Education has the power to promote the values of tolerance and diversity and to transform ignorance into respect for those who are different.
In 2013, The Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation taught the lessons of the Holocaust to 16,400 students, teachers and community members.
HERC is dedicated to Holocaust remembrance, education and the preservation of the memory of the victims. It teaches not only to keep alive the memory of the 6 million Jews and 5 million others who perished during the Holocaust, but also about what can happen when groups are denied basic human rights. Studying the Holocaust lays the foundation for a more humane, tolerant and just society.
“HERC is an important educational resource for me and my students,” says Scott Lone, a teacher at West Bend High School. “By helping us learn about the past, HERC is helping us create a better future.”
Survivors participating in HERC’s Speaker’s Bureau share their survival with students and adults throughout the year, while the organization’s Library/Media Center and Holocaust Materials Trunks provide readily available informational resources.
Through the Remember Us project, children preparing for their bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies are given the tools to remember a child who died in the Holocaust before they had the opportunity to be called to the Torah.
HERC’s Holocaust Study Institute continues to grow while teaching educators, clergy and community members both in classes and traveling to Israel.
Throughout the year, HERC offers social and educational programs for survivors and their families. It also hosts and sponsors several community events, such as the commemoration of Kristallnacht, a Yom HaShaoh (Holocaust Remembrance Day) program and an education and film series.
HERC recently broke ground on Pinat Hatikvah (Corner of Hope), an outdoor space dedicated to life after the Holocaust, which is located on the grounds of the Karl Jewish Community Campus in Whitefish Bay.
For more information, visit HolocaustCenterMilwaukee.org.
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