TOLI - The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights

Last week, educators from across New Mexico gathered in Albuquerque for TOLI’s regional seminar, "The Holocaust: Choices That Shape Humanity."

Through survivor testimony, literature, primary sources, and thoughtful discussion, participants explored the human decisions, moral complexities, and historical forces that shaped the Holocaust. Highlights included hearing the powerful story of hidden child Andy Holten, engaging with Rabbi Micah Citron at Congregation Albert, examining Indigenous experiences and boarding schools with Dr. Joseph Suina and Dr. Joseph Weixelman, and participating in hands-on workshops featuring classroom-ready resources from Echoes & Reflections and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Throughout the week, educators reflected on essential questions about identity, responsibility, antisemitism, and the choices individuals and communities make. Participants left with new perspectives, practical teaching strategies, and a wealth of lessons and resources to bring back to their classrooms.

Thank you to our facilitators, speakers, and dedicated educators for making this meaningful week of learning, reflection, and professional growth possible.

Read more about this seminar at https://www.toli.us/regional-program/newmexico/

Last week in Kentucky, educators gathered at Berea College and the Carter G. Woodson Center for In*******al Education for an engaging seminar exploring the Holocaust, human rights, and the role of education in strengthening democracy and human dignity.

Through inquiry, discussion, and reflective writing, participants examined the Holocaust as a case study of systematic dehumanization and explored the evolution of human rights through interdisciplinary perspectives. Sessions addressed topics including antisemitism, the rise of fascism, the dismantling of democratic institutions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Black history, eugenics, and inclusive teaching practices.

Throughout the week, educators collaborated with colleagues, developed classroom action plans, and considered how to foster meaningful conversations about complex histories and contemporary challenges. Participants also attended a local Juneteenth celebration, explored Jewish history and traditions, and joined a Shabbat service and kiddush lunch at a local synagogue.

The Kentucky seminar provided space for deep reflection, thoughtful dialogue, and renewed commitment to helping students understand the past while engaging responsibly with the world around them.

How can Catholic educators teach about the Holocaust with historical accuracy, moral courage, and meaningful interfaith understanding?

This week, Catholic school teachers and administrators are gathered in Miami for “We Remember: Exploring the Holocaust and Antisemitism,” a four-day seminar presented in partnership with FIU Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, Bearing Witness Institute at Marist School, Atlanta, the Archdiocese of Miami, the Catholic Jewish Alliance, and Shutts & Bowen LLP.

This program is also offered in New York City (July 21-25)! Applications are still being accepted for this seminar at https://www.toli.us/regional-program/newyork/

Participants are exploring the history of Catholic–Jewish relations, learning effective Holocaust pedagogy, engaging with leading scholars and interfaith leaders, visiting the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, meeting Holocaust survivor Judy Rosen, and experiencing a Shabbat service and dinner at Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus (with Rabbi Rojzman).

The seminar features a diverse group of scholars, clergy, Holocaust educators, and interfaith leaders who approach Holocaust education through historical, religious, ethical, and classroom lenses. Father Dennis McManus and Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor are exploring Jewish and Catholic perspectives through a joint reading of shared sacred scriptures; Father Patrick O’Neill is discussing Jewish/Catholic relations in Miami; Brendan Murphy (Bearing Witness Institute) is sharing educational approaches to addressing prejudice and historical injustice in schools; and Dr. Oren Baruch Stier is describing the story of Jewish refugees denied entry to the United States during the Holocaust.

Through reflection, discussion, and collaboration, educators are gaining practical tools to bring into their Catholic school classrooms.

Together, we remember the past, strengthen interfaith understanding, and inspire students to uphold the dignity of every human being.

We are currently in Vilnius, Lithuania, for “Learning from the Past – Acting for the Future: Teaching about the Holocaust and Human Rights,” a five-day seminar organized by TOLI in partnership with the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of N**i and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania and the Jewish Community of Lithuania. The program brings together educators from across Lithuania, Ukraine, and Poland to deepen their understanding of the Holocaust, antisemitism, human rights, and effective teaching practices.

The seminar began with an exploration of identity, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, setting the stage for thoughtful dialogue and reflection. Participants engaged with leading scholars and educators Vadim Altskan and Saulius Suziedelis as they examined the Holocaust in both European and Lithuanian contexts, heard testimony from Jewish Community of Lithuania President Faina Kukliansky, and learned about Jewish culture and traditions.

