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Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center

Save the Date! October 26 Annual Gala of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

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The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) will hold their annual Benefit on Thursday evening, October 26th starting at 6:30pm at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York. This year HHREC will honor Sam Rosmarin and Kathy Zaltas, and will feature a live theatrical performance of the award-winning Letters from Anne and Martin, a unique production that combines the iconic voices of Anne Frank and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kathy Grosz-Zaltas is a daughter of Holocaust survivors and serves on the HHREC Advisory Board. She is also an active member of the Center’s GenerationsForward group of 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation descendants who are committed to keeping their family’s Holocaust story relevant. Kathy is the owner and president of Zaltas Gallery of Fine Jewelry located in Mamaroneck.

Sam Rosmarin is the son of two Holocaust Survivors, and is a member of the HHREC GenerationsForward group and co-host of the HHREC Memory Keeper Story Hour. Sam has enjoyed a stellar multi-decade career as a catastrophic personal injury litigator who currently devotes himself to the art and science of mediation and arbitration

The program will also include the annual presentation of the HHREC Eugene M. & Emily Grant Spirit of Humanity Awards. To register for this event, or for more information including sponsorship opportunities visit hhrecny.org email benefit@hhrecny.org or call 914-696-0738.

Annual HHREC Student Contest Held to Promote Genocide Awareness: 85 Original Projects Submitted

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The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) recently held their annual Genocide Awareness Student Contest in commemoration of April as Genocide Awareness and Prevention month. This event invited students to create an original project in visual arts, poetry, music, or other media of artistic expression that commemorates an aspect of a genocide which occurred in the 20th or 21st century.

HHREC received 85 student submissions from schools located in Westchester County, New York, from around the U.S., and from Canada. The schools that participated included: John Jay High School, Katonah-Lewisboro, New York; Byram Hills High School, Armonk, New York; and Woodlands Middle/High School, Greenburgh, New York from Westchester; Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut; Union County Vocational Technical High School, New Jersey; Rotolo Middle School in Batavia, Illinois; and South Kamloops Secondary School, British Columbia, Canada.  

The Grades 7 & 8 First Place winners were: Lev Schlamann – Rotolo Middle School – Batavia, Illinois; Original Art, “In Memory of the Holodomor; Cailey Salzman – Rotolo Middle School – Batavia, Illinois; Original Art, “The Reflection” commemorating the Armenian Genocide; and Izzy Leslie – Rotolo Middle School – Batavia, Illinois; Original Art – “A Memorial for the Holodomor Genocide.”

The Grades 9 & 10 First Place winner was Renee Chin – Greenwich High School – Fairfield County, Connecticut; Original Digital Art – “Lost Identity” commemorating the Rwandan Genocide.

The Grades 11 & 12 First Place winners were: Elias McDonald – South Kamloops Secondary School – British Columbia, Canada; Original Art – “Never Seen (Again) commemorating the Indigenous People of Turtle Island; and Abigail Castellanos – Union County Vocational Technical High School, New Jersey; Original Art – “Roses of Reflection” commemorating homosexuals targeted during the Holocaust.

All projects were evaluated by the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center’s Education Department.

“It is extremely important for young people to learn about genocide, which has been perpetrated at least as long as humans have been recording history” said Millie Jasper, Executive Director at HHREC. She added “We believe this project provides students a unique opportunity to raise awareness about a genocide, and remember those who were lost as a result. All of the projects we received reflected originality, creativity, and authenticity. We were very pleased and honored to have local, regional, national, and international participation this year, and look forward to expanding this program to include even more next year.”

For more information, including a complete list of the winners in each category, visit the HHREC website at https://hhrecny.org/genocide-awareness/. 

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 1500 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 

News courtesy of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center

HHREC Announces Summer Educator’s Study Tour of Holocaust Museums and Historic Sites March

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The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) will host teachers and others interested in learning about the history of the Holocaust at the HHREC National Educators’ Trip to Germany & Poland June 24-July 9, 2023.

HHREC Director of Education Steve Goldberg and professional tour guide Gerrit Book will lead a two-week series of educational seminars from June 24th to July 9th. This program is designed to offer insight into the history of the Jewish Community in Germany and Poland, trace the origins of the Holocaust, and tour monuments and memorial sites. The tour will include stops at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Warsaw Ghetto, and Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany.

“Our sponsorship of this educational mission enables our teachers to enhance their understanding of this dark period in human history by literally ‘walking the walk’ where the Holocaust was conceived and implemented.” said Steve Goldberg, HHREC Director of Education. “They also can see how the perpetrators have memorialized their victims through unique monuments. This life-changing experience will impact their teaching in the years to come.”

For more information, contact Steve Goldberg sgoldberg@HHRECNY.org or visit the HHREC website hhrecny.org.

News courtesy of the HHREC.

Over 350 Students From 31 Schools Attend 21st Annual Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center High School Institute at Iona University

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Area High School Students and Teachers Attend Education Event Featuring Nationally Recognized Storyteller as Voting Rights Activist

March 15th, New Rochelle, NY – Over 350 students and teachers from 31 schools in Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange and Suffolk Counties attended the 21st Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) High School Institute event on March 15th at Iona University in New Rochelle, New York.

