UPCOMING LUNCH-AND-LEARN PROGRAMS:

12:00 - 1:00pm (Pacific Time) Every Tuesday.  Join us for our weekly Lunch-and-Learn series to hear children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, notable speakers on timely issues, and historical experts. 

These programs aim to present perspectives and voices that challenge and inspire people to confront bigotry, racism, and indifference, and to consider how their actions make a difference. 

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed in these programs are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the Holocaust Center for Humanity and its employees.   

VIEW PREVIOUS LUNCH-AND-LEARN PROGRAMS

Becoming Bielski: A Personal Story of the Bielski Partisans

With Sharon Rennert

Tuesday, June 15 | 12pm PT | Virtual

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Embracing our Humanity and Diversity Series Sponsored by Verizon - Part 2 of 4 

The Bielski Partisans bravely achieved the largest armed rescue of Jews by Jews during the Holocaust and have grown to tens of thousands of descendants around the world. Their story inspired the Hollywood film “Defiance” starring Daniel Craig as real-life partisan commander Tuvia Bielski. Tuvia’s granddaughter, Sharon Rennert, is a documentary filmmaker who has been exploring her family history for almost two decades. She will share her discoveries about her legacy which has taken her on a worldwide journey from Brooklyn to Belarus and has helped her build a rich family archive that provides uniquely personal insights into the inspirational heroes and survivors of the Bielski Partisans.

Sharon Rennert is a television editor, independent filmmaker, swing dancer, and public speaker. She has been editing documentary and reality programs for over twenty-five years and is an active member of American Cinema Editors and the Motion Picture Editors Guild. She shares the Bielski story whenever possible to help honor the memory of her grandparents and pass this important part of Jewish history on through the generations.

Thanks to our community partners:     

The History of Anti-Asian Hatred and the WWII Japanese-American Incarceration

with Tom Ikeda

Tuesday, June 22  | 12pm PT | Virtual

register now

Embracing our Humanity and Diversity Series Sponsored by Verizon - Part 3 of 4  

Join Tom Ikeda, executive director of Densho, an organization dedicated to preserving, educating, and sharing the story of World War II-era incarceration of Japanese Americans, who will share a brief history of anti-Asian hate in the United States. He will also discuss his own family’s personal experiences during WWII, when his parents and grandparents were incarcerated in the Minidoka, Idaho internment camp, and why this history is important to understanding and improving equity today.

Tom Ikeda is the founding Executive Director of Densho. Tom is a sansei (third-generation Japanese American) who was born and raised in Seattle. In addition to leading the organization over the last 24 years, Tom has conducted more than 250 video-recorded, oral history interviews with Japanese Americans, receiving numerous awards for his community and historical contributions.

Thank you to our community partners:              

How to Use the "Master's Tools"...Or Not

with Kendell Pinkney

Tuesday, June 29  | 12pm PT | Virtual

register now

Embracing our Humanity and Diversity Series Sponsored by Verizon - Part 4 of 4  

Among the many critical social issues that have filled the headlines over the past years, the push for financial reparations (to address the enduring legacy of American slavery) among some activists has become a hot-button topic that has garnered much debate. While it is impossible to settle such a complex matter, what ideas might Jewish text offer us in our wrestling with such a complex issue?

Kendell Pinkney is a Brooklyn based theatre-maker, Jewish-life consultant, and rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was recently featured in Saturday Night Seder and on the Crooked Media podcast, Unholier than Thou. His collaborative works have been presented at venues such as 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, the 14th St. Y, and Two River Theatre, to name a few. In addition to his creative work, he is the rabbinic intern for the Jewish arts and culture organizations Reboot and LABA, and serves on the Spiritual Direction team at Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy.

Thanks to community partners:      

clicK HERE to view previous Lunch-and-Learn programs

Thank you to our 2021 Lunch-and-Learn Sponsors:

    

The Frances Roth & Stanley R. Schill Foundation    

Thank you to the grantors, companies, and individuals who have made this year's Lunch-and-Learn series possible. If you or your company are interested in sponsoring one or more Lunch-and-Learns throughout the year, please contact Nicole Bela: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Thank you to Verizon for sponsoring this series.

