Latest News
April is Genocide Awareness Month
Genocide Awareness Month corresponds with Holocaust Commemoration Day (or Yom HaShoah) marking the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising which this year falls on April 24th. To observe this important event, the Commission is working with our partners at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Echoes and Reflections to offer teaching events and seminars to West Virginia teachers intending to deepen understanding of Holocaust history and help students understand how it affects our world today. Designed specifically for classroom educators, we invite you to participate in these free, credit-bearing E&R courses on Rescue and Rescuers and Holocaust Legacy and Memory. The USHMCC's Belfer Conference, scheduled for June, will provide real-time interactive sessions with experienced educators who offer practical advice on strategies and tools for your classroom.
WVCOHE to participate in Yom HaShoah event in Hinton
The Summers County Huddle will be hosting a Yom HaShoah commemoration event on April 24th, at 4:00pm at the Magnolia Room in Hinton, WV. WVCOHE at-large member Laurent Levy, son of the Commission's founding chairperson, will present the keynote address. Light refreshments will be served. Additional information available from Summers County Huddle.
Live webstream will begin at 4:00.
WV TEACHERS CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
2025 Belfer National Conference
2025 Belfer National Conference
2025 Belfer National Conference
Coming Together to Inspire Students to Ask Why
At this free, virtual conference, discover the latest practices in accurate, meaningful teaching about the Holocaust with leading historians and educators. Bring the Museum's collection into your classroom with instructional strategies and resources. These materials highlight survivor testimonies, artifacts, diaries, and historical documents to support instruction across subject areas and inspire all students to think critically about how and why the Holocaust happened.
Registration detail:
- Date: June 23-25, 2025
- Time: Join concise sessions (average 10 minutes)
- Location: Virtual Event
2025 Belfer National Conference
2025 Belfer National Conference
Rescue & Rescuers during the Holocaust
Rescue during the Holocaust is an important topic for students to examine as a way to illuminate the rare bright spots amidst the overwhelming darkness of this historical tragedy. Deepen your understanding of what influenced individuals, groups, and societies to act on behalf of Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the “choiceless choices” faced by Jews when deciding to utilize the rare forms of rescue available to them.
Completers will earn 4 professional development credits.
Course Dates: April 7-20
How We Remember: The Legacy of the Holocaust Today
How did the world respond when the reality of the Holocaust came to light? Examine the pursuit of justice at Nuremberg, the effect the trials had on how we understand the Holocaust, how survivors coped with the trauma to build new lives in the aftermath, and how we remember and memorialize the Holocaust today.
This course will also run over this year's Yom HaShoah (April 23-24), which is an excellent opportunity to reflect on this important commemoration.
Completers will earn 4 professional development credits.
Course Dates: April 14-27
Foundations of Holocaust Education: Deepening Student Learning
Our signature professional development program provides educators with classroom resources to help students build a profound understanding of the Holocaust, the history of antisemitism, and its enduring significance in today's world.
Participate in three modules which will provide you with an overview of Echoes & Reflections and its associated resources, a sound pedagogy for teaching about the Holocaust, background information on the history of antisemitism, and time to consider effective use of several primary sources when teaching about this complex topic.
Course Details:
- Program includes three interactive modules; approximately 6 hours to complete in total – at no cost
- Proceed at your own pace each week, be supported by an instructor, and enjoy interaction with other educators
- Complete all three modules for a 6-hour certificate
- Final module includes additional time to complete optional final project for a 10-hour certificate
- Graduate credit available through the University of the Pacific. Please visit their site for more information.
Course Schedule:
- Modules Open: Monday, May 5th
- Optional Final Project and Course Close: Sunday, June 1st
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- Learn about the comprehensive resources available in Echoes & Reflections.
- Be introduced to a sound pedagogy for teaching about the Holocaust.
- Practice instructional strategies designed to help your students learn about the complex history of the Holocaust.
- Enhance your own knowledge about the history of antisemitism.
- Identify strategies for integrating visual history testimony into your Holocaust instruction.
- Develop strategies for introducing students to a variety of primary sources.
- (Optional) Prepare a final project to take back to the classroom.
- Become part of a network of educators teaching about the Holocaust and genocide.
WVCOHE joins the USHMM Community of Holocaust Education Centers
The West Virginia Commission on Holocaust Education has joined the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's Community of Holocaust Education Centers (CHEC). Inclusion in this community allows us to collaborate with partner commissions across the country and provides access to resources and training for teachers, schools, and communities.
Help fund our efforts
The Commission presently does not receive state taxpayer funding for its mission and relies solely on your support. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the J. D. Rechter Memorial Holocaust Education Foundation in support of our efforts. Thank you!
