TOLI - The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights

What if you could see not just what happened—but how it was made possible?

In partnership with TOLI - The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights, Rooted and Targeted is a five-day seminar for California educators that starts where history too often skips—the fullness of Jewish and Black life, culture, and community. From there, it follows the legal, social, and institutional systems that made exclusion, discrimination, and erasure not just possible, but ordinary.

Through the histories of the Holocaust, the domestic slave trade, lynching, and what those histories can teach us about the world we've inherited. You'll leave with a shared language, concrete resources, and teaching strategies you can actually use.

🗓 August 3–8, 2026 | Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles
✅ Free. Travel and hotel are covered for educators 50+ miles away.
✍️ Applications are open—spots are limited!

Apply today: www.toli.us/regional-program/california/

We finished the week in Boise, Idaho at our seminar, “Into Tomorrow: Exploring Identity, Resilience and Healing through Holocaust, Indigenous, and Japanese-American Histories” with deep scholarship and practical application.

Former Secretary General of IHRA and current TOLI Board Member Dr. Kathrin Meyer led a session on Holocaust Distortion and Contemporary Antisemitism; Lisa Shiosaki Olsen and Midori Tanada from Minidoka National Historic Site and Friends of Minidoka led the group through primary source exploration; participants celebrated Shabbat with a talk about Judaism from Rabbi Johanna Hershenson; dinner was sponsored by the Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho; and service was held with Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel (CABI) (among the oldest synagogues in continuous use west of the Mississippi River).

The seminar concluded with participants sharing their action plans for the coming year during our final morning at the Wassmuth Center. An unforgettable and transformative week!

This seminar was hosted in partnership with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, the Boise State University Writing Project, and the Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho

We are currently in Boise, Idaho for our first US seminar of the year: "Into Tomorrow: Stories of Resilience in the Holocaust, Indigenous Experiences, and Japanese American Incarceration for Students Today." This seminar is taking place at and in partnership with Boise State University and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights.

The seminar is exploring stories of resilience in the Holocaust, Indigenous experiences, and Japanese American incarceration, helping educators deepen their understanding of identity, history, and human rights. Through presentations, discussions, site-based learning, primary sources, testimony, and reflective writing, participants are examining how individuals and communities responded to oppression and injustice.

The week began with an exploration of identity, place, and the ways historical spaces shape memory and understanding. Participants studied the history of antisemitism, pre-war Jewish life, the rise of the N**i regime, and Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, while hearing testimony and considering the lasting impact of these events.

The seminar also focused on Indigenous resilience, including Shoshone history in the Boise Valley, place-based learning, poetry, and conversations about teaching Indigenous histories and perspectives. Participants engaged with Indigenous leaders Antoinette Cavanaugh and Rueben George and reflected on practical classroom applications.

Today, we are examining Japanese American incarceration through survivor testimony, poetry, primary sources, oral histories, museum resources, and graphic novels. Participants will explore the concept of "gaman" and analyze personal narratives and historical documents to better understand experiences of incarceration and resistance.

Stay tuned for more updates on TOLI in Idaho.

Our next seminars will take place in New Mexico and Lithuania, beginning on June 15!

Council for Holocaust Awareness of Idaho

Last year, Wendy Tavarez-Baaske attended our Glen Cove seminar.

For 25 years, Wendy has taught 9th grade Global History with a focus on helping students understand not only the past, but the responsibilities they carry into the future. Teaching in a diverse community of immigrant families, she knows that for many students, Global History is more than a subject: It is a first introduction to the broader story of the world and their place within it.

In her classroom, conversations about imperialism, absolutism, religious conflict, and antisemitism are connected to enduring questions about power, justice, and human rights. Wendy believes students must learn about the dangers of hate and abuses of power so they can become thoughtful leaders capable of building a more just and understanding world.

As she continues to deepen her own knowledge of Holocaust and human rights education, Wendy hopes to help students see that history is not distant or abstract. It shapes the present, influences the future, and remains deeply relevant to their own lives and communities.

Which TOLI seminar are you attending this summer? Let us know in the comments!

On May 16, we held our student conference, “Young Ambassadors for Remembrance and Active Citizenship.” This program brought together students of TOLI Teachers from across Europe including Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, and Serbia.

The students presented to an audience made up mostly of their peers (other students from across Europe whose teachers have participated in TOLI training). Students introduced themselves and their projects, explained what their projects entailed (activities, collaborations, resources), described what they learned, and concluded with meaningful messages to their peers.

In these images, we feature a few sample slides from the students’ presentations. These slides show the variety of ways in which Holocaust education can be approached and studied.

The student conference demonstrated what happens when Holocaust and human rights education moves beyond the classroom into meaningful action. Students spoke with insight, empathy, and confidence about topics ranging from the Holocaust and the Roma genocide to women’s experiences, local memory, peace, and civic responsibility. We were deeply impressed by their creativity, commitment, and the thoughtful ways in which they connected the past to present-day responsibilities.

TOLI Teachers: Did TOLI deepen your thinking about Holocaust and human rights education? Did the experience challenge, inspire, or transform your practice?

This summer, TOLI is offering ten distinctive and engaging seminars across the country. We would love your help reaching new educators who could benefit from this work. If TOLI has been meaningful to you, please share the attached flyer with colleagues, friends, or through your social media networks.

Your voice is the most powerful way to extend this learning community and invite others into the conversation!

https://www.toli.us/teachers/us-seminars/

Today, we mourn the passing of Holocaust survivor Abe Foxman, the world’s leading voice in the fight against antisemitism.

One of the most recognized Jewish leaders, Abe led the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for over three decades, and was a leading authority on antisemitism. Under his leadership, the ADL developed anti-bias and Holocaust education programs, and became one of the first organizations dedicated to exposing the proliferation of antisemitism on the internet.

We were honored to have Abe speak at our Yom HaShoah programs in 2023 and 2024. Last year, he spoke at our seminar for Catholic school teachers, "We Remember: Exploring the Holocaust and Antisemitism." After his riveting session, Abe gave one of his famous hugs to each teacher with his heartfelt thanks for their commitment to Holocaust education.

We extend condolences to Abe’s beloved wife, Golda, and his children and grandchildren on the loss of this extraordinary man and world leader.

Read more about Abe at https://www.toli.us/abe-foxman/

Today's featured art is by Polina Fedenko, age 16, from Lithuania.

Titled "The Hair Remembers," here's what Polina said about her stunning piece:

"This artwork is a quiet tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and the unbreakable bond between generations. At the center is a woman whose image embodies deep reflection and compassion. Her gaze is fixed upward, toward the sky, conveying an internal dialogue with the past. Her long, flowing hair becomes a living river of time: it literally "remembers" the faces and fates of those who were lost, weaving their images into the fabric of history.

In the background, behind rows of barbed wire—a symbol of cruel imprisonment—the faces of prisoners emerge. White birds soaring from her hair represent pure human souls finally finding peace and freedom. In her hands, she tenderly holds white lilies—a fragile and delicate symbol of the children whose lives were cut short during those years. This piece calls us to feel a living connection to every lost soul through contemplation and remembrance."

View our curated 2026 Art Exhibition at https://toliart.wixsite.com/website