New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education

June 9, 1944 - Hannah Szenes (Senesh) was arrested in Hungary

“Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.
Blessed is the flame that burns in the secret fastness of the heart.
Blessed is the heart with strength to stop its beating for honor’s sake.
Blessed is the match consumed in kindling flame.”
— Hannah Szenes, May 2, 1944

Hannah Szenes was a 23-year-old Hungarian Jewish woman who immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine in 1939, where she studied agriculture and lived on a kibbutz. In 1943, she volunteered for the British Army and joined a special mission organized with the Jewish Agency to aid Jews trapped in N**i-occupied Europe. One of only three women selected for the operation, Hannah underwent parachute training and, in March 1944, was dropped into Yugoslavia. There, she spent several months with partisan forces while preparing to enter Hungary.

Shortly after crossing into Hungary, Hannah was captured carrying a radio transmitter intended for her mission. Imprisoned in Budapest, she endured brutal interrogation and torture but refused to reveal information about her mission or fellow operatives. The N***s even arrested her mother in an attempt to force her cooperation, but neither woman betrayed any information.

In November 1944, Hannah was convicted as a spy and sentenced to death. On November 7, 1944, she was executed in Budapest. Refusing a blindfold, she faced her executioners with remarkable courage. Her mother survived the war and later immigrated to Israel, where she helped preserve Hannah’s legacy.

In 1950, Hannah’s remains were reinterred with military honors at Mount Herzl. Today, Hannah Szenes is remembered as a courageous resistance fighter, poet, and symbol of moral courage. Her writings, published posthumously in Hebrew, continue to inspire people around the world with their message of resilience, sacrifice, and hope.

To learn more: https://www.yadvashem.org/from-our-collections/hannah-szenes.html

Pride Month is celebrated every June as a time to honor the history and achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community and their continued fight for equality. The origin of Pride Month can be found in the 1969 Stonewall Riots, when members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their supporters stood against police harassment and societal discrimination in New York City. This bold step to stand up for their beliefs and rights led to the first Pride march in 1970 and has now grown into a global event celebrating diversity, acceptance, human rights, and love. Throughout Pride Month, cities host parades, festivals, educational events, and workshops that promote and celebrate visibility, acceptance, and inclusion. However, the month also serves to remember and honor those who have fought and all who continue to fight for justice and equality. It is a time to celebrate identity and love, while also a reminder of the work still needed to ensure dignity, safety, and rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

To learn more - https://www.loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month/about/

Teaching Resources - https://www.pinktrianglelegacies.org/

Martha and Waitstill Sharp - Two of Five Americans recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem

In 1939, with the growing humanitarian and refugee crisis in Czechoslovakia, a young Unitarian minister in Massachusetts got a phone call that would change his life. The American Unitarian Church had close ties with the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia, and they were in great need of someone to aid the newly formed Commission for Service in Czechoslovakia. The young minister and his social worker wife left their own young children with community members and hurried to Prague to begin relief and rescue efforts. The Sharps worked tirelessly on both emigration and relief efforts for the refugee population in Prague until all of Czechoslovakia was occupied by the N***s, and they needed to flee for their safety. The couple willingly returned to Europe in May 1940, with Waitstill going to Lisbon, Portugal and Martha spending most of her time in Marseille, France. Portugal was neutral during the war and was flooded with refugees attempting to escape Europe. Waistill, alongside many other individuals and organizations, helped several thousand people escape, including the German Jewish novelist Lion Feuchtwanger. In Marseille, Martha, in collaboration with others, was working at the newest office of the Unitarian Service Committee to try and distribute milk to French children who were desperately in need of nutrition. Martha also fought to secure exit visas, transit permits, and identity papers for 29 children and 10 adults to get out of Vichy, France. She managed to get the refugees across the French border to Spain and then into Portugal and finally to America. One of the children they saved was 14-year-old Eva Fiegl. “Martha Sharp saved my life,” Feigl told a crowd in 2005, when Martha and Waitstill were posthumously included as “The Righteous Among Nations” at Yad Vashem. Only two of the five Americans have been honored with this prestigious title.

