Abstracts, Seminar 16 |
The abstracts are copied as received. |
Holocaust...
Library Director Lisa Silverman, California , USA
• “Telling the Holocaust Era to Young Children in Israel ” (Abstract 75) Dr. Miri Baruch, Israel
• „Antisemetic Children´s Literature and the Real Children It Affected“ (Abstract 95) Dr. Linda Veltze , NC , USA
Dr. Adina Bar-El, Israel
M.A. Eve Tal, Israel
(11)
HOLOCAUST
My
specialty is picture books and I wanted to direct you to the
(75)
Telling the holocaust era to young children in Israel
Dr. Miri Baruch: A lecture for IBBY Congress, 2008: Teachers of young children confront a serious dilemma when dealing with the holocaust era in Israel . On one hand, there is no avoiding the subject, as it is a part of the calendar and an important issue in Israeli agenda and life. Young children are exposed to the subject through television and adults and have to confront it in a way that would help overcome fears and traumas. This is where educational children's literature becomes so very crucial. Children's stories on the holocaust tend to concentrate on one protagonist only, who is a child. They avoid details concerning physical torment and atrocities. No matter what, the child-protagonist always survives, while he is helped by both other Jews or non-Jews, when goodness prevails. The stories are meant to encourage children of all ages to believe and trust "the good people", while looking to strengthen themselves and develop survival abilities that will serve them both as children as well as adults.
------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Miri Baruch: teaches children`s literature at the Hebrew University. Jerusalem . And in Levinsky Teacher`s colledge. Tel Aviv.
(95)
ANTISEMETIC CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AND THE REAL CHILDREN IT AFFECTED
My research at the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany in 2005 offered me, as a Professor of Children's Literature, the opportunity to view several examples of children's books written during Hitler's regime that flagrantly use the power of children's books to poison the mind of European Gentiles toward the Jewish citizens of their countries.
In my presentation I would visually present various examples of these works taken from the IYL's historical collection and then share some voluntary responses of contemporary German students studying to be teachers about these works(as I will be doing a faculty exchange in Spring 2008) In addition, I will share short excerpts from the interviews conducted in March 2007 of current elderly Italian Jews who speak about their youth and the part anti-Semitism played in their life.
I teach children's and young adult literature, multicultural children's literature and storytelling at Appalachian State University as part of the library science program. I have taken my students around the world promoting a cross cultural look at children's literature and the part culture plays in its creation.
Contact info: Dr. Linda Veltze Appalachian State University RCOE, Dept. LES Boone , NC 28607 USA
After Dec. 25 to May 20 you should contact me by email only: veltzela@appstate.edu
Phone: 828-262-3106 (office) or 828-264-2710 (home)
(114)
Stories of Good People in Evil Times - How to Tell Children about the Holocaust
Dr. Adina Bar-El
The Second World War was a watershed event in perceptions of human potential to do evil. Millions of innocent people perished without cause. Educators face a dilemma: It is imperative to tell younger generations about the Holocaust as part of human history that cannot be ignored. One can learn from it, deduce and disseminate humanitarian-universal messages of tolerance and fellowship. Yet the evildoing perpetrated cannot be ‘distanced' (through use of parables, for example). We don't want children to loose their faith in the world and trust of humankind; we want them to remain optimistic, hopeful and believe in the goodness of humankind. How can this be accomplished? One solution is to tell them about the Righteous Gentiles – manifestations of courage and human decency in the face of evil– who saved Jews without any expectation of reward, while endangering themselves and their families. The lecture will discuss dilemmas encountered by the speaker in writing books on the Holocaust for children and youth, as well as her own personal experience as an educator and a writer of literature for young children and youth on Righteous Gentiles during the Holocaust.
Biographical data : Dr. Adina Bar-El An author - published 16 books for children and youth. A researcher – subjects of researching: Children's literature, History of education, The Jewish community in Poland between the Two World Wars, Holocaust. (Doctorate of Hebrew University in Jerusalem ) A lecturer – at "Achva Academic College of Education", Israel
Contact details : Mail address: adibarel@013.net.il Tel/Fax: 972-8-6729354 Post address: Dr. Adina Bar-El, 9 Nir-Israel, Israel 79505
(127) Topic: Telling the Untellable: Holocaust Narratives in Children's Literature
Abstract : Can children's books deal with atrocity without violating the parameters that society and children's authors have constructed to protect the child? My presentation will focus on literary techniques used by North American, Israeli and German authors to portray war, death and violence while maintaining an emotional distance between the child reader and the horrors being depicted. In the space of twelve minutes (or hopefully, more) I will present a concise toolbox that will be valuable for analyzing, teaching, and writing books that portray war and hardship. Using examples from memoirs and historical fiction, the presentation will briefly cover the topics of narrative structure, closure, point of view, and the portrayal of death and dying in narratives about the Holocaust.
Books to be discussed include The Soldier with the Gold Buttons by Miriam Steiner Aviezer, The Final Journey by Gudrun Pauswang, Yorek and Anya: Youth in Autumn by Miriam Akavia, Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen and Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter.
This paper proposal is similar to a proposal that was accepted for the IBBY 2004 conference in Cape Town . I was forced to cancel my participation in the 2004 conference because of a death in the family and did not present a paper at that time.
Biographical Data : I hold a M.A. degree in children's literature from Hollins University with a thesis on the Holocaust in American and Israeli children's literature. I have presented on this topic at international conferences at Yad VaShem , Israel . I have also presented papers at the International Research Society for Children's Literature, the Children's Literature Association and the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, and have published articles in Bookbird, The Lion and the Unicorn , and The Looking Glass . An essay of mine appears in Exploring Culturally Diverse Literature for Children and Adolescents, edited by Jill May and Darwin Henderson.
I have published several picture books in Hebrew, one of which, New Boy , was recently published in English translation. My young adult novel, Double Crossing , published in the U.S. in 2006, won the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People and a Skipping Stones Honor Award in the category of Multicultural and International Awareness.
I live on a kibbutz in Israel and am a member of IBBY Israel .
Contact Details: Eve Tal P.O.Box 170 Kibbutz Hatzor 60970 Israel Tel: 972 88579251 www.eve-tal.com
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