Holocaust education has never been more urgent

From the Desk of Lori Shepherd, Executive Director

Each year, the Association of Holocaust Organizations, an international network of more than 130 organizations, hosts a summer conference devoted to the advancement of Holocaust education, remembrance, and research. Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center is a proud member of this amazing group of educators, scholars, and institutional leaders.

This year’s conference was held in Toronto, ON and I was honored to be there for this three-day intensive conference hosted by the Toronto Holocaust Museum, the Azrieli Foundation, and Liberation 75. Our sessions put us in conversation with museum directors and educators from across Canada and brought us to the Royal Ontario Museum to tour Auschwitz: Not Long Ago, Not Far Away with the exhibit designers, historians, and experts behind the creation of this amazing traveling exhibit. We also screened the new documentary, “All I Had Was Nothingness,” and learned about a new virtual tour format, Auschwitz in Front of Your Eyes. 

But I can say with certainty, that for the majority of those in attendance, the most important session was a special convening: Holocaust Education in the Wake of October 7th. In this session, introduced and co-moderated by my friend and colleague Talli Dippold, panelists from the leading Holocaust education programs discussed the challenges faced in this field in the wake of October 7th.

Talli, who is the newly-named CEO of the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center, in our sister city of Phoenix, opened with these words, “I want to begin by acknowledging the weight many of us carry into this room—personally, professionally, and communally. October 7 was not just a geopolitical rupture—it was a rupture in Jewish life, Jewish safety, and in how we teach the Holocaust.” 

She went on to say that the work of Holocaust education has never been harder - or more important. Those words resonated with those of us who work in communities that see and understand the rise of antisemitism, trauma, disinformation, and fractured discourse firsthand. It has made our work as educators, researchers, and institutional leaders more challenging and more personal. 

It was empowering to be together in community with so many others who face the same challenges and are navigating the same shifting sands. Seeing the knowing looks and nodding heads as we addressed that antisemitism is not just part of history but as a lived reality was oddly comforting. And it helped to see a shared trepidation as we discussed shouldering the responsibility of telling a Jewish story of then and now to a largely non-Jewish audience. 

Talli reminded us that much has changed in the last six hundred-plus days, often leaving us with more questions than answers:

• How do we remain focused on teaching the history and memory of the Holocaust when antisemitism and Jewish hate is so prevalent and in the moment?

• How do we preserve complexity and foster critical thinking in an age that seems to demand binaries?

• How do we center the story of Holocaust victims and survivors when current suffering is still ongoing?

• How do we support students and educators as they navigate these important lessons of the past and apply them to their own contemporary life?

None of these are easy questions, and many of us left that session without the answers that we had hoped to find. But what we did come away with is a renewed sense of mission and purpose, knowing that we are not alone: our colleagues and a vast network of professionals stand with us and support us as we continue a work that honors both past and present as it helps forge a better future. 

And that work continues. As I returned from Toronto, there was a tour to give and one of our amazing survivors was going out to speak at a local high school’s summer session. 

I was reminded this week by a very wise young person that those without vision lose their path. At Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center, we will not lose sight of our path. Our mission is our true north, and we will continue the work of educating about the Holocaust and other genocides, exploring the legacy of Jewish experiences in Southern Arizona, and collaborating with Tucson's diverse community to promote human rights. 

We will do this with thoughtful, inclusive, and historically grounded dialogue. We will do this by remaining true to the survivors we serve and the educators we support. And we will do this by holding steadfast to the values of Remembrance (zachor), Justice (tzedek), Honor (khavod), Community (kehillah), and Learning (limmud). And we will do this in community with all of those who share these values and recognize the importance of this work.