REMEMBRANCE RELAY

Tkuma Center has traditionally conducted the “Remembrance Relay” devoted to International Holocaust Day.

On January 15^th, 2007 Tkuma Center has welcomed active participants of the programs to begin the “Relay”. During the meeting the following issues have been considered:

- the modern Holocaust perception in Europe and in the world,

- Catastrophe prevention measures,

- authority and public empowerment to resist fascism and nazism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia.

On January 18-26^th, 2007 the special meetings of Tkuma culturological clubs, devoted to the International Holocaust Day, have been held in Ukrainian cities (Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Simferepol, Lviv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia). Due to Tkuma Center initiative specially trained teachers have arranged focused activities in many Ukrainian schools.

Tkuma Center keeps on receiving letters with favourable reviews as to conducting “Remembrance Relay” in towns and villages of Ukraine.

On January 28^th, 2007 the most active participants from all over Ukraine (about 50 teachers and heads of clubs) met at first session of V International pedagogical conference “Lessons of Holocaust – Lessons of Tolerance”, devoted to the International Holocaust Day. The Conference hosted the members of Tkuma All-Ukrainian Academic Board, heads of departments of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, key education specialists, who experienced in researching Holocaust issues in schools and higher educational institutes in Ukraine and abroad.

Greeting speeches were also addressed to the Conference participants by the representatives of Embassy, “Joint” Central office in Kyiv, leading education specialists of Academy of Pedagogical Sciences and Ministry of Education of Ukraine, scholars and public figures.

In the framework of the Conference the regular meeting of Tkuma All-Ukrainian Academic Board has been held. During the Academic Board meeting the current tasks and Tkuma Center agenda for 2007-2008 have been considered.

Sessions on Holocaust teaching history and methodology are based on the experience of lecturing and conducting lessons on International Holocaust Day. The subject “Psychology of captivity” has stirred up genuine participants’ interest. Mikhail Moiseev, the facilitator of the workshop, focused participants’ attention on camp prisoner’ psychological peculiarities, their resistance methods, featuring the Nazi methods of psychological pressure on them.

The Conference participants were lucky to review the latest documentary “Proboszcz Majdanka” produced by Grzegorz Linkowski. Holocaust History researcher from Lviv Julij Stenberg, who is one of the film characters, has given the annotation before the documentary reviewing.

The Conference participants jointly with students of Kyiv schools and higher educational institutes have taken part in the remembrance meeting and ceremonial flowers laying in Babiy Yar.

On February 5^th, 2007 Tkuma Center has gathered students from various Dnipropetrovsk schools to debate on of interethnic and interconfessional tolerance issues. During the meeting the participants have been considering the possibilities of citizens to influence the political state under totalitarian regime etc. The students’ meeting has been the final stage of the “Remembrance Relay” event.