The 22nd Annual Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium took place July 11–17, 2024, at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Supported by the Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the Martin and Doris Rosen Symposium Endowment, and the local Jewish community, the weeklong program brought together educators, students, and community members to explore the theme “The Holocaust and America.”
This year’s Symposium examined the complex relationships among the United States, Germany, and European Jews before, during, and after the Holocaust. Participants engaged with questions about antisemitism in America and Germany, eugenics and pseudo-science, the Nuremberg Laws and their relationship to Jim Crow laws, Jewish refugees in America, and other critical topics. Experiential learning practices, including Universal Design of Instruction, guided discussions and activities throughout the week.
Attendees left the Symposium with a strong foundation in Holocaust history, ethical frameworks for teaching about genocide, strategies to emotionally protect themselves and their students, and a wealth of teaching materials—including lesson plans, curated resources, and access to online tools for classroom instruction. Teachers who completed the full 40-hour program earned four Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
A highlight of the week was the focus on the St. Louis, the German liner that sailed from Hamburg to Cuba in May 1939 carrying 937 Jewish refugees. Denied entry to Cuba, the United States, and Canada, the ship’s passengers were ultimately allowed to disembark in Western Europe, but 254 were later killed in the Holocaust—a story that resonated deeply with participants and framed discussions about America’s historical response to European Jews.
The Symposium featured lectures, workshops, and presentations by an impressive roster of scholars, educators, and artists, including:
- Rabbi Dr. Michael Berenbaum, director of the Sigi Ziering Institute and former executive editor of the New Encyclopedia Judaica
- Amy Clark, regional director for the NC Council on the Holocaust and creator of the first Holocaust elective at her high school
- Kathy Kacer, award-winning author of over 30 books on the Holocaust for young readers
- Lee Holder, long-time Holocaust educator and founder of the Gizella Gross Abramson Resource Center for Holocaust and Civil Rights
- Rebecca Keel, educator and diversity consultant specializing in anti-bias education and Holocaust curriculum development
- Dr. Rob Simon, associate professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, exploring creative approaches to Holocaust education
- Victoria Milstein, artist and co-founder of Women of the Shoah, whose public artworks honor Holocaust survivors and their stories
- Dr. Peter Petschauer and Shelly Weiner, who shared deeply personal reflections on their experiences and family histories during the Holocaust
The week also featured performances by Freylach Time!, one of North Carolina’s most popular Klezmer bands, adding cultural and artistic dimensions to the Symposium experience.
Co-directed by Lee Holder and Amy Hudnall, Interim Director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies (CJHPS), the Symposium underscored the importance of Holocaust education for fostering empathy, historical awareness, and civic responsibility.
This event would not have been possible without the generous support of the Martin and Doris Rosen Symposium Endowment, the Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the local Jewish community, Appalachian State University, Echoes and Reflections, Yad Vashem, and many additional community partners and donors.
The 22nd Annual Symposium continued the Rosen tradition of providing educators, students, and community members with immersive, meaningful, and deeply impactful Holocaust education experiences—ensuring that the lessons of the past inform the ethical and civic responsibilities of the present.