Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo

Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo The Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo is a non-profit agency that educates the Western New York community on the lessons of the Holocaust.
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Founded in 1983, The Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo is committed to heightening public awareness, knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust. This is achieved through documentation and personal testimony of local holocaust survivors, through the education of future generations with in-school visits and presentations, and through a wide-range of in-service workshops, along with the distribution and loan of educational materials for teachers. Serving as a major resource of Holocaust materials, the Center offers over 500 books on the Holocaust and Holocaust-related topics, a complete videotape library including over 100 oral testimonies, current educational enrichment materials from around the world, a complete set of instructional materials prepared by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, poster sets for classroom use, and book boxes containing 30-40 books each on Holocaust-related topics selected for students in grades 6-12. Class sets of Night, Daniels Story, All But My Life, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Cage, Two Pounds of Sugar, The Survivor in Us All, and others are also available for teachers. The speakers Bureau of The Holocaust Resource Center includes local Holocaust Survivors who are volunteers. This program is available to Schools, Churches, Synagogues, organizations and businesses. A donation to the Holocaust Resource Center is suggested in honor of the speaker.

Mission: Teach the Lessons of the Holocaust. Remember the Events of the Holocaust. Honor the Survivors and Victims of the Holocaust.

Operating as usual

Descendants of Holocaust Survivors living in Buffalo—Please join us for our first meeting next Wednesday, October 21st a...
10/13/2020

Descendants of Holocaust Survivors living in Buffalo—

Please join us for our first meeting next Wednesday, October 21st at 7pm over Zoom!

Email Elizabeth Schram at [email protected] for more information.

Before Yom Kippur started Sunday evening, we gathered at the Holocaust memorial in Old Brith Shalom Cemetery to honor th...
09/29/2020

Before Yom Kippur started Sunday evening, we gathered at the Holocaust memorial in Old Brith Shalom Cemetery to honor the lives of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Community members read names of those who perished and reflected on the lives of those who survived.

We are grateful that Rabbi Adam J. Rosenbaum of Temple Beth Tzedek led this meaningful ceremony.

Read more about it here on WBFO: https://news.wbfo.org/post/holy-yom-kippur-begins-locally-holocaust-remembrance

For many centuries, Jewish people have upheld the tradition of visiting the gravesites of loved ones between the holiday...
09/23/2020

For many centuries, Jewish people have upheld the tradition of visiting the gravesites of loved ones between the holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Please join us in upholding this tradition to commemorate and honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Open to people of all faiths!

Masks will be required.

The service will also be accessible via Zoom.

Register here to receive the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2X7_fTpMuD6aeJ9Mdr7_Nwjq3yhCdii1IZEkqEaK-HWR0Iw/viewform

Thrilled to deliver Rosh Hashanah baskets and meals to 20 of our local Holocaust survivors today! This really was a comm...
09/17/2020

Thrilled to deliver Rosh Hashanah baskets and meals to 20 of our local Holocaust survivors today!

This really was a community effort. Thank you Renee Weinrieb, Pieter Weinrieb, Chani Labkovski, Rabbi Laizer Labkovski, Vilona Trachtenberg, Ann Marie Carosella, Jeffrey Blum, Wendy Weisbrot, Rebecca Greene, Randi Morkisz, Shira Goldberg, Nina Lukin, Ellen Scheer Lippa, Jane Elberg, Nichole Rabb-Mittner Weinstein, Rebecca Greene, Jamie Shear Potash, Jennifer Arora, Jennifer Abra, Kay Kelly, Dan Zawierucha, Cristy Lyn Torrelli and Yehoshua & Brocha Leah Greenberg!

Shana Tova! 🍏 🍯🍎

"In New York, for example, which ranked among the bottom 10 states in an analysis of Holocaust knowledge, nearly 20% of ...
09/16/2020
Almost two-thirds of millennials, Gen Z don't know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, survey finds

"In New York, for example, which ranked among the bottom 10 states in an analysis of Holocaust knowledge, nearly 20% of millennials and Gen Zers incorrectly believe that Jews caused the Holocaust."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/09/16/holocaust-history-millennials-gen-z-cant-name-concentration-camps/5792448002/

An alarming new survey on Holocaust knowledge also found that almost two-thirds of younger Americans don't know that six millions Jews were killed.

We are deeply saddened to share that local Holocaust Survivor Bertha Frank passed away earlier this month at the age of ...
09/08/2020

We are deeply saddened to share that local Holocaust Survivor Bertha Frank passed away earlier this month at the age of 99.

