Honoring Memory, Challenging Injustice, Educating Generations

The mission of the Institute of Holocaust & Genocide Studies is to educate students and the wider community about the dangers of intolerance, to learn together, and to find a deeper appreciation for our shared humanity.

Our goals are:

• Promote awareness, understanding, and compassion for the suffering of others
• Share the lessons learned from the Holocaust by identifying the danger signals in the prevention of other genocides
• Serve as a repository of various educational materials, including audiovisual and literature, about diversity, the Holocaust, and genocides for research, study, and to provide educators with the tools to teach these complex histories
• Evoke reflection and remembrance

Encourage active community participation in combating bigotry and hate through social action

“Learning Through Experience,” the Institute’s cornerstone educational program, began as a one-day event more than 40 years ago and has educated more than 150,000 middle and high school students and educators through a unique series of guest-speaker workshops on the Holocaust and genocide. Learning Through Experience is now offered both virtually and in person. For information regarding programming, resources, or annual events, contact Michelle Edgar, Program Specialist, at (908) 526-1200, extension 8735.

The following webinars provide a wealth of information from special guests that can be used for classroom enrichment and group discussions.

• Anne Frank – Her Life and Surprising Legacy, with author Gillian Perry – Friday, September 19, 2025 – click here
• Online Discussion with Author Anna Salton Eisen – December 6, 2024 – click here
• Hear Bubi Sarah’s extraordinary story with Dave Reckess, Executive Director of 3GNY & Grandchild of Holocaust Survivors – October 28, 2024 – click here to view
• Meaningful Moments and Holocaust Remembrance with Maud Dahme and NJEA teachers Tamara Beatty and Lisa Hanna – Thursday, May 2, 2024 – click here to view
• The Fragility of Democracy, Reflections on the Weimar Republic, and Why the Holocaust Still Echoes in the World Today, a hybrid event with Dr. Michael Berenbaum, April 18, 2024 – click here to view
• Tree of Hope: Anne Frank’s Father Shares His Wisdom With An American Teen and the World by Cara Wilson-Granat – June 12, 2023 – click here to view
• Once We Were Home Book Launch with author, Jennifer Rosner – March 24, 2023 – click here to view
• Learning Through Experience with Nadja Halilbegovich, Her Compelling Journey Through the Bosnian Genocide & Its Tragic Parallels to Ukraine. February 10, 2023 – click here to view
• Holocaust Remembrance in the Digital Age: January 26, 2023 – click here to view
• Online Opening of a NEW Exhibition, Witness to History, Keepers of Memory with Testimony from Eva Kuper, Canadian Holocaust Survivor-Friday, January 20th – click here to view
• We Are The Seeds: The Every Child Matters Movement and the Ongoing Impact of Indian Residential Schools with Katrina Herne Cosponsored by The Institute of Holocaust & Genocide Studies and 3GNY Grandchildren of Holocaust Survivors – November 16, 2022 – click here to view
• Community-Wide Kristallnacht Commemoration with Fred Behrend & Larry Hanover – November 2, 2022 – click here to view
• Community-Wide Yom HaShoah Commemoration and Remembrance with Maud Dahme – April 19, 2022 – click here to view
• “The Herero Genocide and the Holocaust: What are the Links?” February 9, 2022 – click here to view
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration. Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors. January 27, 2022 – click here to view
• Community-Wide Holocaust Remembrance Day Event: Honoring Our Survivors: Tova Friedman and Maud Dahme. January 27, 2022 – click here to view
• Learning Through Experience: The Power of One with Jeannie Opdyke Smith and Tova Friedman October 15, 2021 – click here to view
• The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm – October 1, 2021 – click here to view
• Unpacking The Past with Silvia Foti and Grant Gochin – September 30, 2021 – click here to view
• From Swastika to Him Crow with Dr. Lillie Edwards September 24, 2021 – click here to view
• Summer Book Series with Jennifer Rosner discussing her novel, The Yellow Bird Sings. June 18, 2021 – click here to view
• Confronting the Challenging Landscape of Holocaust Research in Poland April 19, 2021 – click here to view
• Commemorating Yom HaShoah with The Defiant Requiem Foundation & Maestro Murry Sidlin, Friday, April 9, 2021 – click here to view
• Learning Through Experience with Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the Little Rock Nine, February 5, 2021 – click here to view
• The Mission, Vision, and Work of the Jim Crow Museum: An Anti-racism facility dedicated to building a just society with Dr. David Pilgrim. January 22, 2021 – click her to view
• Syria’s Secret Library: Reading and Redemption in a Town Under Seige (Community Program). November 20, 2020 – click here to view
• Learning Through Experience: Virtual tour of The Anne Frank House and hear from two Holocaust survivors. November 12, 2020 – click here to view
• ARTIVISM – the first exhibition of its kind, located at the intersection of art, human rights, and the prevention of genocide. October 23, 2020 – click here to view
• Learning from the Struggles of Racial Injustice Both Here and Abroad with Dr. Susan Neiman. September 10, 2020 https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=ce857547-0dc2-4836-8ee3-ac3201416e1a
• Summer Book Series with Georgia Hunter, author of We Were The Lucky Ones. June 30, 2020 https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=40a6896b-f444-482f-afcf-abf80106473
• Community-Wide Yom HaShoah Commemoration with The Defiant Requiem Foundation & Maestro Murry Sidlin
  The Yom HaShoah commemoration will feature a viewing of the documentary film, Defiant Requiem, followed by a discussion with Maestro Murry Sidlin, the President and Creative Director of the Foundation. This feature-length documentary film tells the extraordinary, untold story of the brave acts of resistance by Jewish prisoners at Theresienstadt (Terezín) during World War II.

