

Winter/Spring 2023 Programs
Free and Open to the Public – Registration is Open!
Online and In-Person
VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON EXHIBITION
Witness to History, Keepers of Memory
January 12th through May 10th, 2023
This exhibit from the Montreal Holocaust Museum is available for in-person and virtual tours.
Through images and testimonies, the exhibition offers a sensitive and multi-faceted look at the extraordinary life trajectories of Holocaust Survivors living in Canada.
According to survivors, vestiges of life before the Holocaust are hard to find. The few carefully guarded objects, documents, and photographs smuggled out or narrowly escaped destruction represent some of the most personal memories: their origins. Family, particularly parents who were lost, occupy a special place among those memories. Their homelands, houses, and villages are also at the heart of cherished recollections. This exhibit highlights 30 survivors and the objects of significance they held on to, join us for a personal look at their lives.
Contact Michelle Edgar, Program Specialist, at michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu to schedule a visit.
__________________________________________________________
Learning Through Experience with Nadja Halilbegovich, Her Compelling Journey Through the Bosnian Genocide & its Tragic Parallels to Ukraine
Friday, February 10, 10 am - 11 am, Online
We are pleased to present our Online Learning Through Experience Program with Nadja Halilbegovich. Nadja was twelve years old when war broke out in Bosnia, her native country. Throughout the next three and a half years, she and all the citizens of the capital Sarajevo suffered from continuous shelling and the deprivation of basic needs. During the war, Nadja began sharing her poetry and diary entries on National Radio. At fourteen, Nadja’s diary was published in Bosnia. She became known as the “Bosnian Anne Frank” and has spoken widely about her experiences. Please join us to hear Nadja talk about her journey and the parallels to Ukraine today.
To Register: https://raritanval-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T0cLBUlPTgOkaRTI-lkqGw
_______________________________________
Books for Change Book Discussion with Author Elly Fishman!
Friday, February 17th, 10 am - 11 am, Online
We are thrilled to have Ms. Fishman join us to discuss her book Refugee High: Coming of Age in America. For a century, Chicago’s Roger C. Sullivan High School has been home to immigrant and refugee students. In 2017 these young students came from thirty-five different countries, speaking among themselves more than thirty-eight different languages. For these refugee teens, life in Chicago is hardly easy. They have experienced the world at its worst and carry the trauma of the horrific violence they fled. In America, they face poverty, racism, and xenophobia, but they are still teenagers—flirting, dreaming, and working as they navigate their new life in America. Equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring.
To register for our book discussion, email michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu
_______________________________________
Once We Were Home Online Book Launch
Friday, March 24th at 10 am, Online
Please join us as we are thrilled to have the author of The Yellow Bird Sings, Jennifer Rosner, returning as we discuss her new book, Once We Were Home. Once We Were Home is hitting bookstores’ shelves on March 14th, and we are fortunate to have Jennifer discuss her new book with us! This story reveals a little-known history. Based on the true accounts of children stolen during wartime, this heart-wrenching novel raises questions of complicity and responsibility, belonging and identity, good intentions, and unforeseen consequences as it confronts what it really means to find home.
To register: https://raritanval-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K-FzsJXNRvKd4vNzrHmvYg
_______________________________________
Genocide Has No Boundaries: Today’s Crises in Ukraine, Syria, China, & Ethiopia
Friday, April 14th, 21st, 28th, and May 5th, from 10 am - 11 am, Online
Join us for a timely and informative Online series addressing current-day genocides during Genocide Awareness Month. Dr. Ellen Kennedy, Executive Director of World Without Genocide, is facilitating this program. This series will focus on current-day genocides taking place. We will address the differences between war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocides. Students and community members will learn about the geography and events that unfolded to lead to the situations being confronted today. Europe, the Middle East, Asia & Africa, genocide has no boundaries.
To register: https://raritanval-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yF9T7hP2SLq5xCJbJhnxhg
_______________________________________
If you have any questions about the Winter/Spring programs: Email Program Specialist Michelle Edgar at michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu. These programs are free, run on Eastern Standard Time, and require registration.
These programs are being co-sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon, & Warren Counties, The New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, and the JCC Holocaust Memorial and Education Center.
