IHE News and Updates
December 2019
Holocaust Education
Alumni Conference
In late September Scott attended the Holocaust Education Centers Alumni Conference held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Along with fourteen other centers from the United States and Canada, he was able to continue to learn from many of the top scholars in Holocaust Education. 

Highlights included a lecture from Dr. Peter Black titled, The Longest Hatred: Antisemitism during and after the Holocaust, and a lecture by JoAnna Wasserman titled, Expanding the Lens of Holocaust History through Some Were Neighbors: Collaboration and Complicity in the Holocaust. Scott looks forward to including the knowledge that he gained at the CHEC Conference in future IHE programs. 
Searching for Humanity
Field Trips
Our first group of students visited the Strategic Air Command Museum in October for the day-long Searching for Humanity exhibit and educational program. The students, from Hamburg, Iowa, learned from Anti-Defamation League facilitators about: respecting differences; anti-bullying techniques; and being a bystander versus being an up-stander. They also toured the Searching for Humanity exhibit , led by Kael, and learned about the about the Holocaust and those who rescued survivors from concentration camps. More field trips are planned for student groups monthly throughout the 2019-2020 school year.
Pictured above: Kael leads a group of students from Marnie Simons Elementary and Hamburg Middle School through the Searching for Humanity exhibit at the SAC Museum.
January Speaker
Rebecca Erbelding
Mark your calendar now so you don't miss Rebecca Erbelding's speaking event January 23rd at 7:00 p.m., at Omaha Central High School.

Ms. Erbelding is a historian of American responses to the Holocaust and the author of Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe , winner of the  2018 National Jewish Book Award for Writing Based on Archival Material .

She is also an archivist, and curator and historian at the  United States Holocaust Memorial Museum . As part of her work at the Museum, she has presented on US immigration policy during the 1930s; Holocaust-era diaries; Anne Frank; and the “Hoecker album,” a photograph album owned by Karl Hoecker, the final adjutant to the commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Echoes and Reflections Educator Training
On December 13th, the IHE will host an Echoes and Reflections training for future social studies educators to learn important content for their classrooms. These pre-service teachers from UNO will learn how to implement Holocaust studies into their classrooms using the free online resources of Echoes and Reflections. We are grateful to the education department at UNO for their continued partnership with IHE. We have enjoyed working with some of Nebraska’s future teachers over the last few years. 
2019 Jewish Film Festival
The Jewish Federation, IHE and Filmstreams teamed up to put on this year's Jewish Film Festival in November. Because of the improvements and renovations going on at the JCC, this year's festival was shown at theaters across the community - Aksarben Cinema, Film Streams Ruth Sokolof Theater, Village Pointe Cinema and the Majestic Cinema. The films ranged from dramas to comedies, in Hebrew, English, Spanish and Arabic. Next year, the film festival will return to the JCC, in the new theater!
Educator Spotlight
Megan Helberg
Megan Helberg, an English teacher from Burwell, Nebraska, and passionate supporter of Holocaust education and the IHE, was named 2020 Nebraska Teacher of the Year in October. Megan teaches eighth, 11th and 12th grades at Burwell Junior-Senior High School, where the total enrollment is about 150 students.

"Holocaust education is incredibly important and needed in today's society. Just because my students are in a rural area of Nebraska does not mean they are any less eager to learn about the Holocaust; they simply need someone to provide them with accurate and quality exposure. I try to be the person in their lives who can give them an opportunity to learn more about the Holocaust in an environment where they feel safe to ask questions and engage in tough, yet needed, discussions.

The entire community has responded well to my Holocaust literature units. Many local groups have asked me to speak at their gatherings, which I see as highly encouraging. Not only are the students responding well, but so are their parents, local business owners, church goers, and community leaders. My main message is to treat others with kindness, especially those outside of your normal circle. Holocaust education in Nebraska is progressing with the help of the IHE and teachers who have been trained by various reliable entities; as a unified team we continue to provide quality Holocaust education across the entire 'good life' of Nebraska."   

Megan will represent the state at various state and national events and compete for National Teacher of the Year.
Mark your calendars for these important dates coming up in 2020!
Institute for Holocaust Education