Defiant Requiem Documentary Film: https://vimeo.com/483615520 Password (case-sensitive): survivingevil

Discussion with The Defiant Requiem Foundation & Maestro Murry Sidlin, Friday, April 9, 2021 – click here to view

In this lecture series, Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies that Provide Hope, testimonies from Holocaust survivors and their descendants are intended to inspire people during difficult times. Each week, we heard from a Holocaust survivor, an author, or a family member of survivors who shared insights into how resilience and hope are still possible even in the most complicated periods of life. April 17, 2020 – May 29, 2020.

• Week 1:Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies That Provide Hope with Maud Dahme: https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=31fdcfb2-f4ee-4b37-99c2-abae011a24ed
• Week 2:Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies That Provide Hope with Bea Abrams and Janine Bernheim: https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=bd96c227-3a24-435c-ada9-abae011bdabe
• Week 3:Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies That Provide Hope with Peppy Margolis: https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=fdde651e-3a9a-45fa-9cb7-abb200d272e4
• Week:4 Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies That Provide Hope with Barbara Gilford: https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=520edc7c-26af-4fe7-adcc-abb50166f0ee
• Week 5:Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies That Provide Hope with Evelyn Rauch: https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=2041de0f-88fe-4a2a-96bd-abbc01738304
• Week 6: Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies That Provide Hope with Jessica Wang: https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=542ae461-a412-471b-9c49-abc800d129b1
• Week 7: Resilience During Challenging Times: Testimonies That Provide Hope with Elyse Wolff :https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=31f0b110-2b44-4b24-90ef-abcd00ce4027

Resilience During Challenging Times Panel – One Year Later, Friday, April 16, 2021 https://rvcc.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=907ef826-8a0a-402d-8db6-ad0d0173b3c3

BEARING WITNESS
An exhibition featuring mixed-media quilts and other works of fabric art, organized in partnership with Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), Inc. August 28 to December 13, 2024.
Listen to the artists of this extraordinary exhibit talk about their inspiration and their artistic process. Recorded, Friday, September 27, 2024. Click here to listen

Humanity’s shared history includes a violent and shameful component—that of deliberate attempts to eradicate specific populations due to differences in culture, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, and race. These acts are often motivated by those in power, and collective trauma and tragedy are part of many people’s past and present. These themes are explored in the exhibition, which features work by artists from the United States and the United Kingdom, Israel, Germany, Italy, and Canada. Click here to take a virtual tour of Bearing Witness.

Community Legacy Project
Initiated in 2005, the Community Legacy Project presents the stories of Holocaust survivors, liberators, rescuers, and their families who now live in our community. The project highlights the lessons of history to foster discussion and understanding of ongoing genocides. The Community Legacy Project preserves the history for future generations and ensures that the Holocaust and genocides are not revised, changed, or altered from the truth. As a teaching tool, the project supports the State of New Jersey’s mandated Holocaust curriculum.

Community Legacy Project – 7 minute Trailer

Conversation with Survivors Part 1: Conversations with a Survivor and Students is an 11-minute film that addresses some of the difficult questions and concerns students raised by students in a round-table conversation with Ursula Pawel, a su rvivor of Theresienstadt and Auschwitz. The realization that the students, who are teenagers, were close in age to the survivors made the experience very personal. The students asked such questions as: Do you hate the Nazis? How do you feel about Germans of today? Are you able to visit or return to the places you were incarcerated during the Holocaust? What messages do you have for future generations? Conversation with Survivors Part I: Conversations with a Survivor and Students

Conversations with The Other?
In 2015, the Holocaust Institute produced a documentary, Can Healing Occur: Building Bridges – Conversations with The Other? The film includes interviews and discussions with a Holocaust survivor, her adult daughter, and her German nanny, and a man whose father was an SS officer. Topics include co-existence, reconciliation, and forgiveness. Click here to view the film.

