In 2006, I was teaching Jewish history at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School when Ed Serotta walked in to speak to students and debut the multimedia films he was making that told compelling stories of Holocaust survivors from the Centropa archive. In 2007, I attended the first Centropa Summer Academy (not yet called that) with 8 other US educators, and began what turned out to be an adventure that each year since has brought me to Central European cities I never thought I’d visit and where I have met incredible educators from the US, Europe, and Israel—an extraordinary experience. While I look forward to new possibilities, I will miss my annual trips to Europe with teachers from the US, Europe and Israel—spending time and working with you has been the highlight of my time at Centropa.
Over the years, I have witnessed how Centropa’s unique methodology changes the way teachers teach about the Holocaust: emphasizing the importance of including stories of prewar Jewish life in their Holocaust lessons, offering them the resources to do so, and creating spaces—the Centropa Summer Academy, Café Centropa: Teachers’ Edition, the Border Jumping Program—where teachers can get to know one another, learn about life in other countries, and collaborate. Seeing firsthand and hearing about how these encounters ultimately impact students has taught me that real learning only happens when we are forced to confront our assumptions and biases. I look forward to seeing how my colleagues at Centropa continue this important work.
No less meaningful, it has been my privilege to work with dedicated educators in US Holocaust museums, Holocaust councils and programs, school districts, Jewish Federations, and universities, with whom we have collaborated on professional development programming for years. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by your expertise and commitment to our challenging work.
Last but in no way least, I want to thank our donors, each of whom has contributed to making Centropa’s pioneering mission to teach about 20th century European Jewish life possible. Make no mistake, increasing numbers of public school students around the US now have a more complex understanding about the Holocaust and a deeper understanding of the Jews who lived through it due to your support of our programs, especially the Centropa Summer Academy.
Centropa’s new director, Fabian Rühle (ruehle [at] centropa.org), and Maria (Mirus) Lieberman (lieberman [at] centropa.org) will be available to answer any questions related to bringing Centropa to US schools and programs.
It with a grateful heart for the friends I have made and the colleagues I have worked with that I say so long—the attached photos are only a small sample of the many wonderful people I have met of the past two decades.
Lauren Granite
For more photos of Lauren's time at Centropa, make sure to check out our social media posts.
