HMH Bearing Witness - November 2016

NEWS

NEXTGen Connections

Educator in Motion The HMH Education Department is excited and proud to introduce a new member of our team, Laurie Garcia. Laurie is joining HMH as our new “Educator in Motion.” In this capacity, Laurie will lead our new school and community outreach program as a visiting educator in fifth through twelfth grade classrooms and in community settings throughout the greater Houston area. Funded by generous grants to HMH, Laurie will provide a wide range of education programs free of charge. The “Educator in Motion” program will spotlight seven topics curated by the Education Department to highlight the mission of Holocaust Museum Houston. • “Images of the Holocaust” • “Personal Narratives of the Holocaust” • “The Possibility of Individual Choice: Upstanders During the Holocaust” • “Never Again? Contemporary Genocide”

Holocaust Museum Houston is a gathering place for Holocaust Survivors and members of the community to meet and build meaningful relationships. It is a privilege to know Survivors and hear their stories first hand. To expand the reach of these experiences, Holocaust Museum Houston will launch a new program this fall. “CONNECTIONS” will pair members of the Houston community with Holocaust Survivors to aid and support them when needed and to foster ongoing, dynamic and inspiring relationships. Through “CONNECTIONS” , volunteers will interact with Survivors through a broad range of activities, whether it is playing cards, having lunch or even running an errand. “CONNECTIONS” allows able members of our community to become a resource for our Survivors. It is equally as important that we learn the lessons of the Holocaust and dangers of hate from conversations with Survivors. Their powerful stories have gravity. “CONNECTIONS” seeks to make these experiences possible. Make your connection to “CONNECTIONS” when you contact Steven Hammer at shammer@hmh.org or 713-527-1609.

at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies Seminar for International Educators in Jerusalem. We spent our days in the classroom at Yad Vashem. During the evenings we explored the city of Jerusalem. On the weekends, we toured the length and breadth of Israel. From the Golan Heights to the Red Sea, from the top of Masada to the Dead Sea, we made the most of our excursions outside the classroom. In the classroom, where we spent most of our time we had the opportunity to meet with several Holocaust survivors, including Anne Franks’ childhood friend Hannah Pick, and two survivors who were saved by Oskar Schindler. We learned from such incredible thinkers as Dr. Yehuda Bauer and Nazi hunter Efraim Zuroff, as well as from each other. Everyone in the group brought their unique experiences and teaching styles, providing a remarkably rich experience. I can’t thank the Leibman family enough for providing the opportunity to learn about the Holocaust in such depth, and to experience Israel’s fascinating culture. Girl Scouts The Education Department continues its long association with the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, hosting a variety of workshops for Junior, Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts from across the greater Houston area. The Girls regularly come together at the Avrohm I. Weisnberg Multi-Purpose Learning Center to explore the lessons of the Holocaust and how each of them can work to build a more empathetic world. In 2016, Juniors earned the “Inside Government” badge; Cadettes earned their “Finding Common Ground” and “Science of Happiness” badges; Older Girls earned the “Social Innovator” and “Public Policy” badges. Curriculums are developed in coordination with the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, the second largest Girl Scout Council in the nation serving 26 Southeast Texas counties. Troops are welcome to join a pre-scheduled program or they may book their own tours and workshops.

• “All Behaviors Count: Stopping Hate; Starting Here” • “Art Created During the Holocaust: In Response To” • “Art Created Since the Holocaust: In Memory Of”

Laurie is bilingual (Spanish/English) and has a strong background in the Holocaust and genocide studies. In December 2016 she expects to receive her MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Stockton University. The HMH Education Department looks forward to working with Laurie to implement the “Educator in Motion” program that will build connections between diverse Houston communities and the museum.

Laurie Garcia joins the HMH Education team as Educator in Motion.

Educators in Israel

Latino/a Outreach Fall 2016 brings engaging new opportunities to the Hispanic Outreach initiative at Holocaust Museum Houston. Through a grant funded by the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission, the HMH Education Department is translating two important curriculums into Spanish, “All Behaviors Count” and the HMH iBook featured in our Digital Curriculum Trunks. These translations will be used in bilingual and dual language classrooms. In addition to our two new translations, we are also working in concert with partners throughout the greater Houston area to promote the mission of HMH and raise awareness in the Houston Latino/a community. With the guidance and support of the Latino Initiatives Advisory Committee, chaired by Laura Jaramillo, Latino/a Outreach is working with Project Grad Houston, SER Jobs for Progress, and the University of St. Thomas to create new programming.

Mi Familia Vota’s Mario Salinas speaks to the Engines of Change student ambassadors about the importance of Civic Engagement.

Professor Zachary Doleshal, Hanna Pick, Emily Sample.

We are also looking forward to the opening of the Museum’s first bilingual Spanish/English exhibit. “Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964” makes its public debut in December and will run through May 2017. The exhibition will also be the setting for community events, presentations from scholars, and panel discussions during its six month run.

This year, I finally found a good answer to the eternal question: What did you do with your summer vacation? While the word “vacation” doesn’t quite fully describe the experience, it was an extraordinary summer – in Israel. Sam Houston State University Professor Zachary Doleshal and I joined a group of 28 other educators from around the world

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