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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

Michael Shapiro’s VOICES Premieres, a Requiem Honoring Victims of the Holocaust

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More than 20 years ago, longtime Chappaqua resident Michael Shapiro found himself thumbing through a poetry compilation about the Holocaust written from the perspective of Jews in countries such as Greece, Italy and France at at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. The compilation, And The World Stood Silent: Sephardic Poetry of the Holocaust, chronicles the life of nearly 160,000 Sephardic Jews exiled from Spain in 1492 and who ultimately perished in the Holocaust.

At the time, Shapiro’s work focused primarily on curating concerts featuring music of Jews who had fled the Holocaust and emigrated to Hollywood such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold who scored several films most notably The Adventures of Robin Hood. Shapiro also organized concerts featuring music from composers who had lived in Teresienstadt, a ghetto in Czechoslovakia–a hotbed of musical creativity with composers such as Gideon Klein, Pavel Haas, Hans Krása and Viktor Ullmann residing there.

Shapiro lost about 75 members of his own family among the six million Eastern European Jews massacred during the Holocaust. He yearned for the chance to immerse himself in how the Holocaust impacted Jews in the countries included in the poetry compilation and to share his own family history. Shapiro was immediately moved by the literature. “The poetry hit me completely. It was so powerful,” recalls Shapiro. A few years ago, conductor Deborah Simpkin King of Ember Choral Arts, inspired him to write the 60-minute plus work and is conducting Shapiro’s piece, which took him just seven months to write. “It flew out of me,” explains Shapiro. Shapiro was intentional in having the piece be a requiem. “Nothing gets to people like the sound of a chorus with an orchestra,” he noted.

Shapiro has written more than 100 works for orchestral, theatrical, film, chamber, choral and vocal forces throughout his career. His works have been performed by many of the greatest orchestras and performers in North America and Europe and for years he served as the conductor of the Chappaqua Orchestra. His music has been played on BBC, National Public Radio, SiriusXM and is available on major platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

Shapiro has always been interested in exploring themes such as prejudice and racial divisiveness in his music. In fact, one of Shapiro’s most well-known pieces is the score from Frankenstein which has been performed more than 50 times internationally. “I think I was attracted to Frankenstein because I was interested in the way the monster was depicted and treated as the other.”

Shapiro hopes his “Voices of the Holocaust” concerts “give a voice to people who no longer have a voice.” While the Nazis murdered six million Jews, they also targeted other groups such as Roma (gypsies), homosexuals and people with disabilities. This same hatred is happening today, Shapiro is quick to point out. He felt he had to write the piece now, especially with the number of Holocaust survivors dwindling each year to 300,000-350,000 survivors in 2022 according to the nonprofit Holocaust group, Claims Conference.

The premiere of the piece took place at Temple Shaaray Tefila on November 9th and at Manhattan’s famed Central Synagogue on November 10th. The timing was purposely chosen to coincide with the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, ‘The Night of Broken Glass’, when Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues and homes were destroyed by the Nazis in Germany and in Nazi occupied territories in Austria and Czechoslovakia. In the two-day spree of massive violence against the Jews, 30,000 Jewish males were arrested and sent to prisons or concentration camps.

The premiere at Central Synagogue also included a Q & A session with Paul Shaffer, the former musical director and band leader of Late Night with David Letterman. It also featured tenor soloist Daniel Mutlu, the Senior Cantor of Central Synagogue and the American Modern Ensemble. “Mutlu has a phenomenal voice. He really is one of the greatest cantors in the country,” exclaims Shapiro.

On the Horizon

The concert will also debut at the Reagan Library in California performed by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and conducted by Grant Gershon. The LA performance will coincide with the Auschwitz exhibition at the library for ten months starting this spring. The moving exhibition originally was showcased at the Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in downtown New York City. Visit MichaelShapiro.com.

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

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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.

 

Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center Presents: Memory Keepers Story Hour

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March and April Dates for the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) Spring 2021 Memory Keepers Story Hour Featuring GenerationsForward Speakers

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

The event series started in January with Hannah Deutch, a Holocaust Survivor from the HHREC  Speakers Bureau, as she shared intimate details about her extraordinary experience as witness to Kristallnacht, her transport on the Kindertransport, internment on the Isle of Man, and her career as a nurse.

The HHREC, based in White Plains, NY, 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.

“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. 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 Spring 2021 Memory Keepers Story Hour speaker series began featuring GenerationsForward speaker  Debby Ziering on March 11. 

The remaining schedule this spring:

March 18 – Barbara Lewis Kaplan, GenerationsForward

April 15 – Kathy Grosz-Zaltas, GenerationsForward

April 22 – Wendy Sandler, GenerationsForward

April 29 – Michelle Gewanter, GenerationsForward

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 1750 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 

 

 

 

Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center Memory Keepers: GenerationsForward Speaker Series-Sandra Mehl

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Please join the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center Memory Keepers GenerationsForward Speaker Series on Thursday, December 10 at 7 p.m. via Zoom in the safety and comfort of your own home.

Sandra Mehl is a first generation American who lost several family members in the Holocaust.  She tells the story of the heroic deeds of the Horner and Kellner families, who lived in Poland, Germany, and Belgium.  She shares her experiences growing up with survivors offering the message of hope for the next generations–how to shift from surviving to thriving. 

Although Sandra’s story evolved from a commitment to keeping her family’s values and traditions alive and a desire to gift a unique legacy to her grandson, Zev, on the occasion of becoming a Bar Mitzvah, she is also determined to help the next generation to accept the call to action to make certain “never again.” 

Sandra will discuss a family menorah that survived in her family leaving Nazi Europe.  Last year, she took the menorah to the Antique Judaica Roadshow to have the menorah appraised.  Learn what she discovered as she shares a story of the lengths some of us will go in order to put family first and foremost.

Sandra graduated from Columbia University and is a Licensed Master of Social work and practitioner of energy medicine.  She has also taught Hebrew and Global Studies in community schools.

For Zoom log-in information, please email Millie Jasper mjasper@hhrecny.org

For information and donations to the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, visit www.hhrecny.org

 

Our next Memory Keepers GenerationsForward Speaker will be Shelley Greenspan on Thursday, December 17.