UPCOMING WEBINAR

80 Years After the Liberation of Auschwitz:

Remember, Learn, Act

Sunday, January 26, 2025

11:00 AM (ET), 17:00 (CET)

January 27 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, and has been designated by the UN and many countries as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Over one million Jews, among many others, were killed in Auschwitz.

Six million Jews - about one third of the world’s Jewish population at the time - were murdered during the Holocaust.

In commemoration, TOLI invites you to this special online program, where we pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust and interview Dr. Kathrin Meyer, the Secretary-General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

Founded in 1998, IHRA today includes 35 Member Countries, 8 Observer Countries, and partner organizations which have come together to strengthen and advance Holocaust education, remembrance and research worldwide.

There will also be a short video, featuring Auschwitz survivors and the late Olga Lengyel, whose memoir “Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz” was one of the first published accounts of the notorious death camp.

TOLI, named after Olga Lengyel, provides educators in the US and Europe with the opportunity to learn how to teach the Holocaust and bring its lessons to their schools and classrooms.

Featured Speakers

Dr. Kathrin Meyer, Secretary-General of The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Dr. Meyer has led IHRA since 2008, retires next month as Secretary-General. Under her leadership, IHRA is today recognized as the world’s preeminent network of countries and organizations acting to preserve the memory of the Holocaust, combat its distortion, and confront the disturbing rise of antisemitism.

Introduction: Oana Nestian-Sandu, TOLI International Program Director

Interviewer: Larry Luxner, Journalist

OPEN NOW:

Applications for 2025 US Seminars

Seminars will be held this summer in Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

ATTENTION CALIFORNIA EDUCATORS!

We are excited to announce that the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation is making available a special opportunity for California middle and high school teachers, college teachers and pre-service educators to attend any of the US TOLI seminars being offered this summer in the US.  Up to 25 teachers will be eligible for The Glazer Grant for California Educators to Advance Holocaust & Human Rights Education to subsidize travel and other costs. If you are interested in applying, mark the box found on the application of the seminar that interests you.

Student Art Exhibition

We are pleased to once again sponsor an International Student Art Exhibition. Teachers are invited  to showcase their students’ creativity by submitting photographs of their original artwork inspired by Holocaust studies. This artwork will reflect students' understanding of the Holocaust or related themes, such as resilience, within this historical context. Teachers are encouraged to explore interdisciplinary collaborations with their colleagues to enrich the creative process. The submission portal is open now!

TOLI Team Updates

We are excited to welcome Corey Harbaugh as a Faculty Advisor. Corey has had a distinguished career as a teacher and administrator in public education in Western Michigan and as a seasoned TOLI Teacher Leader will continue to facilitate seminars, as well as coach educators, advance strategic initiatives, and represent TOLI at professional conferences. Jennifer Lemberg, co-editor of “Becoming a Holocaust Educator: Purposeful Pedagogy Through Inquiry” a compendium of essays primarily by TOLI teacher leaders, will serve in a new role as Senior Faculty Advisor, strengthening our teacher network, mentoring regional leaders, co-facilitating seminars, and writing articles of interest on Holocaust and human rights. Maria Elena Consorti, based in Italy, has had extensive experience throughout Europe in programs that bridge social and cultural divides, and now joins our international team as a Project Manager. Andrea Szőnyi is Director of the Hungarian educational NGO, Zachor Foundation for Social Remembrance, and has led professional development programs for teachers in Hungary and internationally. We are fortunate to have her join TOLI as a consultant on education and strategic partnerships.  

We celebrate the civil and human rights legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and continue to be inspired by his wise words about education: “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”  

The Olga Lengyel Institute, based in New York, is a recognized leader of professional development in Holocaust and human rights for teachers throughout the US and Europe. Inspired by the legacy and work of Olga Lengyel, author of “Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz,” TOLI provides educators with the knowledge and skills they need to make the Holocaust relevant for today’s students.