The importance of tolerance and non-violence is determined by the everyday realities of the modern world: constantly erupting international and interethnic conflict, with consequences that are harder and harder to remedy. The negative influence of intolerance, violence, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, impede humanity in solving vital problems. After the events of September 11th, 2001, the denizens of the planet felt the reality of the threat of terrorism, a threat which is impossible to cut oneself off from through national boundaries – a global threat.

 

The world was always torn apart by discrepancies. Violence often became the norm, and most often its target were those who lived alongside the rest, but were “different,” “alien.” Jews, like no other people, felt the effects of xenophobia, since they became scattered throughout the world after the destruction of the Second Temple, and lived among other peoples. Their welfare depended on the attitude of the authorities, the rulers, or the local populace – ranging from “Golden Ages” to pogroms, slaughter, the Catastrophe...

 

Often more depends on the people who live beside you than the authorities, not only in matters of life and death, but in that which defines our everyday life – stereotypes, insults, indignities, or, contrarily, a respectful, civilized attitude. The Jews from countries in the Euro-Asian region live among other peoples, and their welfare, peace, prosperity, and the future of their children depends on the level of tolerance in their community, all the more so as anti-Semitism (if not state, then everyday) has not, unfortunately, disappeared, but has a contrary tendency to increase, as we may be able to witness.

 

The most effective way to prevent intolerance in society is to foster tolerance. The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress offers the Jewish communities of Eurasia the “Tolerance – Lessons of the Holocaust” project, the implementation of which is important not only in those states where interethnic tension exists, but also in those which care to preserve the peace and neighborliness. Thanks to this project, Jewish communities have the possibility to initiate an advocacy of the ideas of tolerance through the lens of the lessons of the Holocaust as the most extreme form of intolerance.

 

The aim of this program is to rear responsible citizens, with an open mind toward religions, traditions, cultures of other people, capable of valuing freedom, respecting human dignity and individuality, to forestall conflicts or solve them through nonviolent means. This project is the logical continuation of the “Lessons of the Holocaust” program, which is being realized by the Center of Jewish Education and Vaad Ukraine in middle schools for the third subsequent year

 

The base of the project is the systematic study of the history of genocides and ethno-national catastrophes, including the most frightening one – the Catastrophe of the European Jews, the Holocaust.

 

The aim of the projects is to give school pupils information on the sources, development, and consequences of historic genocides, in particular – of the Holocaust, to bring them to a psychological and ethic understanding of the lessons of the Holocaust, to aid in forming the foundations of national and religious tolerance, of responsibility and solace.

 

The victims of intolerance are most often the most vulnerable – thus, usually children. Children and teenagers are often the purveyors of negative stereotypes, prejudices, and objectionable language that derogates people of other cultures or religions. Often representatives of other nationalities are ostracized, and there are youth groups who promote Fascist slogans. Thus, one of the main tasks of the projects is to form the national identity of the teenager, id est respect for oneself and others as representatives of certain peoples.

 

An important goal of the project is also to form in teenagers the ability to actively defend human rights and protest against any form of discrimination.

 

As work experience in Russia, Belarus, and Ukaine shows, it is most expedient to implement the project as a series of educational and methodological seminars for middle school teachers. The seminars propose different forms of instruction, from lectures to skill building lessons, round tables on exchanging experience and methods, open lessons, and so on.
After the seminars, the teachers both introduce the topic of the project in school and after-school work, and begin to prepare the students for an essay competition. For this purpose consultation centers, lyceums, round tables, et al, are established.
Constant contact among the participants of the project – both students and teachers – is desirable between the seminars.