The Second Generation…. Ripples From the Holocaust is a documentary that focuses on the experiences of children of Holocaust survivors, with commentary from a psychologist about how the effects of their parents’ trauma impact the second generation. The documentary includes interviews, personal family photographs, and archival footage. The children of Holocaust survivors who are featured in the documentary are active members of the Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at RVCC. Click here to view the film.

ABOUT THE LIGHT FROM THE YELLOW STAR PROJECT

Students in the light from the Yellow Star Project first read Robert Fisch’s survivor memoir while viewing his illustrative artwork. With Nancy Gorrell as facilitator, students then chose the piece that “spoke to them the most” to relate to their knowledge of the Holocaust. Following the survivor reading, students engaged in a discussion about Holocaust art with Evelyn Rauch, designer of the center’s Holocaust Memorial who shared her work with the students. As a Second Generation Holocaust Survivor, Evelyn empowered students to create their own responses as a post – Holocaust generation. Students and their teachers were given a variety of artistic tools and materials to create their own artistic response inspired by Robert Fisch’s work and what they had seen, heard, and felt deeply.

This outreach workshop was developed by Nancy Gorrell and Evelyn Rauch from Nancy Gorrell’s award winning article, “Teaching the Holocaust: Light from the Yellow Star Leads the Way,” English Journal (Dec. 1997).

Sponsored by the Margit Feldman Educational Endowment Fund and Temple Sholom Cemetery Society Education Endowment Fund.

THE LIGHT FROM THE YELLOW STAR PROJECT was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in THE LIGHT FROM THE YELLOW STAR PROJECT do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.

RVCC Received Sapling from Original Tree Mentioned in Anne Frank’s Diary

In June 2024, RVCC is privileged to receive a sapling from the original tree in front of the Annex, where Anne Frank and her family had remained hidden for more than two years. As one of the Anne Frank Sapling Project recipients from the Anne Frank Center USA, we will honor Anne Frank’s memory and join a coalition of organizations committed to education, free expression, and belief in humanity.

We are incredibly grateful to the Anne Frank Center USA for choosing RVCC as one of the honored recipient organizations. More information and updates to come!

Community Holocaust Remembrance Day Event in Honor of Margit Feldman, Wednesday, January 27, 2021 – Click here to view

We would like to remember Margit Feldman, a founding member of the Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Margit worked tirelessly to help educate students and the wider community about the Holocaust. Margit inspired thousands of people when they heard about how she survived the Nazi concentration camps. Her powerful yet gentle presence will be missed. For more information about Margit, you can find her book, Margit: A Teenagers Journey Through The Holocaust and Beyond and the documentary, Margit: Not A23029, detailing her life.

If you would like to donate to The Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, in honor of Margit Feldman, please use this link: Give Now
We will be sure to direct the funds toward our Learning Through Experience Program, of which Margit has always taken part. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Edgar, Program Specialist for the Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Michelle.Edgar@Raritanval.edu.

“What I will always remember about Margit was her belief in humanity and the power of each individual to effectuate positive change. Margit was a huge proponent of education; she was one of the original founders of Raritan Valley Community College’s Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and was instrumental in developing the Institute’s Learning Through Experience Program. Through the Learning Through Experience Program, middle school and high school students would not only learn about the horrors of the Holocaust and other genocides, but also would learn about compassion, perseverance, resilience, and supporting human rights. Margit’s greatest joy in the Learning Through Experience Program came from meeting face-to-face with young students and encouraging them to be active promoters of justice. Through the Institute’s Learning Through Experience Program, Margit has touched the lives of thousands of individuals and left an enduring legacy at the College. Housed in The Morris and Dorothy Hirsch Research Library of Holocaust and Genocide Studies is a collection of videos, photographs, and books about Margit’s triumphant life. I can recall Margit and her husband Harvey walking side-by-side into the Institute’s Resource Center to participate in an advisory meeting with one important goal in mind – how to make the world a better place for all. Raritan Valley will honor Margit’s legacy by continuing her work to make the world a better place, and when we can reconvene collectively as a community, the Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies will properly celebrate Margit and her lifetime of achievements.”

