Symposium Theme: Rescue during the Holocaust: The Power of Courage
The 23rd Annual Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium brought together educators, students, scholars, and community members for a powerful week of learning on July 10–16, 2025, at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Supported by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the Martin and Doris Rosen Symposium Endowment, and the local Jewish community, this year’s program centered on stories of rescue during the Holocaust and their enduring relevance today.
A Week of Powerful Learning and Reflection
This year’s theme—“Rescue during the Holocaust: The Power of Courage”—invited participants to examine extraordinary acts of bravery and moral clarity in the face of genocidal violence. Through survivor testimony, historical case studies, and interdisciplinary approaches, attendees explored the increasingly dire situation of European Jews before, during, and after the Holocaust. These lessons were framed within the sharp rise in global antisemitism, which has increased nearly 400% since 2022.
The Symposium’s experiential learning model, grounded in Universal Design of Instruction, allowed participants to deeply engage with complex historical material while also developing strategies for teaching emotionally challenging topics. Sessions covered themes such as:
- Major rescue efforts across Europe
- Survivor and second-generation testimony
- The foundations of Judaism and Jewish life
- Antisemitism in America and Germany
- Teaching the Holocaust through art, multimedia, and performance
- Ethical questions raised by genocide and mass violence
By the end of the week, participants left with a strong grounding in Holocaust history, an understanding of the ethical dimensions of genocide education, and strategies for emotionally supporting themselves and their students in classroom settings.
Resources and Professional Development
Participants received extensive teaching materials, curated resource lists, a starter book collection, access to an educator website on Holocaust instruction, and multiple ready-to-use lesson plans.
Educators who completed the full program earned 4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for 40 contact hours of lectures, discussions, workshops, demonstrations, and public programs.
Featured Speakers and Presenters
This year’s Symposium welcomed distinguished scholars, educators, survivors, artists, and community leaders, including:
- Rabbi Dr. Michael Berenbaum, leading Holocaust scholar, filmmaker, and former director of the USHMM Research Institute
- Jennifer Goss, Project Director for Echoes & Reflections and Emmy-nominated documentary producer
- Martin Herskovitz, second-generation survivor and Spiegel Fellow
- Lee Holder, NC Council on the Holocaust and key contributor to the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act curriculum
- Amy Hudnall, co-director of the Rosen Symposium and scholar of genocide and trauma
- Kathy Kacer, award-winning author of Holocaust literature for young readers
- Dr. Yaron Pasher, WWII and Holocaust historian
- Dr. Peter Petschauer, historian and author reflecting on his family’s WWII past
- Laurie Schaefer, longtime educator, USHMM Museum Teacher Fellow, and NCCH Chair-Elect
- Dr. Rob Simon, OISE researcher focusing on arts-based inquiry into social issues
- Alison Vick, Tennessee Holocaust Commission historian specializing in distortion and denial
- Shelly Weiner, Holocaust survivor and educator
- Mark Weitzman, author and international expert on antisemitism and Holocaust distortion
- Dr. Tom White, educator and outreach coordinator for the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies
Musical programming was provided by Freylach Time!, one of North Carolina’s most celebrated Klezmer ensembles.
Continuing a Vital Mission
The Rosen Symposium continues to uphold its founding mission: to ensure educators and communities have access to accurate, research-based, and ethical approaches to teaching about the Holocaust, genocide, racism, and antisemitism. Through powerful storytelling, rigorous scholarship, and community-building, the 23rd annual gathering strengthened participants’ ability to teach this history with compassion, integrity, and courage.