Happenings

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center  (HHREC) of White Plains, has announced their Memory Keepers Story Hour schedule for the end of this year and through 2022.

These events will be offered on a virtual online platform, and will feature HHREC Holocaust Survivors, Liberators, and Generations Forward speakers – a second, third and fourth generation group that includes children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors.

The event series will be offered on Zoom, and resume on Wednesday, November 17^th, and will feature HHREC Generations Forward Speaker Lisa Salko. Salko tells the story of 13 Drivers’ Licenses. In November of 2018, she travelled with her sisters and cousins to Lichtenfels, Bavaria, Germany to reclaim their grandfather’s and two great uncles’ drivers’ licenses which had been confiscated by the Nazis 80 years earlier, shortly after Kristallnacht and rediscovered while the town was digitizing records in 2017. The Thirteen Drivers’ Licenses project was recently honored at a ceremony in Munich, Germany with a prize that acknowledges outstanding achievements in historical and scientific research, in educational work and journalism. The HHREC Memory Keepers Story Hour speaker series schedule includes:

November 17^th, 2021 – Lisa Salko

December 8^th, 2021 – Mindy Nagorsky-Israel

January 12^th, 2022- Naomi Koller

February 9^th, 2022- Phyllis Shaw

March 9^th, 2022- Maddy Israel and Esther Loewenthal

April 6^th, 2022- Noa Ganz and Sam Pittman

May 11^th, 2022 – Monica Mandell

June 8^th, 2022: Joseph Kaidanow

“These stories provide a unique opportunity to hear from a very special group of Survivors and next generation family members into the consequences of human hate, and help people reflect, as they realize that choices matter, that one person can make a difference” said HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper. She added “We are eternally grateful for the contributions from these courageous men and women who share their stories of survival and personal experiences from the Holocaust, and to their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for their effort to help share them today , and for generations to come. Sadly, the number of our Survivors is dwindling, and we are taking great care to recognize what they mean to all of us and preserve their memories and the impact they have had – and will continue to have – for future generations.”

The HHREC launched the Memory Keepers Story Hour series in 2020 in support of their mission – to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, to promote the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect, and to encourage speaking up and acting against all forms of hate, bigotry, and prejudice. The HHREC has been inviting guests to attend these events to hear members of their Speakers Bureau share their family’s uniquely powerful Holocaust experiences and present their testimonies to their origins. The HHREC Memory Keepers Speakers Bureau includes 26 Holocaust Survivors, 3 Honorary Holocaust Liberator Speakers, and 36   GenerationsForward Speakers who tell their stories from a “next generation” perspective, adding new meaning to the survivors’ powerful stories.

All virtual events begin at 7 p.m. To register for these events, email Millie Jasper mjasper@hhrecny.org for Zoom log-in information or call the HHREC at 914.696.0738.

About The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center is a not-for-profit organization based in White Plains New York that serves Westchester, Fairfield and neighboring counties. Their Mission is to enhance the teaching and learning of the lessons of the Holocaust and the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect. We encourage students to speak up and act against all forms of bigotry and prejudice. Their work with students and teachers helps schools fulfill the New York State mandate that the Holocaust and other human rights abuses be included in their curriculum. Since 1994, they have brought the lessons of the Holocaust, genocide and human rights crimes to more than 1,500 teachers, and through them to thousands of middle and high school students. Through their volunteer Educators Program Committee, the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center gives teachers the unique opportunity to develop programs for themselves and others. These programs not only enrich teachers’ knowledge about the Holocaust and related issues, but they   also provide the lens through which to view all other human rights violations. For more information call 914.696.0738 email info@hhrecny.org