The Center for Holocaust Education thrives as a dynamic, interactive and engaging program division within the EVJCC, aiming to continue to teach this generation and future generations the importance of acceptance and peace.
Our events encourage collaboration with a greater understanding while honoring and respecting individual histories and traditions. Programs include presentations, guest speakers, exhibits, a Holocaust education curriculum for schools, an annual Yom Hashoah program and Generations After, a program for children and grandchildren of survivors.
The Center for Holocaust Education continues to reach people through programs in conjunction with the City of Chandler, Maricopa Community Colleges and the Phoenix Holocaust Association.
Auschwitz Live Virtual Tour
An Auschwitz Virtual Live Tour transports visitors to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp for a unique learning experience, using historical footage, Holocaust survivor testimonies and modern animation combined with virtual reality tools to teach about the horrors that happened in the world’s most infamous concentration camp.
The tours are live, led by an expert tour guide in Poland who can answer questions and interact with participants. This tour is the most faithful representation of an in-person visit to the Auschwitz memorial site.
Group tours are currently being scheduled. Visit holocausteducation.center/auschwitzvirtualtour.
Meet Dr. Jerzy Wojcik, Scholar-in-residence of the Center for Holocaust Education of the EVJCC
The Center for Holocaust Education of the East Valley JCC has an exclusive partnership with Dr. Jerzy Wojcik, docent of the Auschwitz Virtual Live Tours, to offer these tours in the United States and Canada.
Dr. Jerzy Wójcik was born in the town of Oświęcim (Auschwitz), Poland and has run the Holocaust Memorial Partnership since 2015. He created the Auschwitz Virtual Tour in 2020 and offers the tour through the Center for Holocaust Education of the East Valley JCC. Jerzy received a Ph.D. in political science in 2010 and is a recipient of scholarships from the State of Israel as a Research Fellow at Tel Aviv University. For a number of years, he has worked with several organizations and institutions in Poland, including the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the Jagiellonian University Center for Holocaust Studies in Krakow and the European Association of Israel Studies.
Watch this video for a message from Dr. Wojcik and learn more about his work here.
Generations After
The Center for Holocaust Education is proud to host the East Valley Generations After Descendants Forum for children, grandchildren and descendants of Holocaust survivors, as well as those interested in learning more about the impact of the Holocaust.
Resources
Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation
Founder Ben Lesser, a Holocaust survivor, shares his story through conversational video company StoryFile, which allows having a life-like conversation with him using artificial intelligence technology.
Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Virtual exhibits, discussions and films
Hear a Holocaust survivor
New virtual professional development experiences for educators
Author presentation
Virtual tours and exhibits
Lesson plans
United Holocaust Memorial Museum
Virtual field trips and lesson plans for “The Holocaust: History and Memory.”
World Jewish Congress and UNESCO established abouttheholocaust.org to provide the world with basic facts about the Holocaust.
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Virtual events
Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center
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