AU partnering with Yad Vashem to improve Holocaust education

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University has entered into a partnership with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, and will welcome two visiting scholars to campus during the 2024 spring semester as part of a program to improve Holocaust education in the United States.

The partnership will benefit Ashland faculty members who will receive education and training—Terri Jewett, a professional instructor in the Dwight Schar College of Education, already attended a seminar for professors of Holocaust studies hosted at Yad Vashem — and provide the opportunity for Jewish scholars Yossi Kugler and Sarah Levy to each spend about two weeks on the AU campus.

“This is a tremendous opportunity. We are thrilled to have formed this partnership with Yad Vashem and very much look forward to welcoming Dr. Kugler and Professor Levy to Ashland,” said AU President Carlos Campo. “In light of recent events, it is more important than ever to educate our students, faculty and staff on the importance of remaining diligent against the forces that led to the Holocaust and continue to threaten Jewish people around the world.”

Kugler will be on the AU campus from Feb. 12-24, 2024, teaching a two-week, one-credit course to undergraduate students on the Holocaust, presenting a public lecture on Feb. 15 (more details will be announced at a later date), meeting with student organizations and participating in virtual programs with the Maltz Museum in Cleveland and the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in Cincinnati. Kugler holds a Ph.D. from the Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, and his dissertation was “The Attitudes of the Israeli Society Towards Antisemitism, 1948-87.”

The dates of Levy’s visit to Ashland are still being finalized. She is working to coordinate a teacher in-service day for area K-12 schools when she’ll lead Holocaust education training, and she will also be partnering with the Maltz Museum and Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center for content and resource sharing. Levy is the program coordinator for Echoes & Reflections, a collaboration between the Anti-Defamation League, the University of Southern California’s Shoah Foundation and Yad Vashem.

In addition to developing Holocaust education training events for area teachers and expanding its reach via collaboration with the Maltz Museum and Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, AU will look to expand its physical and digital resource library for teaching Holocaust education, to partner with the State of Ohio on initiatives around Holocaust education and to establish standards to offer similar programs in the future.

“We are extremely excited to welcome these two scholars to campus for what we hope will be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership,” said Charles Neff, who serves as the executive director of the office of Christian ministry at AU. “We have been working towards their visit for almost two years now and can’t wait for their arrival this spring.”

Ashland University is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.