South Florida teachers study Holocaust, anti-Semitism during ADL trip to Israel

Posted by BocaRatonNews August 30, 2009, 9:32 PM
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By Dale King
CITY EDITOR

Two Catholic school teachers from Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale were among a group of Catholic educators from around the country that traveled to Israel this summer to learn about anti-Semitism and the Holocaust as part of the Anti-Defamation League’s “Bearing Witness Advanced” program.

Kathy Aprea-Cook from St. Jude Catholic School in Boca Raton and Kamiah Goldstein from Archbishop McCarthy High School in Fort Lauderdale recently returned from that journey.

“Bearing Witness Advanced” provides educators with an opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of Israel against the backdrop of Jewish history, the Holocaust and Catholic-Jewish relations.

“Combining experts’ knowledge of the Holocaust with the words of those who experienced it can have a unique and powerful impact,” said Dr. Ed S. Alster, ADL’s Director of Education. “The teachers learned firsthand how anti-Semitism can lead to tragedy if left unchecked. The experience should enable them to convey these lessons to their students more effectively.”

“Of course, I cannot see the complete impact of Bearing Witness Advanced on my life as a teacher, mother, wife or friend yet,” said Goldstein. “However, I am fascinated by the relationship between the Jewish and Catholic faiths…and feel much more prepared to answer questions my students ask me about the Jewish faith.”

Student Questions

“This new school year has me excited because I know I can field questions from my students about the Holocaust and the Jewish people pre-WWII, during and post-WWII and that I can show the land of Israel to the young people I am responsible for as a teacher. The level of my instruction in so many areas will be on a higher level this year and in the years to follow.”

At Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, the teachers heard from Holocaust survivors, historians and pedagogical experts. They also visited Christian and Jewish holy sites, and met with interfaith experts.

To lend a contemporary sense of Israel, the group traveled around the country, and met with authors, journalists and political analysts.

“Teaching about the Holocaust in a Catholic school presents some challenges,” said Aprea-Cook. “I believe educators who are part of the Bearing Witness Program are people who were willing to see many parts of the mosaic before they began the program.”

“The world needs more people and educators like that,” she said. “Every side has a story, and as an American educator, I was so grateful and impressed that the ADL gave us all the sides of Israel. We were able to meet and have presentations from Arabs, Jews, Catholics, and other Christians who live and work in Israel and we were given opportunities to speak with these people to ask our questions as a group and privately.”

To prepare for the trip, the educators attended an introductory seminar at Seton Hall University with Holocaust and anti-Semitism experts.

The 19 participants in the 2009 Bearing Witness Advanced seminar hailed from Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. All are graduates of regional ADL Bearing Witness programs.