If Not Now, When? A Case for Allyship in Difficult Times

With Hilary Bernstein

Tuesday, June 1 | Watch Video Recording

One lesson we have learned from the Holocaust is the terrible cost of complicity. We know what happens when good people choose to look the other way in the face of hatred and bigotry. In 2021, how can we overcome our own tendencies to remain silent when encountering examples of prejudice and bias? Join us to examine a framework for active allyship, along with strategies for engaging in conversations that lead to meaningful connections with others.

Hilary Bernstein is a respected education consultant, with nearly 20 years’ experience facilitating discussions focused on bias, diversity, and creating positive change. Prior to consulting, she was Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League in the Pacific NW for 15 years, where she addressed antisemitism and other forms of prejudice and bigotry throughout a five-state region.

 Thanks to our community partner:       

Becoming Bielski: A Personal Story of the Bielski Partisans

With Sharon Rennert

Tuesday, June 15 | 12pm PT | Virtual

The History of Anti-Asian Hatred and the WWII Japanese-American Incarceration

with Tom Ikeda

Tuesday, June 22  | 12pm PT | Virtual

REGISTER NOW

Join Tom Ikeda, executive director of Densho, an organization dedicated to preserving, educating, and sharing the story of World War II-era incarceration of Japanese Americans, who will share a brief history of anti-Asian hate in the United States. He will also discuss his own family’s personal experiences during WWII, when his parents and grandparents were incarcerated in the Minidoka, Idaho internment camp, and why this history is important to understanding and improving equity today.

Tom Ikeda is the founding Executive Director of Densho. Tom is a sansei (third generation Japanese American) who was born and raised in Seattle. In addition to leading the organization over the last 24 years, Tom has conducted more than 250 video-recorded, oral history interviews with Japanese Americans, receiving numerous awards for his community and historical contributions.

Thanks to our community partner:                

How to Use the "Master's Tools"...Or Not

with Kendell Pinkney

Tuesday, June 29  | 12pm PT | Virtual

REGISTER NOW

Among the many critical social issues that have filled the headlines over the past years, the push for financial reparations (to address the enduring legacy of American slavery) among some activists has become a hot-button topic that has garnered much debate. While it is impossible to settle such a complex matter, what ideas might Jewish text offer us in our wrestling with such a complex issue?

Kendell Pinkney is a Brooklyn based theatre-maker, Jewish-life consultant, and rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was recently featured in Saturday Night Seder and on the Crooked Media podcast, Unholier than Thou. His collaborative works have been presented at venues such as 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, the 14th St. Y, and Two River Theatre, to name a few. In addition to his creative work, he is the rabbinic intern for the Jewish arts and culture organizations Reboot and LABA, and serves on the Spiritual Direction team at Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy.

Thanks to our community partner:        

Thanks to the 2021 Lunch-and-Learn series sponsor:

Powell Professional Development Series 2021

Day of Learning: Essential Lessons for Teaching the Holocaust

Tuesday, June 29, 2021 | Zoom | Clock Hours Provided

• Focus on practical teaching strategies and resources
• Provide lessons and materials that teachers can implement in their classrooms
• Build on the Holocaust Center for Humanity's Best Practices

Register for one session or multiple. Teaching materials are geared towards grades 5 and up unless otherwise specified. 

REGISTER NOW 

Session 1: Pyramid of Hate

9:15-10:15am (PT) | Beth Poole, Briar Terrace Middle School, Edmonds, and member of the Holocaust Center's Educators for Change

Bias-motivated violence, in addition to genocide, represent mere tips of an iceberg; an end result that is seen.  Beneath what we can see lie attitudes, behaviors, actions and inactions that, if unchecked, create the conditions necessary for that end, tragic result.  Unchecked, those attitudes and behaviors become normalized, with the potential to escalate.  This lesson, with at least two options, engages students to consider that bias-motivated violence and genocide are not inevitable, encouraging them to realize that their actions (and inactions) have consequences, and that they CAN make a difference.

Session 2: Why Didn't They Just Leave? 

10:30-11:30am (PT) | Branda Anderson, Kamiak High School, Edmonds, and member of the Holocaust Center's Educators for Change

One of the most frequently asked questions by students when they study the Holocaust is, "Why didn't they just leave?" This lesson challenges students to consider the complexities of leaving, the barriers to entering other countries, the difficult, sometimes impossible, choices refugees must make, and the bias of hindsight. 