Throughout this week, we are focusing on strategies for countering antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, while connecting Holocaust education to broader human rights issues. Highlights include a walking tour of historic Jewish Vilna, a visit to the Samuel Bak Museum, a presentation by journalist and author Silvia Foti on uncovering her grandfather’s wartime legacy, and a guided visit to the Ponary Memorial, one of Lithuania’s most significant Holocaust memorial sites.

The seminar will conclude with collaborative planning sessions where participants will develop educational projects to bring their learning from the seminar back to their classrooms and communities.

Jewish Lithuania

This week, our seminars are being held in New Mexico, Kentucky, Florida, and Lithuania!

TOLI seminars collectively explore the Holocaust and human rights through inquiry-based learning, primary sources, survivor testimony, and interdisciplinary discussion. Participants (teachers) examine the Holocaust and its relevance to contemporary issues including democracy, human rights, antisemitism, and racism.

Educators engage with experts, Holocaust survivors, rabbis, interfaith leaders, and fellow teachers through engaging lectures, synagogue visits, field experiences, reflective writing, and collaborative learning. The programs emphasize effective, trauma-informed, and culturally-inclusive teaching practices, equipping participants with classroom-ready lessons, resources, and strategies for addressing complex historical and contemporary issues.

Through immersive experiences and professional collaboration, participants gain the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools needed to teach about the Holocaust and human rights - in ways that resonate with students today.

What if you could see not just what happened—but how it was made possible?

In partnership with TOLI - The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights, Rooted and Targeted is a five-day seminar for California educators that starts where history too often skips—the fullness of Jewish and Black life, culture, and community. From there, it follows the legal, social, and institutional systems that made exclusion, discrimination, and erasure not just possible, but ordinary.

Through the histories of the Holocaust, the domestic slave trade, lynching, and what those histories can teach us about the world we've inherited. You'll leave with a shared language, concrete resources, and teaching strategies you can actually use.

🗓 August 3–8, 2026 | Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles
✅ Free. Travel and hotel are covered for educators 50+ miles away.
✍️ Applications are open—spots are limited!

Apply today: www.toli.us/regional-program/california/

We finished the week in Boise, Idaho at our seminar, “Into Tomorrow: Exploring Identity, Resilience and Healing through Holocaust, Indigenous, and Japanese-American Histories” with deep scholarship and practical application.

Former Secretary General of IHRA and current TOLI Board Member Dr. Kathrin Meyer led a session on Holocaust Distortion and Contemporary Antisemitism; Lisa Shiosaki Olsen and Midori Tanada from Minidoka National Historic Site and Friends of Minidoka led the group through primary source exploration; participants celebrated Shabbat with a talk about Judaism from Rabbi Johanna Hershenson; dinner was sponsored by the Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho; and service was held with Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel (CABI) (among the oldest synagogues in continuous use west of the Mississippi River).

The seminar concluded with participants sharing their action plans for the coming year during our final morning at the Wassmuth Center. An unforgettable and transformative week!

This seminar was hosted in partnership with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, the Boise State University Writing Project, and the Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho

We are currently in Boise, Idaho for our first US seminar of the year: "Into Tomorrow: Stories of Resilience in the Holocaust, Indigenous Experiences, and Japanese American Incarceration for Students Today." This seminar is taking place at and in partnership with Boise State University and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights.

The seminar is exploring stories of resilience in the Holocaust, Indigenous experiences, and Japanese American incarceration, helping educators deepen their understanding of identity, history, and human rights. Through presentations, discussions, site-based learning, primary sources, testimony, and reflective writing, participants are examining how individuals and communities responded to oppression and injustice.

The week began with an exploration of identity, place, and the ways historical spaces shape memory and understanding. Participants studied the history of antisemitism, pre-war Jewish life, the rise of the N**i regime, and Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, while hearing testimony and considering the lasting impact of these events.

The seminar also focused on Indigenous resilience, including Shoshone history in the Boise Valley, place-based learning, poetry, and conversations about teaching Indigenous histories and perspectives. Participants engaged with Indigenous leaders Antoinette Cavanaugh and Rueben George and reflected on practical classroom applications.

Today, we are examining Japanese American incarceration through survivor testimony, poetry, primary sources, oral histories, museum resources, and graphic novels. Participants will explore the concept of "gaman" and analyze personal narratives and historical documents to better understand experiences of incarceration and resistance.

Stay tuned for more updates on TOLI in Idaho.

Our next seminars will take place in New Mexico and Lithuania, beginning on June 15!

Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho