per year, including students, teachers, similar in number to those who visit the United Nations.
Outcomes:
Following a briefing by Kimberly Mann on the objectives of General Assembly resolution 60/7, participants discussed ways in which to integrate the work of the centres into the overall communications strategy of the Outreach Programme. Jacques Fredj, the Director of le Memorial, and Karel Fracapane, International Coordinator, joined the National Officers in a brainstorming session on follow-up activities. As one outcome, the centres will establish a list serve through which they can share information and ideas and generate support for regional outreach efforts, such as joint materials for the website. Memorial de la Shoah will assist these efforts by making resource materials available in French and serving as experts when needed.
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| At Auschwitz Birkenau, participants listen to a first hand account from Holocaust survivor Dr. Henri Borlant. |
Discussions were held on how best to integrate the lessons of the Holocaust on the continent of Africa, where in the words of one participant, “genocide has become part of the fabric of society”. It was suggested that outreach efforts on this issue would be more effective if the experience of the Holocaust were linked to other genocides. It was also noted that the political sensitivity of this issue makes the subject difficult to introduce in some regions, but that the need for programmes that promote religious and ethnic tolerance and respect for diversity are essential.
Participant remarks:
One participant said that “I was truly happy and fortunate to be part of this training. Now I have a new challenge and work to do, because no one can remain indifferent to this subject or Resolution 60/7 after this training”.
Another participant said, “this subject needs to be promoted locally and we are now experts, able to deal with this subject in our countries”. The participants, agreed as a first step, to organize commemorative activities to mark the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust in 2008.
Press Release - 9 November 2007
United Nations and Yad Vashem
organize second UNIC training seminar -
“International Forum on Holocaust Awareness and Genocide Prevention”
26 October to 1 November 2007
Jerusalem, Israel
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| Participants attend a briefing by Rony Leshno Yaar, Deputy Director-General for International Organizations, Israeli Foreign Ministry, on the adoption of United Nations General Assembly resolution 60/7 "Holocaust Remembrance" |
The Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme partnered with Yad Vashem to organize the second in a series of regional one-week training programmes for National Information Officers of United Nations information centres (UNICs) in Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific regions. This seminar helped to further the participants’ understanding of antisemitism, the underlying issues that can lead to genocide, the history of the Holocaust and its relevance today. The seminar, funded by Yad Vashem, was held from 26 October to 1 November 2007 in Jerusalem, Israel. Participants included UNICs Ankara, Bangkok, Bucharest, Manila, Moscow, Pretoria, Tokyo and UNOs Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, and the manager of the Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme.
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| The information offiers tour the ground of Yad Vashem and learn about a monument dedicated to the fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Photo/Victor Radivinovski |
The seminar chronicled the evolution of antisemitism and racism in the world, which culminated in the persecution and murder of the Jewish people under the Nazi regime. The underlying issues which serve as signposts of potential genocidal situations today were also highlighted, encouraging UNICs to ensure that civil society mobilize against acts of hatred and violence today. Participants were made aware of the failure of the international community to prevent or effectively respond to the genocide of the Jews, or others that have followed it. The link between the past and the present was clearly established. Nazi racial ideology and its devastating impact on all strata of society throughout Europe was examined, with a view to remaining vigilant of the threat of racism in all corners of the globe.
Thought-provoking discussions of the role of the United Nations in helping to protect and promote human rights around the world were led by experts from Yad Vashem and other institutions. Practical workshops were held to strengthen the skills of the National Officers to organize effective Holocaust Remembrance activities and to incorporate Holocaust art and exhibits in working at the grass roots level. Resource materials in various languages and survivor testimony were made available to the participants.
Seminar structure:
The seminar was divided into lectures by Yad Vashem experts and others, interactive tours and hands-on workshops conceived by Ms. Dorit Novak, Director of the International School for Holocaust Studies; Ms. Shulami Imber, Pedagogical Director; and Ms. Richelle Budd-Caplan; Director for International Relations.
a. Yad Vashem invited its educators, historians, art curators and other technicians along with experts in the field of Holocaust studies from Tel Aviv University and the International Institute for Holocaust Research to brief the group. Yehuda Bauer, world-renowed scholar, former Chair of the Yad Vashem Research Institute and Honorary Chairman of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, was a special guest. Discussions focused on the warning signs of genocide and how to combat antisemitism and xenophobia today. Another highlight was the opportunity to discuss the spirit of the Holocaust remembrance resolution with a representative of the Foreign Ministry of Israel.
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Participants of the seminar tour the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), in Jerusalem and receive a briefing from Colonel Darwin J. Gould, Deputy Chief of Staff on the work of this peacekeeping mission, established in 1948. |
b. Tours included visits to the permanent exhibitions and memorials on the grounds of Yad Vashem, in honour of the hundreds of lost Jewish communities, murdered men, women and children, as well as the rescuers and survivors. These memorials, the “Every Person Has a Name Project” and the concluding ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance in particular helped to put a human face on this tragedy. Visits to historical sites in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv underscored the significance of the city to many different religious and ethnic groups.
c. Hands-on workshops
One of the highlights of the week’s programme was a visit to Yad Vashem’s Interactive learning centre, where the National Information Officers could listen to a variety of views on questions raised as a result of the Holocaust, which helped them to absorb the history and reflect on its consequences. Another workshop provided the participants with guidelines for organizing activities for Holocaust Remembrance Day. Another presented techniques that participants could incorporate into their outreach efforts on combating xenophobia and racism.
