The Holocaust Learning Experience (HLE) developed by MorseLife recently concluded the 2023-2024 NEXT GENERATIONS Showcase of Events that brought the community together at different venues throughout Palm Beach County.
“The NEXT GENERATIONS Showcase of Events has never been more important or vital than this year as antisemitism and violence against the Jews is rising around the world,” said Leigh Routman, Executive Director of the Holocaust Learning Experience. “One can feel so alone and discouraged, and our events create a sense of community and belonging.”
The nine-event series got under way in November with an exciting Season Kickoff at Clive Daniel Home Gallery where old friends became reacquainted and new friends were made among individuals with an interest in the lessons of the Holocaust.
(Photos courtesy of MorseLife)
As in previous years, the Showcase featured deep dives into literary works at this season’s “Bagels and Books with Greta Brewer” where attendees discussed The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer, the New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan. In another thought-provoking event, American author and journalist Helen Epstein, the daughter of Holocaust Survivors, discussed how she drew on her mother’s experiences to help her in her own struggle with gynecological cancer which she detailed in in her book Getting Through It: My Year of Cancer During COVID.
Holocaust experts once again offered valuable insights with the Director of Education for the American Society for Yad Vashem Marlene W. Yahalom, PhD, who took guests through the Auschwitz Album which delivered undeniable evidence and visual documentation from the Holocaust. Dr. Robert Watson, a noted historian, author, professor, political commentator and community leader, shared the compelling stories of noted Jewish artists and intellectuals who found a way to ply their craft inside the camps.
Irit Felsen, PhD, a sought-after international speaker and expert on the long-term effects of trauma on Holocaust Survivors and the intergenerational transmission of trauma to their children, presented two workshops with one offered for the decedents of Holocaust survivors and one for healthcare professionals working with survivors and their families.
Two captivating dramatizations of Letters from Anne and Martin – Brought to the Stage were also featured as part of the Showcase, combining the iconic voices of Anne Frank and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Developed from excerpts from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” the production included important messages from these legendary figures, as they wrote of their hopes and plans for a peaceful and unified world.
Information on the next season which will begin in the fall will be available at holocaustlearningexperience.
The mission of the Holocaust Learning Experience (HLE) developed by MorseLife is to educate and transform generations to end antisemitism and combat hate, bigotry and prejudice. The HLE, developed by MorseLife, has been entrusted by the State of Florida to develop, deploy and deliver lessons from the Holocaust, impacting more than two million students, grades 5 -12, in all 67 school districts. Designed as a turn-key operation through a Learning Management System, the program offers age-appropriate, grade-specific lessons from the Holocaust directly into classrooms across the curriculum. This also fills a critical gap acting as a resource for teachers who have never been trained in Holocaust studies. For more information visit holocaustlearningexperience.
