Eighth
International Conference on Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem did not sound
like anything I would want to go to. What the name lacks in creativity is,
well, everything. Yet, I found myself awake at 7:30 am, on my way to Israel’s
most well known Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Despite the less than engaging
title the topics being discussed had some real value.
The lectures
and speeches were less than thrilling, but what was interesting was the
constant debate about what should be taught. As one of the youngest people in
the room it seemed that the focus was good but the methods of communicating
their ideas were lacking. The speeches were burdened by their obvious distance
from the target group they were trying to reach. While this was an academic
conference, and they were speaking to educators, I felt a general sense that
they were out of touch with young people these days.
Speakers
referenced “twits on tweeter” and teens preoccupation with ipods and imacs.
These attempts at addressing modern technology were good, and should be
encouraged, but why not run these speeches by their children first?
I do not
assume to understand what everyone in their teens and 20’s are interested in,
but technology has a proven appeal. In Yad Vashem there was a poster with a
photo of a family from the early 1930’s. The families’ faces were replaced by
QR codes, inviting anyone with a smart phone to snap a picture and learn more.
Why are there not more technologically interactive approaches in Holocaust
education? Thirteen year olds now have smart phones, ipads, laptops and gaming
systems. Let’s tap into that. It is difficult to get youth engaged in books, and
few are able to do what Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, and Stephenie Meyer
accomplished. Instead of fighting to get Middle School students reading
hardcopies of textbooks, let’s turn them digital and make them interactive.
These three authors
inspired millions of young readers, while I was anything but inspired by the
six middle aged white men who were trying to explain how memory and
preservation should play a vital role in Holocaust education. It is difficult
to strip away our biases around the sophistication, or lack of, in youth. Who
cares if they are sophisticated? Let’s first work on educating them and then
get to the task of their social refinement.