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The information officers participate in a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. |
Following a briefing from the Holocaust programme manager on the objectives of resolution 60/7, Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, joined the UNIC National Information Officers in a brainstorming session on creative activities the group might implement at the national and local levels. The participants divided into small discussion groups led by Ms. Novak, Ms. Budd-Caplan, Ms. Imber and Ms. Mann and then reported the ideas back to the whole.
Outcomes:
Among many suggested follow up activities, the United Nations Information Centres will partner with Yad Vashem to identify students in their countries who will participate in an International Youth Conference being held at Yad Vashem in January 2008. An essay contest will be held with one high school, and the winner would be nominated to travel to Yad Vashem to take part in the youth gathering.
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| The national information officers tour the permanent exhibits at Yad Vashem |
Also, the UNICs will work with local graduates of Yad Vashem study programmes to enhance Holocaust outreach activities in their countries. In addition, t he information officers will also have access to expertise and information resources that Yad Vashem has available in the official languages of the United Nations. Among these count an online course in Holocaust studies and lesson plans on teaching tolerance. In addition, the Holocaust programme will provide each Centre with a narrative and timeline on the Holocaust to mount at the UNIC premises where feasible, for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Participant remarks:
"I had limited knowledge of the Holocaust before coming here. This experience opened up my eyes and my mind and helped me to establish a link between the past and the present. The Holocaust did not end with liberation of the camps. We have seen that antisemitism still exists today, in writing and in sentiment, and we need to address this. We must get to the root of it by including children and their parents in outreach programmes to get to the bottom of discrimination."
Another said, "This seminar has increased my knowledge about this watershed event. It will help me in my work and has made me more confident in dealing with this sensitive issue".
Press Release - 26 October 2007
United Nations and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
organize first UNIC training seminar -
“The History of the Holocaust: Confronting Hatred, Preventing Genocide and Cultivating Moral Responsibility” 14 to 18 May 2007
Washington, D.C.
![Daniel Greene, Historian and Curator of “A Dangerous Lie: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” leads the UNIOs on a tour of the exhibition. [Left to right: Daniel Greene, Jieselinde Gonzalez-Toyloy (Panama), Kimberly Mann (UN), partially visible, Jose Maria Amarillo-Alviso (Paraguay), Robert Brockmann (Bolivia), Maria Ines Scudellari (Peru), Valeria Schilling (Brazil), Wade Ramnarine (Trinidad)] Photo: Carl Cox](images/PEZ_lg.jpg) |
| Daniel Greene, Historian and Curator of “A Dangerous Lie: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” leads the UNIOs on a tour of the exhibition. |
The Holocaust and United Nations Outreach Programme initiated a new partnership with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) to better equip the Department’s information officers to raise public awareness about the Holocaust and its relevance today. A one-week training programme for National Information Officers of United Nations information centres (UNICs) in the Americas was held at USHMM from 14 to 18 May 20007 in Washington, D.C. While providing the participants with the historical background and context in which the Holocaust took place, the seminar helped local staff to understand the impact that it has had on contemporary society and encouraged them to promote action in their own communities that would strengthen democratic values and promote tolerance, in order to help prevent genocide. The valuable support provided by USHMM will assist the information officers in carrying out the mandate of the Holocaust Remembrance resolution 60/7, which established the outreach programme to mobilize civil society for Holocaust remembrance and education.
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| UN Information Officers pose with staff of the National Institute for Holocaust Education at USHMM. |
The seminar highlighted the underlying issues that can lead to genocide, such as hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice, and explored ways to promote tolerance, democracy, and human rights. Each day of the seminar had been devoted to a different theme, beginning with a focus on the role of the United Nations in protecting human rights and the legal instruments that have been designed to help prevent genocide and ensure accountability.
Seminar Structure:
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| From left to right, Liliana Garavito (UNIC Bogota), Valeria Schilling (UNIC Rio de Janeiro), Gustavo Poch (UNIC Buenos Aires), Ines Scudellari (UNIC LIma), and Jiesselinde Gonzalez (UNIC Panama) in front of the White House. |
The seminar’s activities were divided into three category groups: briefings and presentations, World Cafe brainstorming and strategy sessions discussions, and interactive tours. More than 25 Museum staff members were involved
a. Over the course of the week, the participants attended 16 briefings on subjects related to the Holocaust, the prevention of genocide, Anti-Semitism in Latin America, post-conflict justice, the role of propaganda, and an interview with a Holocaust survivor. Three of these sessions were conducted in Spanish. These presentations demonstrated the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent acts of intolerance early on. The briefings encouraged the participants to promote action in their own communities and cultivated a sense of moral responsibility to respond to the monumental challenges that confront our world.
b. During four structured brainstorming and strategy sessions, called “World Cafés,” the participants engaged in a collaborative dialogue and knowledge-sharing exercise on the topics of the Holocaust, genocide prevention, promoting tolerance and achieving United Nations goals in Latin America and the Caribbean. The participants were encouraged by scholars who moderated the groups to identify challenges in their countries and to formulate solutions to answer issues of intolerance, anti-Semitism, racism and challenges to human rights.
