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Holocaust education

Memory Keepers Event Schedule Announced by the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center

November 15, 2021 by Inside Press

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.

Lisa Salko

The event series will be offered on Zoom, and resume on Wednesday, November 17th, 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 17th, 2021 – Lisa Salko

December 8th, 2021 – Mindy Nagorsky-Israel

January 12th, 2022- Naomi Koller

February 9th, 2022- Phyllis Shaw

March 9th, 2022- Maddy Israel and Esther Loewenthal

April 6th, 2022- Noa Ganz and Sam Pittman

May 11th, 2022 – Monica Mandell

June 8th, 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 

Filed Under: Happenings Tagged With: 13 Drivers Licenses, Children of Survivors, Generations Forward, Grandchildren of Survivors, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, Holocaust education, Lisa Salko, Memory Keepers

HHREC Announces 2022 Summer Educators Tour Plans and Registration Opening

October 1, 2021 by InsidePress

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) has announced their 2022 Study Tour of Germany and Poland. This HHREC educational mission offers teachers  a unique opportunity to visit the sites of the Holocaust in Germany and Poland and speak with experts in the field. The guided tour and trip will run from July 2nd to 17th and will be offered to educators from the Lower Hudson Valley of New York and from other parts of the U.S.

” We are very excited to resume offering our Educators Study Tour in 2022” said Steven Goldberg, Co-Director of Education at HHREC. “And while we have enjoyed offering this unique biennial program to teachers here in Lower Hudson since 2012, is it gratifying to hear from many others around the country who are planning to join us.  The is designed to expand teacher comprehension of this monumental event in human history and inspire and motivate them as they prepare to teach the lessons of the Holocaust and promote protection of Human Rights to their students.  He added “It is very important to us and our mission to pass on the lessons we have learned for the future.” 

Trip highlights for the 2022 HHREC Summer Tour include:

  • Sightseeing Coach Tour of Berlin, including Berlin Wall Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Bebelplatz
  • Holocaust Memorials in Berlin (Murdered Jews of Europe, Memorial in the Bavarian Quarter, Memorial Track 17 – Berlin Grunewald, Homosexuals, Sinti and Roma, “T4” Memorial, Stolpersteine)
  • Educational programs at the House of the Wannsee Conference, Murdered Jews of Europe Memorial Museum, Jewish Museum (Berlin), Stasi Museum Marienfelder Refugee Center, Documentation Center Nazi Party Parade Grounds in Nürnberg, Nürnberg Courthouse, Polin (Museum of the History of Polish Jews)
  • Tour and educational program at Sachsenhausen and Auschwitz-Birkenau
  • Tour of Kasimierz historic Jewish section of Krakow
  • Panel discussion on Jewish life and antisemitism in Germany today and visit to a synagogue in Berlin
  • Panel discussion on Migrant Settlement in Germany: Education, Housing, Employment, Legal Issues
  • Program on tolerance education and civil society in Germany: 7xjung – training ground for solidarity and respect

The Summer Tour Trip cost includes intercontinental roundtrip flights New York (JFK) – Berlin (BER), public transportation including local coach or taxi, local and long-distance trains, Intra-European trains and flights, and accommodations include breakfast in 3- and 4-star hotels (14 nights) in Berlin, Nürnberg, Warsaw, Krakow, lunches and dinners, an English- speaking guide, lectures, discussions, and local guided tours in English or with English translation, and museum entrance fees. Lower Hudson Valley New York educators will receive a $2100 honorarium, and all participants will receive 90 CTLE hours at the conclusion of the program.

For more information, and to register, visit hhrecny.org/educators-study-tours or contact Steven Goldberg at sgoldberg@hhrecny.org

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 

Filed Under: Happenings, Not for Profit News Tagged With: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Berlin Memorial, Educators Tour, Germany, HHREC Mission, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, Holocaust education, Krakow, Murdered Jews of Europe Memorial Museum, Nürnberg Courthouse, Poland, Polin

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center Forges New Partnership with Yeshiva University

May 14, 2021 by Inside Press

 

 

 

 

 

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center  (HHREC) of White Plains, NY has entered into a partnership with the Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Yeshiva University to further promote education programs, events and archived resources for schools and educators. 

“We are very excited to be working with the Fish Center at Yeshiva University on this collaboration and partnership” said Millie Jasper, Executive Director at the HHREC. “Their University has taken a very important step in providing education on the Holocaust, and we  look forward to working with them to promote and support their new education program  for our growing community.”

“Holocaust Education, at its core, is character education – which is sorely needed in today’s world”, says Dr. Shay Pilnik, Director of the Fish Center.  “With this new media series, students and adults will learn about leading edge initiatives from countries that were not directly involved in the Holocaust.  We are grateful  for the partnership with Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center.”

The Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies strives to build a cadre of teachers, professional and lay leaders across the United States who are committed to Holocaust Education and Remembrance, ready to meet the challenges that the field is facing as survivors of the Holocaust are passing away and awareness of the subject in public memory is fading. Through courses, lectures, conferences, research and more, the Fish Center is dedicated to the study of the Shoah (Holocaust) from a perspective steeped in the history, culture, religion, and spiritual life of the Jewish civilization annihilated by the Nazis and their collaborators. They are also planning lectures, workshops, seminars and communal resources and activities to ensure that the Shoah and other genocides will continue to be remembered and further studied. By leveraging world renowned scholars and offering innovative programming for students and the public, this mission is to ensure that the Holocaust and other genocides are remembered. The Fish Center offers a Master’s degree program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

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 over 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.

 

Filed Under: Not for Profit News Tagged With: Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Genocide Studies, holocaust, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, Holocaust education, human rights, Yeshiva University

HHREC Student Contest In Progress during April which is Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month

April 15, 2020 by The Inside Press

The 20th Century is often referred to as the “Century of Genocide.” Unfortunately, this trend has continued into the 21st Century. Many of these genocides either began in April or include significant events which occurred in April.

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) would like students to raise awareness about these genocides and remember those who were lost as a result of “man’s inhumanity to man.”   To this end, we are sponsoring a special student contest.

Student Contest:

Create an original project in visual arts, poetry, music, or other media of artistic expression that commemorates some aspect of a genocide which has occurred in the 20th or 21st centuries. Examples include the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the Cambodian Genocide, the Bosnian Genocide, the Rwandan Genocide, the Genocide in Darfur, and many others.

Deadline for submission of projects: April 30, 2020.  Projects, with the simple information sheet, need to be submitted by email to Julie Scallero, Co-Director of Education at jscallero@hhrecny.org

All projects will be evaluated by the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center’s Co-Directors of Education, Steve Goldberg and Julie Scallero.

We will select 3 winners (one for grades 7 and 8, one for grades 9 and 10, one for grades 11 and 12) who will receive a certificate and will  have their projects announced on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Additionally, we will make a donation, on the winners’ behalf, to the AFYA Foundation, whose mission is to improve global health by rescuing surplus medical supplies and delivering them to underserved health systems around the world. Not only is this organization working to provide medical supplies during the COVID-19 crisis, they were a past keynote presenter at our Human Rights Institute for High School Student Leaders.

We look forward to viewing your submissions and hope you stay well during these uncertain times.

Questions:
Email Julie Scallero jscallero@hhrecny.org
Steve Goldberg sgoldberg@hhrecny.org

Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month Student Contest
Name _________________________________________________   Grade ___________

Email address __________________________________________
School________________________________________________
Social Studies teacher ___________________________________
Project Title ____________________________________________

Brief Description of Project (4 or 5 sentences)

 

 

 

Filed Under: Happenings Tagged With: April, awareness, Genocide, hhrec, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, Holocaust education, Student Contest

Toward Remembering and Reflecting: The New Castle Holocaust Memorial

December 1, 2019 by Grace Bennett

Photos in this feature by Samantha Milewicz for the Inside Press

How Two Chappaqua Residents Committed to Holocaust Remembrance & Education Made It Happen

“When you listen to a witness, you become a witness.” –Elie Wiesel, founder of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

In 2012, Alexandra Rosenberg (Ali) was lucky enough to spend a night listening to Elie Wiesel speak at Barnard College, Columbia University. She remembered him saying two things that forever stuck with her. The first was, “As long as survivors are here, listen to them…”. And the second was, “Indifference is never an option.” She spent the next six years hearing survivors speak as often as she could and felt if survivors had the courage to share their stories it was her duty to be their audience.

Ali began to focus her efforts on making an impact on the community and the schools. She wanted to find a way to increase Holocaust education for the next generation so that they could feel empowered to prevent this from ever happening again.

All of this led to the creation of a committee for the town and an organization for the students: the town renews its awareness and the students can learn. Together, the New Castle Holocaust & Human Rights Committee and the Horace Greeley High School student organization E.N.O.U.G.H.–Educate Now On Understanding Genocide and Hate will provide annual Holocaust and Human Rights programming to our community and our children.

In addition, Ali recommended the creation of a New Castle Holocaust Memorial which would stand in a visible area of our town where residents of all ages can reflect, remember and learn about the important lessons of the Holocaust.

Gaining a Town’s Support

Rosenberg approached Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein in April who threw his support behind her ideas. Aware of her friend Stacey Saiontz’s commitment to Holocaust education and remembrance, Ali approached Stacey to help her realize her vision for the community. Saiontz holds leadership roles at the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center. In October, Saiontz was honored with a National Leadership Award by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org, where she is a founding member of the Museum’s “Next Generation” board.

Photo courtesy of Alexandra Rosenberg

After introducing their combined experience and ideas, Rosenberg and Saiontz met with the Town Board and the Recreation and Parks Commission, and the idea for the New Castle Holocaust Memorial was approved.

Greenstein said, “This is one of the most meaningful projects that I’ve worked on over the last six years. It’s crucial that we remember the lessons of history and provide future generations with the tools to combat hate and bigotry.” Subsequently, Greenstein and the Town Board established the New Castle Holocaust & Human Rights Committee appointing Rosenberg and Saiontz as Co-Chairs and calling for applicants to apply for the eight Committee member positions and two student liaison positions for E.N.O.U.G.H..

