LEST WE FORGET: PRESERVING THE RECORD OF THE HOLOCAUST

April 18th, 2023 (6:00pm-7:30pm)

Main Library

60 South High Street
Akron, Ohio 44326
330.643.9000

The Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education will hold the 35^th annual Akron-Summit Holocaust Commemoration and Awards Ceremony on April 18^th, 2023 at the Akron-Summit County Public Main Library Auditorium beginning promptly at 6pm. Please arrive by 5:45pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Daniel Blain, second generation Holocaust Survivor and CEO of the Jewish Community Board of Akron will speak on his experiences related to this year’s Arts and Writing Contest Theme ‘Lest We Forget: Preserving the Record of the Holocaust.’

Additionally, the winners of the 35^th Annual Akron-Summit Holocaust Arts & Writing Contest, a contest held for Summit County students grades 6-12 to promote education about the horrific events of the Holocaust along with other genocides, will be presented with their awards. The winning students’ artwork and writing pieces will be displayed at the Akron-Summit Main Library from March 27^th, 2023 through April 24^th, 2023 and on our website AkronSummitHolocaustEducation.org.

The Ceremony will be hosted by Martin H. Belsky, University of Akron professor emeritus of law and Chair of the Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education.

The Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education is supported by Summit County, the City of Akron, Akron-Summit County Public Library, the Jewish Community Board of Akron, and donations from the community. To help continue Holocaust awareness and educate the youth in our community, donations can be made at AkronSummitHolocaustEducation.org/donate.

“The annual Holocaust Arts and Writing Contest allows today’s students to reflect on the atrocities of the Holocaust and to creatively engage with the lessons of the past,” said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. “These lessons are vital to ensuring that the leaders of tomorrow never forget what can happen when hatred is tolerated. I look forward to seeing the outstanding content that our students have created.” 

“The annual Holocaust Arts & Writing Contest and Commemoration provides our students and families with an opportunity to reflect, learn, and promote justice and love in our community,” said Executive Shapiro, “I invite residents of Summit County and Akron to attend this year’s event and to support the incredible work of our students.”

Jan 6, 2023 Updated Jan 24, 2023

Akron Jewish News by Jane Kaufman

Misty Ebinger’s Presentation: Echoes of Kristallnacht (Click here to register for this presentation)

HGEN, formerly the Ohio Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education (OCHGE), is offering a monthly dialogue series in 2022-2023. Named for Ohio Holocaust educator Renate Frydman—a founding member of HGEN, the Director of the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center, and the author of Anschel’s Story—the Frydman dialogue series brings a range of topics to educators and the general public seeking to develop their knowledge around the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide.

On the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, we will examine the importance of Holocaust lessons in your classroom. With the help of Echoes and Reflections resources, we will look at the use of primary sources and helpful strategies to teach about Kristallnacht and its greater relevance to the study of the Holocaust.

Lest We Forget
October 24th, 2022 (4:00-6:00pm)
750 White Pond Drive
Akron, OH 44320

Keynote Speaker: Timothy Murnen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Education
Bowling Green State University

Tim Murnen is an Associate Professor of Education at Bowling Green State University, with particular focus in Literacy, Language Arts, and curriculum design. In his role at BGSU he prepares teachers in secondary and middle childhood education—primarily in English or Language Arts, but also in Social Studies. In 2014 he was the Co-Principal Investigator on a Fulbright-Hays Group study abroad project to take 10 teachers to Poland, Hungary, and Greece to follow in the footsteps of 6 Toledo-area Holocaust survivors. He continues to present on strategies for teaching about the Holocaust and genocide—particularly in connecting Holocaust study to local communities and current events issues. As president of the Ohio Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education, he helps lead work in Holocaust education across the state, and in encouraging more teachers to teach about the Holocaust and genocide, and to deepen their knowledge of the historical contexts, current global and local issues, and the pedagogical strategies to connect these pieces in the minds and lives of students. He is also well aware of the need for stronger Holocaust and genocide education in teacher education programs within Ohio