Bertha was born in Munich, Germany in 1920. In an interview conducted by The Buffalo News, she recalled, "Once Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) happened on November 9, 1938, it got really dangerous. I had to quit school and we couldn't go out anymore. Then we moved into an apartment with other Jews, because Jewish people couldn't live in the complex where we had lived."

Bertha was able to flee Nazi Germany in 1940 since her best friend’s brother was an SS officer who arranged for her to go to South America. She later immigrated to the United States and became a cherished wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Click here to read Bertha's obituary- https://obituaries.niagara-gazette.com/obituary/bertha-frank-1080007820

The HRC will ensure that her legacy will live on forever; may her memory always be a blessing.

Photo courtesy of The Buffalo News

"Educators should work with young people to present the facts and stories but also teach and discuss how to commemorate ...
08/28/2020
TikTok Holocaust trend 'hurtful and offensive,' says Auschwitz museum

"Educators should work with young people to present the facts and stories but also teach and discuss how to commemorate [the Holocaust] in a meaningful and respectful way."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/27/tech/auschwitz-tiktok-trend-scli-intl/index.html

The Auschwitz Memorial has criticized a trend on TikTok in which young people portray themselves as victims of the Holocaust, saying the videos can be "hurtful and offensive."

Join us tonight at 7:00pm ET for a virtual panel discussion about the film, Witness Theater!Panelists include:-Sophia Ve...
08/04/2020
BIJFF Witness Theater Panel Discussion

Join us tonight at 7:00pm ET for a virtual panel discussion about the film, Witness Theater!

Panelists include:
-Sophia Veffer (Holocaust Survivor)
-Lily Bink (2nd Generation Survivor)
-Dr. Nurit Fischer Shemer (3rd Generation Survivor)
-Dr. Drew Kahn (SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and Founding Director, Anne Frank Project, SUNY Buffalo State)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDn6PC0oOpk

Join the BIJFF and panelist from HRC for a discussion on the film Witness Theater.

This morning, we had the honor of presenting the 2020 Toby Ticktin Back Education and Excellence Award to Lori Ann !!! N...
07/24/2020

This morning, we had the honor of presenting the 2020 Toby Ticktin Back Education and Excellence Award to Lori Ann !!!

Named after the founder of the HRC, this award is given to an educator that demonstrates excellence in teaching the Holocaust and other human rights issues.

Lori is so deserving of this award!

Thank you to everyone that joined the call and helped make this happen!

We love you Lori!

On July 10th, DeSean Jackson met with 94-year-old Holocaust Survivor, Edward Mosberg. Jackson wrote, “Thank you Mr. Mosb...
07/17/2020

On July 10th, DeSean Jackson met with 94-year-old Holocaust Survivor, Edward Mosberg.

Jackson wrote, “Thank you Mr. Mosberg for your valuable time and insight today. I’m taking this time to continue with educating myself and bridging the gap between different cultures, communities and religions. LOVE 2 ALL!!! TO BE CONTINUED...”

Attention: WNY High School StudentsRegistration is OPEN for the Academy for Human Rights 2020 Summer Symposium!
06/18/2020

Attention: WNY High School Students

Registration is OPEN for the Academy for Human Rights 2020 Summer Symposium!

Registration for the 13th Annual Summer Symposium is open!

The Summer Symposium (formerly the Summer Institute for Human Rights and Genocide Studies) is open to all Western New York high school students interested in being the solution to today’s environmental, social, and humanitarian problems.

This year’s program, Women’s Rights are Human Rights, will be held on-line, July 13 - 17 via secure Zoom video conferencing. We are commemorating the centennial passage of the 19th Amendment that provided American women the right to vote. Participants will explore the pressing issues facing women today, along with sessions on combating racism and living under COVID-19.

Explore this year’s program and register here: http://www.academyforhumanrights.org/

06/14/2020
We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope

This special concert event commemorates the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 77th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, even as it speaks to the challenges of the current moment.

Please visit https://wearehere.live to support the organizers - Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Sing For Hope, and National Yiddish Theatre - Folksbiene.

We are deeply saddened to share that local Holocaust Survivor Philip Beckman died from Covid-19 on June 2, 2020. He was ...
06/11/2020
He survived the Holocaust, but Covid-19 took Buffalo man's life

We are deeply saddened to share that local Holocaust Survivor Philip Beckman died from Covid-19 on June 2, 2020. He was 95 years old.

