This summer, the Centropa Jewish Network returned to Israel for a two-day regional professional development seminar for Israeli teachers, held on August 18–19 in Ramat Gan. The seminar brought together educators from across the country to explore new approaches to teaching Jewish history through the personal stories of Jewish women.
Under the title “HerStories – Helping Students Discover Their ‘Why’,” participants explored the stories of four Jewish women from the Centropa archive. Through films, presentations, discussions, and hands-on workshops, educators discovered new ways to bring personal stories into the classroom and developed lesson plans inspired by these women’s stories.
The seminar also created space for teachers to share their experiences, exchange ideas, and learn from one another, strengthening connections within the Centropa Jewish Network community in Israel.
The goals of the seminar were:
* Explore how personal stories of Jewish women can be used to teach Jewish history, identity, and heritage
* Engage with Centropa stories and films as meaningful classroom resources
* Discover creative and practical ways to incorporate personal stories into teaching
* Develop lesson plans inspired by the stories of Jewish women from the Centropa archive
* Connect with fellow Israeli educators, exchange experiences, and collaborate on new teaching ideas
* Strengthen the Centropa Jewish Network as a professional community of Jewish educators
The seminar was generously hosted and supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel Office, with additional support from the Jack Buncher Foundation.
