The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Leadership Academy was inaugurated at Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies in Jerusalem on Monday.
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The academy will work to create fact-based international educational programs – both face-to-face and online – with an emphasis on the Holocaust and its relevance to modern times.
What prompted the creation of such an institution was the rise in antisemitic incidents around the globe and various polls indicating the lack of the most basic Holocaust education in countries worldwide, as well as efforts by some to erase or deny the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. Miriam Adelson, members of the Adelson family, Chairman of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center Natan Sharansky, Chairman of Yad Vashem Dani Dayan, and Avner Shalev, former chairman of the holocaust remembrance center.
"For me, Yad Vashem has always been a place to connect to half of my family members who perished in the Holocaust," Adelson said at the event. "The exhibits here are profound and teach about the six million of our people in an extraordinary way. The Nazis sought not only to exterminate the Jewish but to wipe out the eternal people from the history of the nations. Yad Vashem is making sure that will not happen. My beloved husband Sheldon and I always thought it an honor to support Yad Vashem. Sheldon and I saw value in the International School for Holocaust Studies.
"This institution educates teachers from various countries about the Holocaust so that they can teach about the Holocaust in their countries of origin. Their training helps turn the tragedy of the Jewish people into an undeniable fact so that such things will never happen again."
Dayan also spoke at the inauguration.
"Sheldon and Miriam understood that there is no real existence for the Jewish people without the connection to the State of Israel. The sharpness with which they understood this and the devotion with which they operate is unparalleled in the Jewish world. They understand that for the Jewish people, the past, present, and future are one and the same. They generously support Yad Vashem in preserving our past.
"The way to fight the rising antisemitism is through consistent and comprehensive activity to spread the knowledge about the Holocaust and its causes among various circles, including potential leaders. We want to see academic activity reach and permeate many circles as well as the next generation of various leaders: educators, diplomats, clergy, security forces, and medical professionals. These people need to know the historical truth and learn appropriate pedagogical concepts that will help in the fight against the ignorance that exists today."
Sharansky concurred.
"Sheldon used to always think what we could to ensure the continuation of the Jewish people. He always looked for ways to strengthen the people of Israel. He and Miriam understood very well how important knowledge of the Holocaust is to ensure the future of the Jewish people."
With the help of graduates from the International School for Holocaust Studies, the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Leadership Academy will train educators and opinion leaders through seminars and collaborations to be "ambassadors" in their respective fields.
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