Philip was born in Krakow, Poland on November 6, 1924. He was forced to live in the Krakow Ghetto and was then sent to Plaszow Labor Camp. In 1944 he was transported to Mauthausen Concentration Camp and sub-camp Linz. Philip survived a Death March to caves where the Nazis intended to bury the men. That was thwarted by the advancing American Army. He was eventually liberated in Austria by the US Armed Forces in 1945.

Following liberation, Philip joined other Survivors and Italian repatriates that crossed into Italy. He met his future wife, Marta Roth (also a Survivor), in an Italian DP camp. In 1947 they married in Bari, Italy. In 1950 they were finally allowed to immigrate to America. In Bremerhaven, Germany they boarded the New York City bound naval ship, the General Hersey. Passengers were required to work on the ship. They arrived in New York City during Rosh Hashanah. After Rosh Hashanah, Marta and Philip continued to Buffalo.

Philip is survived by his daughters, Melissa C. Beckman (Alex Goldman), Debbie Beckman (the late Jay Boyar) and grandson Evan Boyar.

We are very thankful that he was interviewed by the USC Shoah Foundation on April 17, 1996 in Buffalo, NY.

May his memory be a blessing.

https://buffalonews.com/2020/06/11/he-survived-the-holocaust-but-covid-19-took-buffalo-mans-life/

Philip Beckman survived the Holocaust, forced at age 18 from the Krakow ghetto to the Nazi concentration camp featured in the movie

We’re teaming up with 60 museums and cultural institutions around the world to present a free program celebrating #resil...
06/09/2020
WEAREHERE.LIVE

We’re teaming up with 60 museums and cultural institutions around the world to present a free program celebrating #resilience, #resistance, and #hope featuring Tiffany Haddish, Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Adrien Brody and more!

Join us this Sunday at 2:00pm EST by clicking this link: www.WeAreHere.live.

No registration required!

   A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance and Hope Tune in here on Sunday, June 14, 202011 AM California |2 PM NYC7 PM London | 9 PM IsraelFree – No Registration RequireA collaboration between Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the HolocaustNational Yiddish Theatre-FolksbieneSin...

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -Martin Luther King Jr. The Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo...
06/01/2020

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -Martin Luther King Jr.

The Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo condemns the murder of George Floyd. We stand with the African American community during this time and we will continue our mission to promote social justice, civic responsibility and human rights.

“The best way to prevent an atrocity like the Holocaust from occurring again is through education. … Through education, ...
05/15/2020
Never Again Education Act passes Senate, goes to Trump for expected signature

“The best way to prevent an atrocity like the Holocaust from occurring again is through education. … Through education, we can provide insight into the past, and use it to prevent antisemitism now.”

The legislation, which comes in Jewish American Heritage Month, would expand the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s education programming to teachers nationwide.The post Never Again Education Act passes Senate, goes to

Today, April 21, 2020 is Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom HaShoah. During this commemoration, marked by the 75th anniversar...
04/21/2020

Today, April 21, 2020 is Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom HaShoah.

During this commemoration, marked by the 75th anniversary of liberation, we mourn the loss of all who perished, honor those who survived and take time to remember and reflect.

Read or watch local Holocaust Survivor testimony here: http://www.hrcbuffalo.org/survivors-1

04/21/2020
Dr. Nurit Fischer-Shemer: "We are the Voice of Memory" Holocaust Commemoration Keynote Speaker

Today, April 21, 2020 is Holocaust Remembrance Day/ Yom HaShoah.

During this commemoration, marked by the 75th anniversary of liberation, we mourn the loss of all who perished, honor those who survived and take time to remember and reflect.

A professor of social work at the University at Buffalo, member of HRC's Speakers Bureau and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, Dr. Nurit Fischer-Shemer talks about the importance of children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors sharing their family stories.

"We are the voice of memory": Holocaust Commemoration Ceremony, CHAI, Rochester NY, 2019.

Teachers: If you would like Dr. Nurit Fischer-Shemer to schedule a Q&A session with your students over zoom, please email HRC Director, Elizabeth Schram at [email protected].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfb71VzhyP4

"We are the voice of memory": Holocaust Commemoration Ceremony, CHAI, Rochester NY, 2019. A social welfare scholar and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, Dr....

04/21/2020
Yom HaShoah Candles and Kaddish

Today, April 21, 2020 is Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom HaShoah.

During this commemoration, marked by the 75th anniversary of liberation, we mourn the loss of all who perished, honor those who survived and take time to remember and reflect.