The program began with welcoming remarks by HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper and Dr. Elena Procario-Foley, Brother John G. Driscoll Professor of Jewish-Christian Studies, and Dr. Tricia Mulligan, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs of Iona University. Following the opening remarks, HHREC Director of Education Julie Scallero introduced keynote speaker Sheila Arnold. Ms. Arnold, CEO and Lead Performer of History’s Alive! appeared in character as Fannie Lou Hamer, an American voting and women’s rights activist and leader in the civil rights movement. She has performed as a Regional Storyteller at Colonial Williamsburg, the Valley Forge Teacher Institute, and at education conferences across the U.S.

Sheila Arnold, CEO and Lead Performer (L) and Julie Scallero, HHREC Director of Education (R)

The HHREC Student Institute workshops were led by experienced facilitators to encourage open discussions, as teachers encouraged their students to engage as activists or “Upstanders” in response to human rights violations. Following the workshops, Deputy Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins appeared to issue a proclamation that May 22nd to 26th will be “Westchester County Upstander Week,” This call to action was designed to encourage student activism and awareness by inspiring them to become “upstanders” (rather than bystanders) – and take an active role in changing the world by hosting an event in their communities to bring attention to a human rights issue.

The event culminated with a talk and Q&A with HHREC Board Chairperson and GenerationsForward Speakers Bureau member Michael Gyory. Gyory shared the story of his father’s cousin Agi Keleti, a 102-year-old Holocaust Survivor who survived the Nazis and outlasted the Communists to become the greatest female Jewish Olympian of all time – winning 10 medals in women’s gymnastics for her native Hungary. Agi is currently the oldest living Olympic medalist.

HHREC Board Chairperson and GenerationsForward Speaker Michael Gyory

Students were also recognized for their work in promoting human rights in their schools and communities.

  • The Richard A. Berman Leadership Award for Human Rights was awarded to Izzy Sampere and Allie Cooper of Byram Hills High School. This award is in honor of the longstanding commitment and dedication of Richard Berman to the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, and his commitment to community service and the education of ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community.
  • The Andy Cahn “Community Service” Award was presented to Lana Weiser of Scarsdale in memory of the contributions and commitment made by Andy Cahn, former Assistant Director of Education for the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, who was instrumental in the creation of the High School Human Rights Institute.
  • The Neil Ginsberg Student “Upstander” Award was presented to Miyuki Oblitas of Mamaroneck High School. This award recognizes the contributions and commitment made by Neil Ginsberg to the Human Rights Institute for High School Student Leaders, and his dedication to the HHREC Educators Program Committee for over 20 years.

“We were very pleased at the response from area teachers and students who joined us in person for our program this year” said Julie Scallero, HHREC Director of Education. She added “It was very inspiring to hear from the students who were so well-prepared, and see their reactions as they heard from Sheila Arnold about the challenges faced by her character Fannie Lou Hamer and others as they struggled to achieve their right to vote. It was also encouraging to see the response to the talk by our Board Chair Michael Gyory about his cousin and the spellbinding story of how she survived the Holocaust to eventually become an Olympic medal winner and role model for our students. We believe the powerful messages we heard yesterday will resonate with these students for years as they become more active as ‘Upstanders’ to protect and preserve human rights.”

Participating schools included:  Ardsley High School, Blind Brook High School, Briarcliff High School,  Byram Hills High School, Denzel Washington School of the Arts, Dobbs Ferry High School, Eastchester High School, Edgemont High School, Hastings High School, Horace Greeley High School, Iona Preparatory School, John Jay High School, Mahopac High School, Mamaroneck High School, Newburgh Free Academy – Main Campus, Newburgh Free Academy – North Campus, Newburgh Free Academy – West Campus, New Rochelle High School,  North Salem High School, Ossining High School, Peekskill High School, Pelham Memorial High School, Pine Bush High School, Pleasantville High School, Ridgefield High School, Rocky Point High School, Rye Neck High School, Scarsdale High School, Sleepy Hollow High School, Somers High School, and Westchester Youth Alliance.

The HHREC Student Institute was developed to further their mission by promoting student awareness of human rights issues on a local and global level, and to empower students to be upstanders by creating and implementing Action Plans in their schools and communities. HHREC has organized and offered this event to Westchester County area students and teachers since 2002. Past events have been hosted in partnership with Iona College in New Rochelle. For more information visit HHRECNY.org or contact Julie Scallero at jscallero@hhrecny.org.

Millie Jasper is the executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (HHREC). This news is courtesy of the HHREC.

Dr. Elena Procario-Foley, Brother John G. Driscoll Professor of Jewish-Christian Studies, Iona University (L)
HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper sharing proclamation from Deputy Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins

 

Supporting the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

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Anyone ‘watching’ might hopefully note that included in my mission during most of my 20 Years of Inside Press publishing has been supporting the amazing work of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, (find out more at hhrecny.org). Here, as an HHREC advisory board member, I was honored to join HHREC Director Millie Jasper, HHREC Board Member and past Chairperson David Alpert and Greenburgh councilwoman Ellen Hendrickx to also offer remarks at a Westchester County January 27th commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. County Executive George Latimer hosted the speakers commending them for their long-time commitment and support of Holocaust education and advocacy against antisemitism and all hate. Said Jasper to Latimer: ”Once again you struck the perfect tone about the importance of being an Upstander in the Westchester Community, and around the world.”   — Grace Bennett, Publisher @ Editor, Inside Press, Inc.