On March 14th—17th, 2011, association „Shamir” in cooperation with the Center of informal Jewish education “Melamedia” (Israel) have organized the international seminar-conference, dedicated to the history of Baltic Jews between two world wars. This seminar has become the first in a row of 4 in the study course “Informal Studies of Jewish History, Culture and Tolerance for Jewish Educators” to be held in 2011—2012.
The opening of the seminar was honored by the speeches of Israel ambassador in Latvia Mr. Naftali Tamir, the representative of Latvian Ministry of Education Ms. Kristine Vagnere, director of the Institute Maija Kule and Rabbi Menachem Barkahan, the chairman of association “Shamir”.
Seminar participants have received structured and advanced studies of the topic, including lectures and discussions on historical aspects and personalities. One of the classes took place at Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust museum. Seminar agenda included the study of methods of further formal and informal teaching of Jewish history, taught by David Palant from “Melamedia”.
The primarily target group of the event were teachers and educators of formal and informal Jewish education in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus and Northern regions of Russia; indeed, the first two days of the seminar were attended by externs: researchers, teachers, scientists and scholars from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and USA, representatives of Latvian governmental and public institutions, diplomatic representatives of foreign countries.
The lecturers of the conference were: Prof. Joel Rappel from Boston University, Latvian scientists and educators, lecturers from Israel, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
Next seminar for Jewish educators will take place in Riga in November, 2011. Online training sessions and on-site visits are scheduled for the participants of the program between seminars.
The project is supported by L. A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education in the Diaspora, Israel (Project # 749) and by the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of Latvian University (support of European fund of regional development, project # 2010/0195/2DP/2.1.1.2.0/10/ APIA/VIAA/008)