In this video, Rabbi Freirich of Temple Beth Zion recites Elie Wiesel's Mourner's Kaddish while lighting six candles to commemorate the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A6o6ji2430&feature=youtu.be

We would like to thank Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz for issuing the Executive Proclamation #Honoring the #Days o...
04/19/2020

We would like to thank Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz for issuing the Executive Proclamation #Honoring the #Days of #Remembrance 2020:

Today, April 19- Sunday, April 26

On Tuesday, April 21, HRC will commemorate #Holocaust #Remembrance #Day- #Yom #HaShoah with videos of Rabbi Jonathan Freirich of Temple Beth Zion and Dr. Nurit Fischer-Shemer of the University at Buffalo & Member of HRC’s Speakers Bureau.

Be sure to check your email, HRC’s website or page on Tuesday!

04/07/2020
Chhange - Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education

April is #Genocide #Awareness #Month and today marks the 26th Anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Thank you, Yannick Tona, for sharing your story of survival and Chhange - Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education for featuring Yannick’s story.

Chhange commemorates the 26th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda with our Kwibuka 26 event featuring Yannick Tona, who survived the Genocide as a young child.

Thank you Jewish Family Service of Buffalo & Erie County for these helpful resources!
03/25/2020

Thank you Jewish Family Service of Buffalo & Erie County for these helpful resources!

We hope you and your families are safe and well during these times. Due to COVID-19, the HRC has made a few changes to e...
03/17/2020
Speakers Bureau — Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo

We hope you and your families are safe and well during these times.

Due to COVID-19, the HRC has made a few changes to ensure the safety of WNY’s Holocaust Survivors, teachers, students and the wider community.

Speakers Bureau- All requests from schools to hear from a local Survivor or a child of a Survivor that were scheduled between March 16th and April 20th are canceled. Alternatively, students can watch videos of local Survivors through HRC’s website by clicking their photos via this link: http://www.hrcbuffalo.org/local-survivor-testimony. Further information will be provided in April.

Witness Theater Film and Panel- The showing of Witness Theater with the panel to follow scheduled for March 23rd as part of the Jewish Film Festival, will be postponed until the summer. More details to follow.

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)- Yom HaShoah scheduled for April 26th, will be canceled. Alternatively, we will be sharing a video on HRC’s social media pages and website to commemorate the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Arts and Writing Contest- This is a great project for your students/children to work on during this time! Please click this link to access the guidelines and to submit art and writing entries: http://www.hrcbuffalo.org/artsandwriting/. The deadline for the contest has been postponed to April 20th. Rather than dropping off artwork, please send a photo of it to [email protected]. We ask that artwork be mailed in or dropped off once it is possible. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place June 10th at 6pm at Temple Beth Tzedek (1641 North Forest Road, Williamsville, NY 14221). We will inform you if this date changes.

Address

2640 N. Forest Rd Suite 300
Buffalo, NY
14068

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 16:30
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

(716) 634-9535

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Sophia was born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1929. On May 10th, 1940, the Nazis invaded Holland. During the summer of 1942, Sophia’s family was moved to a holding center in Amsterdam and then to Westerbork, a transit camp near the German border. Over the next few years, Sophia moved through countless families, never being allowed to stay in one location for too long. Due to a betrayal, she was brought to the Gestapo headquarters in Amsterdam. In January 1945, Sophia was moved to Bergen-Belsen in Germany. Sophia lost all sense of reality when she entered this camp. There was a Dutch woman there who had lost her children-she became Sophia's “Mother” and gave her the will to live. Bergen-Belson was liberated on April 15, 1945. Sophia eventually reunited with her parents in Amsterdam. Sophia arrived in the United States in 1954 and is currently 90-years-old. Sophia shares her story with hundreds of students each year and emphasizes the importance of being an "Upstander, not a Bystander, in the face of bigotry." The HRC ensures that the stories of Buffalo Holocaust Survivors are never forgotten by: -Coordinating Survivor-visits to schools -Preserving artifacts -Capturing video testimony (available on our website) -Setting up exhibitions in the community -Sharing testimonies on our social media accounts Can you help us ensure that the #stories of #Holocaust #Survivors are always remembered?

Today is #GivingTuesday!! Our organization has set a goal to raise $5,000. We need YOUR help to continue supporting teachers just like Tim!!