Image: "The Refugee" by Felix Nussbaum (1939)

Session 3: Lunch-and-Learn - How To Use the "Master's Tools"...or not

12:00-1:00pm (PT) | Kendall Pinkney

Among the many critical social issues that have filled the headlines over the past years, the push for financial reparations (to address the enduring legacy of American slavery) among some activists has become a hot-button topic that has garnered much debate. While it is impossible to settle such a complex matter, what ideas might Jewish text offer us in our wrestling with such a complex issue?

Kendell Pinkney is a Brooklyn based theatre-maker, Jewish-life consultant, and rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. While he was most recently featured in Saturday Night Seder and on the Crooked Media podcast Unholier than Thou, his collaborative works have been presented at venues such as 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, the 14th St. Y, and Two River Theatre, to name a few. In addition to his creative work, he is the rabbinic intern for the Jewish arts and culture organizations Reboot and LABA, and serves on the Spiritual Direction team at Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy.

Session 4: Post Lunch-and-Learn Discussion

1:15-1:45pm (PT) | Ilana Cone Kennedy, Director of Education, Holocaust Center for Humanity

Session 5: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany

2:00-3:00pm (PT) | Paul Regelbrugge, Teaching and Learning Specialist, Holocaust Center for Humanity

This series of lessons spotlights another group singled out by the Nazis during the Holocaust:  Black people in Germany, also known as “Afro-Germans.”  There were only 20,000 Black people living among a population of 65 million people in Germany in 1933.  Yet, “German authorities routinely and viciously persecuted and discriminated against German residents of African descent,” planning for their eventual disappearance through a forced sterilization policy.

Special thanks to:

Powell Family Foundation - Carol P. Heller and Nancy E. Powell Divisions

Ride for The Living

June 2021

Ride For The Living is a comprehensive fitness experience commemorating the Holocaust and honoring the rebirth of the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland. RFTL combines Holocaust education with a memorable 60-mile bike ride from the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau to JCC Krakow, giving participants the opportunity to immerse themselves in Krakow’s Jewish past, present, and future, either in-person during the 4 day event or by participating remotely in the brand new Ride For The Living Global Challenge. You can participate in this meaningful event from the comfort and safety of your own community. Throughout June, bike, run, or walk your way to 60 miles with your normal RFTL team over the course of a month, week, weekend, or day and keep in touch with other participants to share your progress and goals.

 more information & registration

Virtual Wallenberg Event

National Nordic Museum

Sunday, June 13, 2021  | 12:30pm-1:30pm

The National Nordic Museum’s Annual Wallenberg Event, initiated by Washington State Senator Ken Jacobsen, is an opportunity to honor Raoul Wallenberg’s selfless humanitarianism, as well as a way to bring together the Scandinavian and Jewish communities to celebrate his inspirational legacy. 

The 26th Annual Wallenberg Event will feature Dr. Michelle Facos, Professor of Art History and Jewish Studies at Indiana University. Dr. Facos will give an overview of Jewish life in Sweden around the year 1900, paying special attention to the myriad of Jewish contributions to Swedish national identity. The lecture will give context to the world that Raoul Wallenberg grew up in.

Cost: $5 for Nordic Museum Members; $10 general admission

more information & registration

Movie Night: Above the Drowning Sea

Thursday, June 24, 2021 | 7:00pm

Presented by the National Association of Women MBAs

Join the NAWMBA for the screening on this harrowing and engrossing film documenting the Jewish refugees from Europe fleeing Nazi persecution who found sanctuary in Shanghai thanks to the intervention of Chinese diplomat Ho Feng Shan.

More information & registration

Thursday, July 15 | 6pm-7:15pm | Zoom (link provided upon registration)

The Holocaust Center for Humanity's Ambassadors for Change invite you to our second annual Sip & Learn Fundraiser! Grab your favorite beverage and join your fellow young professionals (20s-40s) on July 15 to learn, build community, and take action.

We are pleased to host a panel of subject matter experts on this year's important topic: The Intersections of Antisemitism & Racism. Together we will explore how Holocaust history can help inform contemporary anti-racism.

DETAILS & REGISTRATION

Thank you to our generous Presenting Partner sponsor, Arlene B. Ehrlich.

Interested in supporting this year's Sip & Learn fundraiser as a sponsor? Let's talk! Email Development Officer, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..