HOLOCAUST EDUCATION in the REPUBLIC of SERBIA

1. HOLOCAUST EDUCATION in the REPUBLIC of SERBIA Biljana STOJANOVIĆ Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development

2. Republic of Serbia • Republic of Serbia is located in Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula • Capital is Belgrade • More than 7 million inhabitants live in Serbia • Less than 2000 Jews live in Serbia

3. When did we start with Holocaust education? • In 2006, when we became observer in the ITF BUT Before that time, our students learn about Jews and the Holocaust in different subjects, such as: history, mother tongue and literature, religious education (elementary school) and in the same subjects + sociology in the secondary school. In the history curriculum the Holocaust is one of the topics within WWII

4. From 2006 to 2014 • From Budapest (2006) till today, Sarajevo 2014 we have passed a long road, but we are not at the end of the road. • In the Fall of 2011, I met Ed for the first time and our cooperation began (successfully) – Serbia became a part of CENTROPA

5. What we did? • BUT FIRST WHO WE ARE? • TEACHERS OF DIFFERENT SUBJECTS WHO PASSED TRAININGS ORGANIZED BY YAD VASHEM AND CENTROPA

6. What we did? • WE: • wrote, printed and presented manual for teachers – Handbook for learning about Holocaust • More than 15 teachers participated in the writing of the manual Structure of the manual: 1. Approach to the topic (pedagogical instructions) 2. History of Jews 3. Lesson plans

7. What we did? • WE: - presentedto teachers: *methodology of teaching and learning about Holocaust, *CENTROPA site as a source of teaching material • organized exhibitions dedicated to the Holocaust, Kristallnacht, Jasenovac

8. What we did? • Exhibition Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future (Zrenjanin, August 2010)

9. What we did? • organized seminars and workshops – How to teach Holocaust Novi Sad – 2007, 2013 Beograd – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 Niš – 2012, 2014 Kraljevo – 2013 Kragujevac 2013

10. What we did? • Connected with schools in USA and prepared film History of Belgrade in 20 century • Nine Serbian students of the Fourteenth Belgrade Grammar School (Četrnaestabeogradskagimnazija) have created a video about the history of the city of Belgrade during the 20th Century using their knowledge of English language, photos, and videos. The story of Belgrade in the 20th Century video was designed to teach students in Detroit, USA about the turbulent history of Belgrade during the 20th Century. I hope that American students liked it, and that you’ll also like it. Serbian students have made a great video: LidijaŠuica

11. What we did? • SenkaJankov, SašaRadošević and Marko Dimitrijević connected their students with students from Palm Beach (Florida, USA) through border-jumping projekat' s • Vera Isailović, AleksandarTodosijević, Vesna Lučić, BojanaStevanović, SanjaRistić, ZvezdanaPetrović, Vesna Dimitrijević, Vera Dujaković, PredragNešović , Nada Banjanin and other teachers prepared lesson plans and put on the site of their schools or published in differnet manuals.

12. What we did? • NGO Panonijaand DanicaStefanović organized many activities with students related to the Holocaust in the Vojvodina (research and films) • Teachers from Serbia participated in the seminars organized by YadVashem, Centropa and Holocaust Memorial Center of the Jews from Macedonia.

13. What we did? • We prepared films (and are proud of students and their teachers who prepared the films): • Film about SofijaDemajo, students from XIII Belgrade Gymnasium and teacher SanjaRistić; • Film about AleksandarMošić, students from XIII Belgrade Gymnasium and teacher SanjaRistić; • History of Jewis in Kragujevac, students from VET school "DjordjeRadić", Kraljevo and teacher MarselaEskenaziMilutinović; • Jewish community in BackaPalanka, students from Gymnasium "20. oktobar", BačkaPalanka and teacher JasnaLukić; • Jews of Novi Sad, students from Gymnasium "SvetozarMarković", Novi Sad and teacher Aleksandra Popović; • History of Belgrade in 20 century, students from XIV Belgrade Gymnasium and teacher LidijaŠuica • Beograd, my town`s history, students from ES LazaKostićand teacher Vesna Dimitrijević

14. What has changed? • The way of teaching and learning about Holocaust; • Lessons became interactive, full of discussions and sharing of thoughts and ideas; • Teachers start to use different kinds of teaching materials, including films. • Holocaust education has become the topic which contributes, not only to the development of knowledge about Holocaust, but to the development of competences such as:

15. COMPETENCES • to understand the consequences of prejudice, stereotypes and racism; • to become aware of the individual and group responsibility; • embrace diversity in a pluralistic society and foster a culture of remembrance; • to recognize different forms of discrimination and crimes against humanity in the society;

16. Important changes • Learning about Holocaust is not only learning about period from 1933 to 1945. • Learning about Holocaust is learning about Jewish life before, during and after Holocaust, the stories about individuals who had names, hopes and needs.

17. Forthcoming • New trainings, • Expanding the teachers network • Cooperation with Memorial Museum Shoa from Paris • Further cooperation with YadVashem, Centropa, Holocaust Memorial Center of the Jews from Macedonia and teachers from USA • Establishing teachers network of the Western Balkans

18. AND, for the END GREETINGS from Serbian teachers

19. THANKS for YOUR ATTENTION