Interview of Autumn "Rose" Cruz-East Aurora Student
Interview of Autumn "Rose" Cruz-East Aurora Student

"We're not just us...we need to see ourselves as an entire world and care for each other simply because we're human." Support the HRC today and inspire more students-our future leaders-to promote social justice, civic responsibility, and human rights. Let's do this for humanity! #GivingTuesday

Whether the Weather
Whether the Weather

We'd like to introduce one of our bands for 716 Music Gives Back- Whether the Weather! Remember to purchase your tickets in advance at http://www.hrcbuffalo.org/events/benefit-concert

Over 300 attentive sophomores at North. A very informative afternoon.

Joe Diamond gives survivor testimony to over 700 students at Hutchinson Central Technical High School.

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We hope you will share this post and support our film - THE PRESENCE OF THEIR ABSENCE - on Amazon and ITunes - the story of a man seeking his roots in the ashes of the Holocaust. Thank you! The filmmakers
Our service today will be live streamed, click here to view.
This One-of-a-kind book begins with a grandson/grandfather interview and goes through the full life experience of two Holocaust Survivors. Available in paperback, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited. Here's a summary; My grandparents, Jack and Genia Grinbaum, managed to Survive and Thrive under the most cruel of circumstances. Born in Poland in the 1920's they were on their way to a hard-working and fulfilling family-oriented lives. While Anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions were a part of day-to-day life in their Polish villages, their families had lives that were filled with meaning and purpose. And then came the Holocaust. Grandpa Jack lost his mother, his father, two brothers and countless other family members and friends. He survived the Miechow Ghetto, several Concentration Camps (escaping twice, once from Plaszow, the Camp shown in Schindler's List) and another near death experience at a Pogrom in Kelce, Poland. While this would have been enough to break most men, Grandpa Jack survived...and then he thrived. While in Kelce he married Genia, went to another Displaced Persons Camp (Regensberg) and found a way to enter Belgium illegally and use his tailoring skills to impress enough people to be granted a Green Card. He paid for his wife, her only surviving sister and her new husband to join him in Belgium. Success, on a grand scale, was just around the corner for Grandpa Jack, first in Belgium and then in the United States. It was an unusual, inspiring journey for Milwaukee, Wisconsin's premier retailer of men's formal wear. My Grandma Genia was a partner through it all. She came from a religious family in Maczki, just outside of Sosnoweic, Poland. She witnessed the murder of her parents and four of her sisters. She also lost her brother in Auschwitz. Grandma Genia suvived well over four years of pure hell, almost all of it at Parschnitz Concentration Camp. While she re--united with her only surviving sister and a few distant cousins, her life was destroyed. While Grandma Genia had moments of happiness and joy after the war, the PTSD symptoms and bi-polar symptoms would haunt her until she would pass away. Grandma Genia was a true angel who suffered through unspeakable horrors that go beyond description. Despite living with a heavy heart, she raised a daughter and had two grandchildren and was the most wonderful, kindest human being that I have ever known. This book begins with a grandson/grandfather interview. This was primarily taken from my 2011 interview with Grandpa Jack but pieces were also taken from previous interviews in the late 1980's, 1990's and one from 2009. The Grinbaum's were incredibly generous to share these experience with me so that others could learn about the good and the unspeakably evil that lurks in human souls. This book then has inspirational, funny stories about the Grinbaums as well as some suggestions for what "we" should do to carry on the Legacy. There are interviews with people who knew the Grinbaums before the war, dozens and dozens of pictures and much more. This book will leave you inspired and help you gain a new perspective of "what's possible" in both good and bad ways. Whether you are new to the study of the Holocaust or whether you have read a lot of books on this topic, this book will provide you with a unique perspective, knowledge of time period and a sense of the Survivor-Spirit.
Hi I am a writer from western NY (Attica). Last year a young man asked me ‘what’s the Holocaust?’ I was stunned of course so I wrote the book ‘This is Mauthausen’ for those with little knowledge of the Holocaust. The S W Center (E. Zuroff) and Yad Vashem were key in answering some key questions for me. I am working on 2 projects now one on the 72 Olympics and the other on camp Madjanek and am seeking to expand my contacts…peace Rob
Handel Educators with Megan Chabalowski Program Officer, Public Education, U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington D.C.
Handel Educators outside the United States Institute of Peace.
Great session with John Heffernan, Executive Director Speak Truth to Power, at RFK Human Rights.
Amazing day one for the Handel Educator's Holocaust Conference in Washington D.C.
Happening Now: The 2017 Handel Trip for Educators participants are touring the US Holocaust Memorial Museum with Cameron Walpole, Program Coordinator for the Levine Institute for Holocaust Education!
Thank you again Mr. and Mrs. Lewin!
Thank you Renee! It was an honor to meet you!