Professional Development

Professional development opportunities for school systems and school staff are on-going and can be tailored to the needs of your educational community. A few possibilities within the Virginia Holocaust Museum are:

• Full-day workshops, including a tour of the VHM and a workshop focusing on the teaching of the Holocaust.
• Half-day workshops, including a tour of the VHM and an overview of available educational materials and opportunities for students
• Workshops delivered by special guests

Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation (ABMF) is grateful to the Virginia Holocaust Museum for their help in bringing Auschwitz Legacy lessons to schools in Virginia by partnering with us on the Auschwitz Legacy Fellowship.

About the Fellowship

In 2021, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation (ABMF) launched the Auschwitz Legacy Fellowship, a fully-funded continuing education program for American high school teachers and their students. Thanks to this program, more people will know what Auschwitz was - with the ultimate goal of developing an understanding of what leads to genocide.

This unique program focuses specifically on Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most notorious German Nazi concentration and death camp and the most recognizable symbol of the horrors of the Holocaust. It teaches our Fellows and their students universal lessons through its lens.

ABMF has partnered with the Virginia Holocaust Museum as a leading voice in Holocaust education in Virginia to play a leading role in recruiting Fellows and including them in their ongoing educational efforts.

During the Auschwitz Legacy Fellowship, teachers participate in a rigorous six-month online program, followed by a study visit to Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz). Upon their return to the U.S., the Fellows teach the lessons of Auschwitz using a unique curriculum and online tools, which center around the “Auschwitz Legacy” film, a 45-minute educational material about WWII, the Holocaust, and Auschwitz-Birkenau. They continue engaging with the subject matter via a relationship with our local partner, the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

Auschwitz Legacy Fellows come from all 50 states and constitute a wide corps of skilled educators who are integral to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation’s efforts to share the universal lessons of Auschwitz all over the United States.

“Seventy-eight years and three generations have passed since Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated, and most young people know nothing about it. When people forget about the past, they may repeat the crimes like the Holocaust. That’s why our Foundation developed the Auschwitz Legacy Fellowship. It not only provides American high school teachers with a unique opportunity to spend seven days in Poland, including three days at the Auschwitz Museum and Memorial but also gives teachers curricula to use in their classrooms and a specifically developed documentary movie about the Holocaust and Auschwitz. There is no other fellowship like this one in the United States and, for that matter, anywhere in the world.”  - Ronald S. Lauder, ABMF Chairman

Eligibility:

Thank you for your interest in the Auschwitz Legacy Fellowship. Please review the detailed information below before applying at the bottom of the page.

• The program is available to high school teachers teaching English, history, social studies, or related subjects who have never visited Auschwitz-Birkenau.
• Participation in the program is free of charge (double occupancy hotel accommodations, meals, and international flights included); upon acceptance, Fellows will be asked to contribute $150 to help offset administrative costs. Those who prefer single occupancy will incur additional costs.

As an Auschwitz Legacy Fellow, you will:

• Travel to Poland in the summer for a week-long experience, which will include Warsaw, Krakow, and Auschwitz-Birkenau,
• Participate in an educational program that revolves around “Auschwitz Legacy,” a 45-minute educational film about WWII, the Holocaust, and Auschwitz-Birkenau,
• Receive multiple resources for you and your students, with the “Auschwitz Legacy” film at the center of the curriculum; the provided resources will allow you to meet relevant guidelines and standards,
• Gain special access to Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum’s remote guided visits for your students (via a newly designed, cutting-edge app),
• Become a lifelong Auschwitz Legacy alum/na and learn from and contribute to a community of teachers from all across the U.S. for whom it is essential to address these topics in the classroom,
• Establish a relationship with a significant educational institution in your home state that will give you and your students access to their resources.

If you are interested in becoming an Auschwitz Legacy Fellow, you:

• Will be expected to plan to be teaching in the classroom for at least another five years,
• Need to be available to participate in a year-long program, including a week-long trip to Poland,
• Should be prepared for an active experience in Poland, which will include a lot of walking and long days.

The Alexander Lebenstein Teacher Education Institute assists educators with their understanding of the Holocaust and genocide. Sessions focus on historical background and pedagogy which link to the Virginia Standards of Learning requirements. TEI is offered in partnership with Longwood University and is funded through generous teacher sponsorships.