The Daffodil Project

At Community Day on September 14th the students set up a table and introduced the club to the community. The students explained that the mission of E.N.O.U.G.H. is to empower students to stand up to hate and to develop a community of tolerance through education and the understanding of people’s differences.

The students also sold daffodil bulbs which were planted at the Memorial in October. The sale of the daffodil bulbs was part of a larger initiative–The Worldwide Daffodil Project (daffodilproject.net). The Worldwide Daffodil project’s purpose is to commemorate the lives of the children lost during the Holocaust. The goal is to plant 1.5 million daffodils across the world–one daffodil for every child killed during the Holocaust.

A few weeks before the dedication and opening ceremony, E.N.O.U.G.H student members coordinated a Community Planting Event. Students and residents, together with Saiontz and Rosenberg, planted 750 daffodil bulbs which will blossom in the spring when the community holds an annual event commemorating Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Dedication and Opening Ceremony

Rosenberg explained that, “The Dedication and Opening Ceremony was purposely planned to coincide with Kristallnacht, “The Night of Broken Glass”, which symbolized the final shattering of the Jewish existence in Europe. And so, on November 6 , in cool temps on the lit green field outside our pretty Gazebo, a full array of dignitaries gathered, each to speak out against antisemitism and hate. They included President Bill Clinton, State Assemblyman David Buchwald, State Senator Peter Harckham, County Executive George Latimer and Town Supervisor Elect Ivy Pool. Former Westchester Legislature chairman Mike Kaplowitz, New Castle town board members Lisa Katz and newly elected board members Jeremy Saland and Jason Lichtenthal also attended.

Greenstein, Rosenberg and Saointz each spoke. I was graciously invited to speak as well on behalf of my father, Jacob Breitstein, who was a Survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau. As part of the ceremony a bench was dedicated in my Father’s loving memory. Rosenberg and Saiontz said: “It was a way to honor your father who so many have come to know through your affectionate writing about ‘Poppy’ and for all you do for New Castle and Holocaust awareness.”

Holocaust survivor Peter Somogyi offered the keynote address which conveyed the pain and horror he endured as a victim of Dr. Mengele’s cruel experiments. A candle lighting ceremony was led by survivors and also by students of E.N.O.U.G.H.

At the ceremony the Co-Presidents of E.N.O.U.G.H., Sam Rosenberg and Charlie Gordon, unveiled the memorial plaque. The inscription on the plaque says, “In memory of the six million Jews and millions of other victims who were persecuted and murdered simply because of who they were and what they believed. In honor of those who survived the Holocaust, and those who risked and gave their lives to save them. NEVER AGAIN.”

Matty Wasserman, a Junior at Horace Greeley High School and the winner of the Horace Greeley High School Quote Submission Contest, read the original quote that he wrote, now listed below the words NEVER AGAIN on the Memorial plaque. Wasserman’s quote reads: “Although no one can change the hate that occurred, to not acknowledge it and understand it would be forcing it upon our future.”

As part of the ceremony Rabbis, Cantors and Reverend from local synagogues and churches joined together in prayer and song. The materials for the memorial and bench as well as the landscaping were generously donated by Manzer’s Landscape Design & Development based in Peekskill. The memorial plaque was funded by an anonymous Chappaqua family.

“Our Residents are our Town’s Best Assets”

Right here in our town, these two extraordinary women, each with their own respective and immensely impressive histories of philanthropy, advocacy and Holocaust education, have ‘listened’ to and embodied the very spirit of the witnesses of whom Wiesel speaks. Together these women partnered with a mutual mission to honor survivors, and to ultimately fight antisemitism and all hate by keeping the lessons of the Holocaust alive for present and future generations.

In 2017, HBO created an 18-minute documentary, featuring a conversation between Saiontz’s grandfather and sons, specifically to educate students. Saiontz commented that the creation of the Memorial, the Committee and E.N.O.U.G.H. will now serve as a platform to educate the community and future generations about the lessons of the Holocaust and the importance of taking action. “The Holocaust did not start with the gas chambers and killing. It started with indifference to hate. We need to teach people to stand up to hate wherever it may fester.”

All of Rosenberg’s and Saiontz’s initiatives have been aimed at combatting the significant rise in hate that is permeating our world. Rosenberg said, ”The Holocaust is not only a Jewish story it is a HUMAN story and one that began with HATE. Over these last several years hate has crept back into our world’s, our children’s world’s and specifically our children’s schools. Hate crimes in schools have increased by 25% for the 2nd year in a row. Collectively, it is time that we all say E.N.O.U.G.H. of the reactionary response to hate. It is time to be proactive.”

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Alexandra Rosenberg, Bench Dedication, Bill Clinton, Daffodil Project, E.N.O.U.G.H, Elie Wiesel, Greeley students, Holocaust education, Jacob Breitstein, New Castle Holocaust Memorial, Peter Somogyi, reflection, remembrance, Robert Greenstein, Stacey Saiontz, survivors, Town of New Castle

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