Yad Vashem in Jerusalem is scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indiana-based University of Notre Dame and its global network to increase and encourage advanced Holocaust education and research across the world, announced the institutions on Tuesday.
The agreement is scheduled to be signed on Wednesday by Yad Vashem director-general Dorit Novak and University of Notre Dame vice president and associate provost for internationalization Michael Pippenger.
Scholars from both institutions will offer remarks that explore how millions of people were allowed to be systematically dehumanized and murdered, which is the focus of a new online educational tool recently uploaded to the Yad Vashem website. Based on its Center for Major Questions Arising from the Holocaust, this resource raises open issues about the Holocaust to encourage thoughtful discussion and writings.
“Yad Vashem is committed to ensuring that the history of the Holocaust continues to be relevant today and for future generations, and is not relegated to yet another chapter in human history,” said Novak in a statement. “Our efforts aim to equip students and teachers alike with the necessary tools and materials to address the topic of the Holocaust and engage young scholars in the need for further research into its multifaceted nature and relevance today.”
The MoU will create a basis for ongoing cooperation between these two internationally renowned institutions: Yad Vashem’s International Institute for Holocaust Research and International School for Holocaust Studies will work together with members of the faculty, staff and students at the university.
The agreement also includes fostering a connection with Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) to strengthen and transform Holocaust education in Catholic schools and in its professional development programming.
“For our students who study abroad in Jerusalem, the collaboration will allow for greater access to Yad Vashem’s extraordinary resources—its world-renowned experts and its unparalleled archives—to pursue their research and become a part of the global conversation on Holocaust studies,” said Pippenger in a statement. “For our students on campus, we hope that the partnership will lead to a better understanding of the history and legacy of the Holocaust and what that understanding calls us to study and act on today.”
