by Robert Wiener
NJJN Staff Writer

August 14, 2008

While she was attending the Sixth International Conference on the Holocaust and Education, Barbara Wind, director of the Holocaust Council of MetroWest, hit upon an idea.

It came to her in Jerusalem, while she was leading a discussion among some of the 700 educators from 52 nations who were attending the conference session at Yad Vashem.

“I realized almost immediately that the levels of experience among the participants were very varied,” said Wind. “Some of the teachers had two PhDs and some of them were new at Holocaust centers and didn’t know about resources.”

During a lunch break, Wind began a simple sign-up sheet for delegates, asking them to put down their names and e-mail addresses, creating an Internet listserv so she could bring them together in an international conversation after they returned home from the conference.

“People were dragging their friends over to sign up,” Wind said. “It was very exciting.”

Wind described the on-line forum — which she is calling the Global Association of Holocaust Genocide Educators, or “GAGE” — as a “clearing-house.”

“We hope to have a website, and we are happy to provide information on any conferences these people are planning,” she said.

From July 7 to 10, the delegates to the conference in Jerusalem spoke to one another in three official languages — English, Spanish, and Russian — reflecting keen interest in teaching the Shoa in Spain, Latin America, and Eastern Europe as well as in English-speaking countries.

In its aftermath, Wind said, she hopes her colleagues in many parts of the world will leap over language barriers so they can keep in contact.

Educators interested in joining GAGE can contact Wind at bwind@ujcnj.org.

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