Italian Minister of Education Visits Yad Vashem

Italian Minister of Education and Research Francesco Profumo came to Yad Vashem on 4 September on a visit intended to strengthen the agreement that was signed last year by Israeli Minister of Education Gideon Sa'ar and the Italian Ministry of Education.

During the visit, Minister Profumo met with Italian educators who are currently participating in a teacher-training seminar at Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies, as well as with Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev.   Thirty outstanding Italian high school students who have written essays on the Holocaust and have completed educational projects related to the memory of the Holocaust accompanied the Minister.

Chairman Shalev welcomed the Minister, and noted that, "We are already seeing the fruits of the agreement that was signed by Minister Gideon Sa'ar and the Italian Ministry of Education.  Yad Vashem is prepared to provide educators with the best tools and knowledge in order to promote Holocaust education in Italy."

According to the agreement, Italian teachers will be trained in teaching the Holocaust.  There will also be a youth exchange program between Israel and Italy.  As part of the agreement, each year the Italian Ministry of Education will choose teachers who will undergo training at Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies.  These educators will then teach the subject at high schools throughout Italy.

"The memory of what happened then is part of European civilization.  It not only concerns the past, but also the present and the future," said Minister Profumo at the conclusion of his visit.