Comprehensive Insights into Historical Events: Visual and Verbal Associations of Students in Ukraine, Israel, and Poland

Authors

  • Nitza Davidovitch Education Department, Ariel University, Kiriat Hamada, 3, Ariel 40700, Israel
  • Aleksandra Gerkerova Education Department, Ariel University, Kiriat Hamada, 3, Ariel 40700, Israel
  • Katarzyna Thomas Education Department, Ariel University, Kiriat Hamada, 3, Ariel 40700, Israel

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2025.2.77.90

Keywords:

historical memory, Holocaust, war in Ukraine, war in Israel, military conflicts, associations, cultural influences

Abstract

Aim. This research aims to examine, through a questionnaire using visual and verbal free associations, whether the Holocaust, the war in Ukraine, and the war in Israel are perceived as distinct, unique events or if they merge with other military conflicts in students’ perceptions worldwide.

Methods. A total of 82 students from Ukraine, Israel, and Poland participated in this study. The methodology combined visual and verbal free association tasks, where students responded to a series of photographs depicting the Holocaust, the war in Ukraine, and other conflicts. Demographic data such as academic discipline and cultural background were collected to analyse their influence on students’ perceptions.

Results. The Holocaust is largely perceived as a unique and unparalleled historical event, particularly by students from Israel and Poland, who associate it with themes such as inhumanity, grief, and fear. In contrast, some students view more contemporary conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel, through a comparative lens, often linking them to broader global conflicts. Ukrainian students tend to see the war in Ukraine as a unique event, while Israeli students show a similar perspective regarding the war in Israel, associating it with themes of chaos, struggle, and survival.

Conclusions. This study highlights the significance of the Holocaust in shaping collective historical memory and emphasises the role of educational and cultural backgrounds in these perceptions. The findings underscore the importance of educational strategies that maintain the distinct historical significance of the Holocaust while fostering empathy and critical thinking, offering valuable insights for educators and policymakers.

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Author Biographies

  • Nitza Davidovitch, Education Department, Ariel University, Kiriat Hamada, 3, Ariel 40700, Israel

    The Head of the Education Department at Ariel University, as well as the Head of Quality Assessment and Academic Instruction. She also leads the Israeli Forum of Centers for the Promotion of Teaching in Israel. She earned her PhD from the Department of Education at Bar Ilan University, where her doctoral thesis explored trends in the development of regional colleges and their impact on the higher education system in Israel. She also holds a Master's degree in Hebrew Literature from Bar Ilan University.

    Prof. Davidovitch's areas of expertise include academic curriculum development, enhancement of academic instruction, Holocaust awareness, Jewish identity, and moral education. She has been the director of student exchange programs with Germany and Poland and is actively involved in preserving the heritage of Jewish sects. She has served on the steering committee for moral education and curriculum development at CET. Currently, she holds teaching and administrative roles at Ariel University and is a key team member in an international research project investigating delegations of high school students and other groups to Holocaust sites in Poland.

  • Aleksandra Gerkerova, Education Department, Ariel University, Kiriat Hamada, 3, Ariel 40700, Israel

    Researcher in the Education Department at Ariel University, Israel. She earned her PhD in Pedagogical Sciences (General Pedagogics and History of Pedagogics) in June 2011 in Yalta, Crimea. Her dissertation, titled The Ideas of Family Education on the Basis of Jewish Ethnopedagogics (the End of the XIX – the Beginning of the XX Century), reflects her longstanding interest in Jewish culture and education. She also holds a Specialist degree with honors in Language and Literature (English and German) and a Bachelor’s degree with honors in the same field, both from South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University.

    Dr. Gerkerova has extensive experience in education, having taught English and Jewish literature at the Jewish School “Tikva – Ohr Sameah” and served as an assistant professor in the Department of Germanic Philology and Methodology of Foreign Languages Teaching at South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University. She was the Director of the Israeli Cultural Centre at South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University, supported by the Embassy of Israel in Ukraine, from 2009 to 2013. She has also contributed to academia as a member of the organizing committee and editorial board of the Open International Scientific Forum and its journal Modern Tendencies in Pedagogical Education and Science of Ukraine and Israel: The Way to Integration.

    Currently, Dr. Gerkerova is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Ethnopedagogy. Her research interests include Jewish ethnopedagogics, international educational collaborations, and innovative approaches in pedagogy.

  • Katarzyna Thomas, Education Department, Ariel University, Kiriat Hamada, 3, Ariel 40700, Israel

    Postdoctoral researcher in the Education Department at Ariel University. She earned her PhD in History from the University of Rzeszów, with a focus on the Jewish presence in the multicultural society of the Polish pre-war borderlands and the Holocaust.

    Dr Thomas's research interests centre on the historical and cultural dynamics of Jewish communities within diverse societal contexts, particularly in the interwar period and during the Holocaust. She brings expertise in exploring the complex relationships and cultural interactions within these settings, contributing to a deeper understanding of historical multiculturalism and its legacies.

    Currently, she is expanding her research on these topics at Ariel University, contributing to interdisciplinary studies on Jewish heritage and education.

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Published

2025-06-27

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2025): Journal of Education Culture and Society

Section

ETHICS

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Nitza Davidovitch, Aleksandra Gerkerova, Katarzyna Thomas

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How to Cite

Davidovitch, N., Gerkerova, A. ., & Thomas, K. (2025). Comprehensive Insights into Historical Events: Visual and Verbal Associations of Students in Ukraine, Israel, and Poland. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 16(1), 77-90. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2025.2.77.90