Centropa Summer Academy (2016)

This summer, I was given the amazing opportunity to attend Centropa's 10th Summer Academy. Our whirlwind of days in Vienna have been filled with a walking tour of the city, visits to various museums, lectures, panel discussions, meeting with elderly Viennese Jews and working together with other teachers to create lessons plans.  I am so impressed by the knowledge and skills of all the participants and Centropa staff. I was particularly intrigued by the lectures and panel discussions from our Tuesday sessions. The historical lecture by Philipp Blom as well as the panel discussion with Hannah Lessing and Michaela Spaeth centered around connections between the past and the present.  I want to continue this discussion with my students in the coming school year. I believe that many of them may be confused about or disconnected from the various aspects of how the past connects to current cultural and political climates.  I'm looking forward to more discussions and learning throughout the rest of the time we have at CSA 2016.