Why 30 Major Christian Leaders Are Gathering in Jerusalem

Thirty Christian priests, pastors and leaders of organizations from across the world are coming to attend a week-long, intensive seminar at Yad Vashem. The seminar is organized jointly by The International School for Holocaust Studies of Yad Vashem and the Christian Friends of Yad Vashem, with the financial support of The Museum of The Bible in Washington D.C. as well as the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, USA Branch. The Seminar, titled “The Holocaust, Anti-Semitism and Israel,” runs from May 1-10 at the Yad Vashem Campus in Jerusalem.

Aimed at giving Christian leaders, both formal and informal, the tools necessary to speak about the history and facts of the Shoah and anti-Semitism, the seminar includes in-depth tours of the Yad Vashem museums and campus, meetings with Holocaust survivors, and leading historians and experts in the field of Holocaust education. Topics addressed include, among others, the Bible (including a tour of the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem), anti-Semitism and its different manifestations throughout history, literary responses to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem’s educational philosophy, the Allies and Nazi Germany, and the Righteous Among the Nations.

Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies, established in 1993, organizes educational programs for both students and educators from Israel and abroad. Following the seminar, Christian Friends of Yad Vashem intends to cooperate with the participants at churches across the U.S.

Christian Friends of Yad Vashem was established in autumn 2006, in partnership with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), to promote Yad Vashem’s activities worldwide. One of the main goals of the Christian Friends of Yad Vashem is Holocaust education through bringing Christian youth leaders, pastors and educators to Yad Vashem’s seminars.