Holocaust Memorial Education Center

General Information

Our Holocaust Education Center (HEC) offers outreach educational workshops to students, teachers, libraries, and the public free of charge. Additionally, all materials are provided and workshop and seminar times are flexible to conform to school schedules and curriculum needs. Since 2019, our workshops have taught over 300 students in public, private, parochial, and Islamic schools and synagogues as well as students at Raritan Valley Community College.

Offerings for Students, Schools and Teachers

• Workshop #1: Light from the Yellow Star: Introduction to the Holocaust through Testimony and Art
• Workshop #2: To the Little Polish Boy: Developing Empathy Though Photo-Journalism and Ecphrastic (Visual) Poetry
• Talk: Hidden Treasures: Our Local Survivor Registry

TO SCHEDULE A WORKSHOP CALL 908 443 9018 and Leave a message for Nancy Gorrell

Student Workshop Descriptions

Workshop #1: Light from the Yellow Star: Introduction to the Holocaust through Testimony and Art (90 minutes) or (2 Sessions)

Co-Presenters: Nancy Gorrell and Evelyn Rauch

Grades: Middle and High School Students

Nancy Gorrell will lead students in reading and viewing survivor Robert Fisch’s testimony from Light from the Yellow Star: A Lesson of Love from the Holocaust while viewing his artistic illustrations. Afterwards, Evelyn Rauch will lead students in a discussion as a second-generation descendant artist preparing them to respond to Fisch’s artwork with their own artistic inspirations.*No artistic level of expertise required for this workshop. This interactive workshop is based on the published work of Holocaust educator, Nancy Gorrell

Artwork produced from these 2020 workshops were on exhibition at the SSBJCC and may be viewed online at ssbjcc/holocaust.org. 

Workshop #2: To the Little Polish Boy: Developing Empathy through Photo-Journalism Ephrastic (Visual) Poetry (60 minutes)Presenter: Nancy Gorrell

Grades: Middle School and High School

Students will view an iconic work of Holocaust photo journalism, read survivor Peter Fischl’s poem, “To the Little Polish Boy” in response to that  photo-journalism,  and then produce their own responses using the tool of visual poetry, or ecphrasis, the poetry of empathy.  As a follow-up activity, students will search for a piece of photo-journalism that moves them as much as the “Little Polish Boy” moved Peter Fischl.*No prior poetry writing experience is required for this workshop. This workshop is based on the published writings of Nancy Gorrell, Holocaust educator. Teachers are encouraged to facilitate the follow-up activity with their students writing poems in response to photo-journalism past and present. This 2020 workshop produced an virual online poetry reading and an online poetry exhibition titled “To the Little Polish Boy” in the spring of 2020. Refer to 2020 Exhibitions online at the SSBJCC website: ssbjcc/holocaust.org.

Talk: Hidden Treasures:  Our Survivor Registry

Open to Schools, Libraries and Community Organizations

Presenter: Nancy Gorrell, Director of the SSBJCC Survivor RegistryBased on the current data from the SSBJCC Survivor Registry, this talk asks: Who are our current “hidden treasures?” Who are our child survivors? What is the current status of our survivor community? What is the future of our survivor community? This interactive talk honors our “hidden treasures” and their descendants.

Offerings for Teachers

Workshop #1: Light from the Yellow Star Art Workshop

Open to Middle and High School Teachers

Evelyn Rauch: Workshop Facilitator, Local Artist

Description

The “Light from the Yellow Star” workshop was developed by Nancy Gorrell and Evelyn Rauch as part of the outreach programming of the Holocaust Memorial and Education Center. The workshop was designed to teach middle and high school students about the Holocaust using imagery and text to evoke a personal response to the lessons of the Holocaust found in survivor Robert Fisch’s memoir, Light from the Yellow Star. Evelyn Rauch will instruct the teachers step by step on how to teach this workshop to their own students. Teachers will each create artwork and participate in a discussion about its meaning. A list of materials and information about online access to Robert Fisch’s memoir will be provided.

Note: No prior experience with art required for this workshop.

Workshop #2: To the Little Polish Boy: Can Empathy be Taught?

Open to Middle and High School Teachers

Nancy Gorrell: Workshop Facilitator, Holocaust Educator

Description 

Can empathy be taught? The answer is “yes.” Our workshop will examine this question using the tool of visual poetry, ephrasis, or the tool of empathy.  Teachers will view an iconic work of Holocaust photo-journalism and read survivor Peter Fischl’s poem, “To the Little Polish Boy” in response to that photo-journalism. This workshop will provide each teacher with a published, turn-key lesson plan as well as related readings, online resources and student poetry on the topics of the Holocaust, genocide and the teaching of empathy, prejudice reduction and peace. Workshop materials available online at the SSBJCC website: ssbjcc/holocaust.org. Go to Jewish Life and then under Holocaust Center go to 2020 Poetry Exhibit to view samples of student work. 

*Note: No prior experience with poetry writing required for this workshop.

Curious Where We Have Been?  

Here is a Partial List of on site outreach

Morristown High School, Morristown, NJ

St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Edison, NJ

Maarif USA, Bloomfield, NJ

Temple Sholom, Bridgewater, NJ

Temple Beth-El, Hillsborough, NJ

Kehilat Shalom, Belle Meade, NJ

Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, NJ

Raritan Valley  Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (virtual professional development)

Somerset County Library, Bridgewater, NJ

Berkely Heights Public Library, Berkeley Heights, NJ