The mission of the IAUJC Holocaust Education Committee is to build and provide local resources for important aspects of Holocaust education. Modeled on programs in many other communities, the Ithaca Holocaust Education Committee (IHEC) attempts to use the testimonies of local Holocaust survivors and their descendants, as well as the experiences of others touched directly by the Holocaust, to create meaningful learning experiences and educational resources for the local community and beyond.
As Ithaca is home to a significant though dwindling number of Holocaust survivors and others with personal Holocaust experience, our speakers aim to bear witness to the Holocaust and to educate the younger generation about the impact of the Holocaust on the lives of our families and ourselves and its relevance in our time.
Our current work falls into four categories:
1. Teacher education – Find workshops, and online resources to help local teachers. Educate ourselves, so we can speak more knowledgeably about the Holocaust.
2. Resources for classroom use – Maintain a publicly available online list of local resources connected to the Holocaust. Develop classroom resources for loan.
3. Holocaust Speakers' Bureau – Identify classrooms that would benefit from local Holocaust speakers. Coordinate experienced speakers to meet the needs of the community. In addition, partnering with Ithaca College students from the Park School of Communications, we are creating multi-media, oral history projects that reflect the personal stories of first generation survivors and refugees who have made their lives in Ithaca.
4. Extracurricular Resources – Locate and provide opportunities for teachers to extend the classroom using field trips, online experiences, visiting speakers and travelling exhibits.
If you would like to contact us to book a speaker, make an inquiry or find out more about us, you can email us at holocaust-awareness@iaujc.org
