Holocaust Awareness and Education
JCRC is committed to a high level of Holocaust programming, education, and survivor relationships, in partnership with the Greater Boston Jewish community.
New England Holocaust Memorial
JCRC’s stewardship of the New England Holocaust Memorial enables the Greater Boston Community to pay tribute to the six million killed, honor our survivors, and resolve to combat all forms of hatred.
The Memorial is an important resource for individuals, teachers, and groups looking to study the Holocaust, bullying and other issues of discrimination, hatred and intolerance.
JCRC offers virtual and mobile tours of the memorial, as well as in-person guided tours for groups. Explore from home or enrich your in-person visit with stories from survivors in the Boston area. See these ways to experience the Memorial at nehm.org.
Genocide Education
JCRC promotes genocide education for future generations. We successfully advocated for An Act Concerning Genocide Education, which will mandate lessons on the Holocaust and create a Genocide Education Trust Fund.
Each year, JCRC receives hundreds of essays for our Annual Israel Arbeiter Holocaust Essay Contest from students across Greater Boston. Essay contest winners receive educational scholarships and trip to the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.
Annual Izzy Arbeiter Holocaust Essay Contest
JCRC’s annual Israel Arbeiter Holocaust Essay Contest is a tribute to “Izzy” Arbeiter, a Holocaust survivor and lifelong rights activist who lost several family members in the Holocaust. Izzy passed away at the age of 96 in 2021. Middle school and high school students are invited to write an essay on the Holocaust. Contest winners, one from each competition level, receive educational scholarships and a trip to the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. Jack Arbeiter, Izzy’s son, accompanied the most recent group of essay contest winners to DC just last month. Winners are also recognized at Greater Boston’s Jewish Community Commemoration of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, hosted by JCRC.
Click here to learn more about the 2024 Israel Arbeiter Essay Contest.
JCRC’s Annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration
Amplifying the voices of survivors and eyewitnesses to history has never been more crucial. Each year, JCRC holds a Yom HaShoah commemoration to honor our local Holocaust survivors and transmit their legacy.
Student-to-Student
JCRC is proud to run a branch of Student to Student, a high school peer education program where Jewish students share their personal stories about who they are as Jewish teens. Click here to learn more!
The program:
- Strives to reduce prejudice and bigotry
- Fosters understanding among peers
- Brings together Jewish students from different backgrounds
- Trains them to talk about their lives as Jewish teens
- Strengthens their Jewish identities and gives them the tools to address antisemitism
- Facilitates discussions in an effort to dismantle antisemitism
- Puts a human face to Judaism.
