MES 2014

Oslo – Norway
host: Jewish Museum Oslo
October 12-15, 2014

The new Museum Education Seminar (MES), successor to the Educator’s Training Programme (ETP) took place from 12 until 15 October 2014 in Oslo, Norway. Fourteen educators from all over Europe participated in an intensive 4-day programme with workshops, presentations and discussion sessions on museum education at European Jewish museums. The seminar was organised in close cooperation with the Oslo Jewish Museum and with partners the Jewish Museum in Trondheim and the Norwegian Center for Studies of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities in Oslo.

After 2 full days working on different topics and case studies at the Oslo Jewish Museum, the participants undertook a field trip to the Swedish border together with museum historian Mats Tangestuen, following the most essential rout utilized by the Norwegian resistance to help Norwegian Jews to escape to Sweden in the winter of 1942-43. Upon return in Oslo the group visited the Oslo Synagogue and worked at the Jewish Community House. On the last day the participants worked at the Norwegian Center for Studies of the Holocaust and Religious Minorities and at the Oslo Jewish Museum.

“The seminar was a very useful experience for me to discuss common issues for Jewish museums and to start to build a network of colleagues that I could turn to for support when developing an education programme. […] I hope this network will continue to grow and be supported by AJEM with their online forum for museum educators later this year.” says Rose Stanyon, Learning and Outreach Officer at the Manchester Jewish Museum, who participated in the seminar for the first time.

The MES Seminar Papers, written by all participants, document the 2014 seminar. These papers do not only offer insight into the different sessions in Oslo, but also serve as a resource for educators at Jewish museums all over Europe. The documentation of each session contains outcomes of discussions, practical suggestions, or food for thought: question marks that can lead up to discussion in future editions. You can download the MES Seminar Papers from our website.