Participants studied how the abuse of power, including by the institutions established to help protect society, can lead to the breakdown of democratic values. They also learned how the media spread hatred and racism, and how this led to the persecution and violence against Jews and other minorities. Thought-provoking discussions, led by Sarah Ogilvie, Director of the National Institute of Holocaust Education (NIHE) and Dan Napolitano, Director of the Institute's Education Division, on post-conflict justice, helped to address questions regarding the moral obligation a society has towards its members. Examination of contemporary dimensions of the Holocaust, including its legacy in the Americas, furthered understanding of the complex issues of migration and antisemitism today. The seminar also enabled participants to develop communications strategies to help combat intolerance and discrimination towards the disabled and other marginalized groups in their countries.
![Holocaust survivor David Bayer tells his story to the UNIOs. Bayer was interviewed by Jaime Monllor, International Outreach Officer in the Museum’s Survivors Registry. The interview was conducted entirely in Spanish and videotaped on the stage of the Museum’s Meyerhoff Theater. The videotaped interview will be distributed to the UNIOs for use in their work. [Left to right: David Bayer, Jaime Monllor (USHMM). First row, back to front: Liliana Garavito (Columbia), Jose Maria Amarillo-Alviso (Paraguay), Valeria Schilling (Brazil), Robert Brockmann (Bolivia), Kimberly Mann (UN). Back row, back to front: Gustavo Poch (Argentina), Juan Miguel Diez-Jimenez (Mexico), Jieselinde Gonzalez-Toyloy (Panama), Ines Maria Scudellari (Peru), Wade Ramnarine (Trinidad), Dalai Fazio (UN), Deborah DeYoung (USA) Photo: Carl Cox.]](images/bayer1_lg.jpg) |
| Holocaust survivor David Bayer tells his story to the UNIOs. |
Following a briefing from the Holocaust programme manager on the objectives of resolution 60/7, Sara Bloomfield, Executive-Director of USHMM and William Parsons, Chief of Staff, joined the UNIC National Information Officers in a brainstorming session on creative activities the group might implement at the national and local levels.
c. The participants engaged in interactive tours of the museums exhibits led by expert guides who moderated compelling discussion exercises on the installations. The exhibits provided both visual and historical artifacts for the participants to draw upon during the discussion sessions. In addition, the exhibits provided the participants with examples and information to support the development of Holocaust remembrance and genocide prevention events in their home countries.
Outcomes:
UNICs in the Americas region were integrated into the communications strategy of the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, which will increase its global impact. The participants learned problem-solving and communication techniques to better convey key messages that will help ensure more effective programming and help them to support the development by Member States of educational curricula on the lessons of the Holocaust, as mandated by General Assembly resoultion 60/7. These field offices also had the opportunity to network and coordinate their regional communication efforts.
A Power Point presentation for school children on the Holocaust and the United Nations was produced by UNIC LIMA (Maria Ines Scudellari) and has been translating into all official languages to be shared with all UNICS. In further cooperation, USHMM has created the Spanish-language version of the outreach programme’s online pedagogical tool “Electronic Notes for Speakers”. This tool combines survivor testimony with the historical facts to add a human dimension to learning about the Holocaust. USHMM will provide ongoing support to UNIC outreach efforts by offering them advice and information materials in Spanish.
Participant remarks:
One participant said, “Although I have visited two concentration camps and I am knowledgeable about the Third Reich, this issue, the Holocaust, gets to you every time. I think it is particularly relevant for some of our Latin American and Caribbean countries to pay attention to the early signs of erosion of democracy. A society that allows or encourages these behaviors could end up committing genocide, and that is why it so important to bring home to our governments the early warning signs.”
A second participant commented, “It was a tremendous experience. A phrase that I will never forget and that I saw for the first time at The Holocaust Museum was: “It is not about being Jewish: it’s about Humanity”. It was a really a touching phrase for me and had an intense meaning. Without a doubt, the seminar gave us an extraordinary opportunity to reflect on a dark moment in humankind’s history. Now we are better equipped to promote, to educate, to disseminate the value of cultural diversity, the values that should guide the international community in the 21st. century, and the importance of respecting and internalizing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
A third participant throught, “The sessions provided us with tremendous insights into the Holocaust, and I especially appreciated the opportunity to learn and discuss the history and issues with the knowledgeable experts the USHMM provided to us. The week helped me to better understand the “why” of our organization – because the UN was founded on the very ashes of the Holocaust. From that tragedy and crime, to the recent expansion of our role as giving meaning to the responsibility to protect civilians, is a direct line. Our discussions helped me to better understand that, and the example of USHMM staff who must deal with these difficult issues every day, helped to reinvigorate my own commitment.”