Holy Innocents' Teacher To Study The Holocaust In Israel

George Bevington, Upper School English teacher and Middle School wrestling and track coach at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, has been awarded a grant to travel to Israel this summer to continue his research on the Holocaust. From July 29-Aug. 10, Bevington will work with officials at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, doing research and participating in a seminar on Holocaust awareness and the dangers of intolerance on a local and global scale.

The Yad Vashem World Holocaust Center, the Jewish people’s living memorial to Holocaust victims, includes a free museum, research institute with archives, an educational center, and memorial sites. With some 1 million visitors a year, Yad Vashem is ranked as the second most-visited Israeli tourist site.

“This seminar examines the Holocaust from a historical standpoint, the events that led up to it, the impact it had on the Jewish race, and how it changed governments and their foreign policies to prevent any unmitigated attack on other races in the future,” explained Bevington. “I will also visit several holy sites in Jerusalem and Israel that are important to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.

“Ultimately, they (Yad Vashem officials) want to make sure people are deeply aware of history so that events such as the Holocaust can never happen again. There’s enough evil in the world that people need to be vigilant in meeting it head-on with reason and determination."

Bevington was invited to apply for the grant because of work he did as a Holocaust researcher several years ago. In addition to research before the trip, he will facilitate a professional development seminar back in Atlanta afterward.

Bevington, who holds a B.A. in English from Vanderbilt University and a master’s from Georgia State University, was named Georgia’s Distinguished Educator of the Year in 2010 after creating and implementing a lesson plan involving three novels about the Holocaust. “The focus was the impact of the Holocaust on the Jewish race from a child’s and teenager’s point of view,” Bevington explained.

The Distinguished Educator of the Year award from the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust recognizes outstanding educators in the fields of Holocaust education, human rights, civil rights, and character development. Award-winners must: show a passion for eradicating prejudice and discrimination; demonstrate moral courage, moral responsibility, and a respect for diversity and humanity; inspire others; connect students to the history and lessons of the Holocaust; and help students translate what they have learned to the choices they will make in their lives.

Such qualities help ensure that future generations are prepared to become engaged citizens, make moral choices, and take responsibility for their own actions, according to Commission officials.