Eva Fiegl was in attendance on June 13, 2006, along with members of the Sharp family, at a ceremony at Yad Vashem in the Sharps’ honor.

To learn more - https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/defying-nazis-sharps-war

May 28, 1830 - Indian Removal Act signed

In May 1830, the Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson, marking a major turning point in United States policy toward Indigenous tribes. The act authorized the federal government to forcibly relocate Native nations living in the Southeastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi River in what is now Oklahoma. Under the guise of safety for the Indigenous peoples, they were forced to give up their ancestral homelands so American settlers would have more land to settle. This discriminatory legislation, framed as “voluntary,” highly impacted the The Five Civilized Tribes" - Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole. These tribes were deemed “civilized” as they had strived to meet the constant demands of the white settlers with attempts to assimilate. However, that did not protect them from the new legislation. The journey westward was inhumane, with Native Americans traveling long distances mostly on foot under harsh weather conditions, often lacking adequate food, shelter, and medical care. As a result, thousands died from disease, starvation, and exhaustion along the way. The Cherokee legally challenged this law in the case of Worcester v. Georgia (1832). The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokees, but President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the ruling. This led to what is known as the Trail of Tears (1938-1939) or the forced relocation of the Cherokee tribe. An estimated 16,000 Cherokees were coerced on the long journey, with approximately 4,000 dying along the way. In all, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 remains one of the most tragic chapters in American history as it led to the loss of Indigenous tribes’ land, culture and human life.

To learn more - https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/indian-removal-act/

On this Memorial Day, we remember and honor the brave men and women who gave everything for our freedom. Wishing you a day of reflection and gratitude.

We are incredibly proud to see Holocaust survivor Maud Dahme featured on HISTORY Channel!

As one of the hidden children of the Holocaust in the Netherlands, Maud has dedicated her life to ensuring that the voices of the past are never forgotten. Her tireless work in promoting Holocaust education has reached students, educators, and communities all around the world.

By sharing her powerful story on a global platform, she continues to inspire future generations to stand up against antisemitism and other forms of hatred. We are profoundly grateful for her dedication, her resilience, and her vital contributions to Holocaust education.

Watch Now: https://www.history.com/videos/maud-dahme-hidden-child-of-the-holocaust

May 20, 1940 - Auschwitz concentration camp established

The Auschwitz concentration camp system was established on May 20, 1940, by N**i Germany in the occupied Polish town of Oświęcim. Initially created to detain political prisoners due to overcrowding in other local prisons, it developed into the largest N**i extermination camp as well as a place for slave labor. Auschwitz was strategically selected as it was the convergence of the N**i’s main railroad routes and also, due to the local terrain, made prisoner escape and enemy surveillance difficult. The first transport of prisoners arrived on June 14th, 1940 and were mostly Polish political prisoners. However, under the direction of Rudolf Höss, Auschwitz grew exponentially and became a central site of the Holocaust, where over one million people were systematically murdered through forced labor, starvation, medical experiments, and gas chambers. Approximately 85-90% of the murdered were Jewish, with the other victims being Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, political dissidents and others. Auschwitz stands today as a symbol of the atrocities committed during World War II and serves as a memorial and reminder of the consequences of hatred and genocide.

To learn more - https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/

Teacher resources - https://hmd.org.uk/resource/hmd-lesson-plan-remembering-auschwitz-birkenau/
https://www.ushmm.org/teach/holocaust-lesson-plans/hoecker-auschwitz-albums-photo-analysis

Take Graduate-Level Courses at Kean! Tuition-Waived!!

Announcing a great professional development opportunity for Kean Alumni. Two TUITION-WAIVED graduate level courses are being offered through the Holocaust Resource Center of .

