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Branko Lustig talking to students after an Educational morning
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Before the start of an Educational morning
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Branko Lustig
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Student’s questions
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Terence Pike
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Mirko Ilic
Today we are witnesses to an increasing rate of violence among the youth, as well as discrimination and social injustice, primarily among children and towards individuals of different ethnicity, religion or race. Having also in mind the recent increasing popularity of far-right ideologies and the absence of a non-institutional platform for learning about the Holocaust and injustices of Nazi regime, the organizer of the Festival has introduced this program with an aim to educate as many people as possible on the subject, to speak out about Nazi regime in a multimedia and multidisciplinary manner, as well as to entice dialogue and cooperation between cultural, educational and state institutions.
After realizing the significance of paying particular attention to young people as the most vital segment in the development of a democratic society, in 2009 the Festival initiated Educational Mornings as one of its most important integral parts. Educational Mornings are an educational program which aims to educate children of all ages about the atrocities of the Holocaust in order to help them learn as much as possible, from this tragic period of history, about accepting diversity and treating each human being as an individual worthy of respect. It is precisely the model of educating the youngest that stimulates the development of understanding the different and tolerance, which are certainly the fundamental principles for the functioning of a healthy socialization.
Educational Mornings provide an educational experience through which pupils and students get the opportunity to grasp which events lead to the Holocaust.
The history of the Holocaust represents an extremely efficient area to re-examine basic moral issues. Through studying the Holocaust, pupils and students can comprehend the importance of the need to nurture and protect democratic values, as well as understand the significance of tolerance. Students can realize how silence and indifference toward the suffering of others can cause the grave injustices from the past to repeat. Through discussion and exchange of opinions, young people are able to appreciate that accepting diversity and respecting the different are the only right ways to go through life in our modern world.
Since 2009, Educational Mornings attracted almost 16.500 pupils and students. The program was held 48 times; in 14 Croatian cities, and in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Austria, something which no other Croatian institution working on educating the public on the Holocaust has accomplished. Also, we are proud of the fact that Educational Morning program every year receives a recommendation of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport, as well as the logistical support of Education and Teacher Training Agency.
Through the introduction of film as a platform for educating about the Holocaust, and by choosing feature or documentary films of high artistic and educational value for each new Festival edition, young people are given an opportunity to expand their knowledge about the Holocaust through a medium to which they can relate. This also opens up a platform for discussions which, after lectures, motivate students and pupils to think. During the discussions, they come to realize that until then they knew little or nothing about the Holocaust and that the films and lectures helped them gain a completely different perspective.
Main co-funders of the Educatonal Mornings in school year 2014/2015:
European Commision
Anna Lindh Foundation
Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
City of Zagreb
City Office for Education, Culture and Sports
National Foundation for Civil Society Development
This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the Anna Lindh Foundation and the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Zagreb Jewish Film Festival and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union or the Contracting Authority.