Hosted by the Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education

This event designed for educators but is free and open to the public. During the seminar, information will be shared regarding the 35th Annual Akron-Summit Holocaust Arts & Writing Contest

Light Appetizers Will be Served

The 34th Annual Akron-Summit Holocaust Commemoration and Awards Ceremony Lessons of the Holocaust: Undeniable Stories of Survival Guest Speaker: Emma Kaufmann Rose, Third Generation Holocaust Survivor and Author of “Saving Six Million: A Holocaust Memoir” was held on Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 in the auditorium of the Main Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High Street, Akron, Ohio.

There will be two in person drop off dates February 4th & February 7th from 11am-4pm (Updated 2/4/2022).

Due to the weather and associated closings we will need you to contact us at (234) 200-6241 or  330-643-2510 prior to 4:00pm today February 4th, 2022 if you are planning to drop off entries. The building will be closed after this time if we do not know that you are planning to come.

In an attempt to account for the inclement weather and associated school closures, we are adding additional drop off hours of 11:00am to 4:00pm on Monday February 7th, 2022. 

However, if your students need more time, as we have had multiple inclement weather days over the past couple weeks, we are extending the contest deadlines as follows:

• VISUAL ART DEADLINE: Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
• WRITTEN ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday, February 11th, 2022

The forms for written entries will remain available online through this date.

If you are unable to come today or Monday and are not submitting online, contact Laura Ralph by Monday, February 7th to arrange for a pick up no later than 6:00pm on Tuesday, February 8th.

October 27, 2021 – February 27, 2022
Open during regular hours; Included with general admission
Wednesday – Sunday: 10am – 5pm

Lessons of the Holocaust: Undeniable Stories of Survival
October 18th, 2021 (4:30-6:00pm)

Keynote Speaker: Bradley Beach, Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy (retired)
Walsh University, North Canton, OH

In May of 2021 Brad Beach retired as professor of philosophy at Walsh University. During his academic career he engaged in research in genocide studies, examining the history of genocide from the Armenian genocide to the current escalating repression of the Uyghurs minority by the Chinese government. He has collaborated with a number of genocide scholars, including Professor James Waller, the current director of the Cohen Center of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and author of Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. Brad participated in the Lilly Foundation Summer Fellows program on genocide entitled: Deliver Us From Evil. His academic experience includes teaching undergraduate courses on Genocide and Mass Murder. He has traveled to northern Uganda to meet with survivors of mass atrocities, examining the consequences of the genocide against the Acholi people. In addition, Brad has traveled in Europe, visiting genocide related sites that included the extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. For the past eight years he has served on the board of the Ohio Council for Holocaust and Genocide Education, giving public lectures on genocide. Most recently he was appointed by Governor DeWine to serve on the newly created Holocaust and Genocide Memorial and Education Commission.

Hosted by the Akron-Summit Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education

This event designed for educators but is free and open to the public. During the seminar, information will be shared regarding this year’s Akron-Summit Holocaust & Genocide Arts & Writing Contest

Dr. Beach’s recommended reading lists: Books on Genocide and Books on Genocide (Classroom List)

This presentation includes an amazing panel of three speakers. Eva Unterman, Holocaust Survivor, spent most of her childhood in the Lodz Ghetto or in forced labor camps. Her and her family were forced to march in the Death March early in 1945, fortunately her family was liberated in May of 1945. Dr. Henry Knight, Professor Emeritus of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the former Director of the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College. He has received many Outstanding Teacher Awards. Phoebe Unterman is the proud granddaughter of Eva Unterman. In 2018 Phoebe was selected to be part of the German-American Fulbright Commission’s Berlin Capital Program for Journalists. The speakers will be moderated by University of Akron professor of law, Martin H. Belsky.

You can still view this virtual ceremony through the link below.

2021 Commemoration and Awards Ceremony