3 GRADUATE CREDITS AND 45 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HOURS PER COURSE

Courses are valued at approximately $800 per credit, but both provided tuition-waived by Kean University and the Holocaust Resource Foundation, on the conditions that both courses are completed, and that districts/organizations are Council on Global Education & Citizenship members. A bachelor's degree in any subject is required to qualify. Courses are offered at multiple locations across New Jersey.

Fall: Teaching the Holocaust
Spring: Teaching Prejudice Reduction

Participants will gain practical strategies to support inclusive, informed, and impactful learning environments while advancing your career.

APPLY: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=VQ4Ckmp2qkuid5SiTxsRtwKU5EWlCrhIkXt0JFihcRNUNU1HQkU4QVlWUVNMNkVMWlpRVEo5NzZaVy4u

May 19, 1909 — Sir Nicholas Winton's Birthday

"I have a motto that if something isn't blatantly impossible, then there must be a way of doing it." — Sir Nicholas Winton

British-born Nicholas Winton was 29 years old in December 1938 when Adolf Hi**er began his quest for European land with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland. After Kristallnacht, it was clear that Jews in N**i-occupied territories were in grave danger. Urged by a friend, Winton cancelled his ski vacation and travelled to Prague to witness the refugee crisis unfolding in Czechoslovakia. Recognizing that something had to be done, he learned that Britain was allowing 10,000 Jewish children from Germany and Austria to be brought to safety in England. He appealed to the government to extend that permission to Czech children as well, and approval was granted.

Winton immediately got to work, taking applications for children, raising transport funds, locating host families in England, and securing a guarantee of £50 per child. With a small team of volunteers, including his mother, Doreen Warriner, and Trevor Chadwick, he arranged eight transports between March and August 1939, rescuing 669 Czech children. A ninth transport was set to depart on September 1, 1939 — the day World War II began — and never made it out.

For decades, his actions remained largely unknown. It wasn't until 1988 that his wife, Grete, discovered a scrapbook containing photos and a complete list of the children he had saved. Winton was soon invited onto the British television program That's Life!, where he was unexpectedly reunited with some of those children — a moment still widely viewed and deeply moving.

He received many honors in the years that followed, including being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. A film about his rescue efforts, One Life, starring Anthony Hopkins, premiered in 2023. Sir Nicholas Winton passed away in July 2015 at the age of 106.

To learn more - https://www.nicholaswinton.com/

Teacher Resources -https://www.hmd.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Lesson-Plan_British-Heroes-of-the-Holocaust.pdf

This post was written by Cian Riely, Student Researcher at the Holocaust Resource Center of Kean University.

On this day in 1943, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising came to an end. SS Commander Jürgen Stroop marked the German victory by demolishing the historic Grand Synagogue of Warsaw, capping off a month of extraordinary bravery and determination from Jewish resistance fighters.

These fighters, primarily from the Jewish Combat Organization (Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa, or ŻOB) and the Jewish Military Union (Żydowski Związek Wojskowy, or ŻZW), numbered around 750 at the outset of the uprising. They chose to resist in response to the escalating brutality. During the summer of 1942, German authorities had carried out the “Great Action,” deporting approximately 250,000 Warsaw Ghetto residents to their deaths in Treblinka and massacring an additional 35,000 within the Ghetto itself.

In response to these actions, and facing near-certain deportation and death, the combat groups united, smuggling in weapons through contacts with the Polish Home Army. When news spread of a forthcoming liquidation of the remaining ghetto inhabitants, the uprising began.

On April 19, 1943, the resistance engaged German forces in close-quarters combat, significantly disrupting deportation efforts. In response to mounting losses, German forces adopted a strategy of systematically burning the Ghetto, block by block.

After a month of fighting and 7,000 Jewish deaths, the SS declared victory. Of the remaining population—originally estimated at roughly 70,000 to 80,000—approximately 42,000 were deported to other camps, 7,000 were sent directly to Treblinka and shot, and about 20,000 went into hiding.

Today, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is remembered both as a profound tragedy and as a powerful testament to Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.