–Jacki Belin, Vice President for Student Affairs and Outreach, Raritan Valley Community College

“Margit – Not A23029”

https://vimeo.com/418487129

password: margitjcc

To honor the memory of Margit Feldman, one of the founders of The Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at RVCC, we would like to share this documentary film, Margit – Not A23029. This film is about Margit’s life after the Holocaust. We learn that while the Holocaust had a major impact on Margit’s life, Margit was not just a survivor of Auschwitz. Margit was a survivor, wife & mother, grandmother, & educator.

This film contains graphic historical footage. Viewer discretion is advised. This film is not meant for distribution or to be shared.

This is a copy of the film. A higher quality version will eventually replace this version.

Margit Feldman by Evelyn Rauch

Margit how will we go on with out you?
You were the face of the Holocaust.
You were the will of survival
You were the hope of a better tomorrow

Margit when I close my eyes I see your beautiful angelic face
I hear you call me honey and I feel your gentle touch on my shoulder
I see you surrounded by children hanging on your every word
I hear the echo of your voice telling us how to survive.

Margit you inspired so many of us to use our voices against anti Semitism
You taught us to value our differences and find our commonalities
You spoke from the strength of a true survivor
You held our hand

Margit you empowered us to always do better
You instructed us to educate those who were in the dark
You showed us the light
You demanded our attention.

Margit who will be the mother of all mothers to us now?
No one will ever be able to take your place
No one will ever be able to relate your story the way you did
No one will speak with the passion and conviction you had.

Margit we will try to carry on your legacy
You were our teacher and our mentor
So rest easy my dear Margit knowing we will carry on in your memory
We will continue to tell your story

Margit the world will never be the same
You have made a difference in everyone who knew you
You have empowered generations to promote understanding
Your yellow star has turned to gold shining down on all of us.

Thank you Margit Feldman for all you have done for all of us.

The Institute of Holocaust & Genocide Studies strives to educate RVCC students and the larger community about people’s capacity for inhumanity and injustice and their equal ability for compassion and resiliency. Antisemitism, one of the many issues to be confronted, is strikingly prevalent and problematic in the U.S. and around the world.

In an effort to bring understanding and clarity to this problem, we are working to educate the community about the terminology and the corresponding actions that constitute antisemitic acts. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has a working definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted internationally in order to raise awareness and combat this issue. For additional information, visit the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance website at https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitism

Resources are available for the RVCC Community through the RVCC Evelyn S Field Library. Please see our Antisemitism resource guide

The U.S. Strategy to Counter Antisemitism
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/U.S.-National-Strategy-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf

Fact Sheet
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/05/25/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-releases-first-ever-u-s-national-strategy-to-counter-antisemitism/

Remarks by President Biden on the October 7th Terrorist Attacks and the Resilience of the State of Israel and its People | Tel Aviv, Israel
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/10/18/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-october-7th-terrorist-attacks-and-the-resilience-of-the-state-of-israel-and-its-people-tel-aviv-israel/

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the Anti-Defamation League’s Never is Now Summit
Thursday, March 7, 2024
https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-anti-defamation-leagues-never-not

The Morris and Dorothy Hirsch Research Library is located on the second floor of the Evelyn S. Field Library at Raritan Valley Community College. Established in 1999, the library offers a place for quiet study and reflection. Teaching materials, reference materials, a multi-media collection, and wifi are available. This Resource Room serves as an instructional center for classes, workshops, lectures, traveling exhibits, and presentations.

The mission of The Morris and Dorothy Hirsch Research Library, an integral and active component of the Evelyn S. Field Library, is to empower students and community members through the vital resources available in our collection and programming.

Click here to watch the Dedication of ​The Morris and Dorothy Hirsch Research Library

2021 Morris & Dorothy Hirsch Research Library Essay Contest Awards Ceremony

Click here to watch the April 28, 2021, ceremony

Yash Goyal – Essay Contest Submission
Theodore Silva – Essay Contest Submission
Lynn Wyer – Essay Contest Poem

2022 Morris & Dorothy Hirsch Research Library Essay Contest Awards Ceremony

Click here to watch the April 28, 2022, ceremony

Congratulations to our 2022 Winners
Saddie Cologna
Sahana Narayan
Emily Norgard

2023 Morris & Dorothy Hirsch Research Library Essay Contest Awards Ceremony

Click here to watch the April 25, 2023, ceremony

Congratulations to our 2023 Winners
Jennie Lynn Martino
Nicole Onyeze
Jessica Wolf

Help support the important work of the Institute for Holocaust & Genocide Studies by making a contribution to the Raritan Valley Community College Foundation.