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Virginia Beach proclamation honors victims, survivors, rescuers, and liberators of the Holocaust

Posted at 12:02 PM, Jun 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-18 12:02:02-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Mayor Bobby Dyer issued a city proclamation that honored the victims, survivors, rescuers, and liberators of the Holocaust and highlighted the continuing importance of educating the community and the public about the Holocaust.

The proclamation was given to the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. This organization has helped educators for over 25 years by providing them tools to help students learn more about the Holocaust and apply lessons to their everyday lives.

“Learning how and why the Holocaust happened is an important component of education for all Americans to learn about the importance of safeguarding individual freedoms and building a just society for all its people,” said Dyer. “I call upon all citizens to work to promote human dignity and to confront and reject hate.”

The Holocaust Commission will continue their mission this summer, holding its 14th Biennial Educators’ Conference from Tuesday, July 30 to Thursday, August 1. Titled, “Teaching Difficult History: How Our Past Informs Our Present,” the conference will include nationally recognized speakers and authors, workshops, and a tour of the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

“Teachers have so much on their plates and we want to help them do their jobs better, to benefit their students, and ultimately, all of us who live in the world that these students will eventually be in charge of,” said Holocaust Commission director Elena Barr Baum.

Registration for the full conference includes the new Evening with the Arts, with an original dance presentation by the Elbert Watson Dance Company, a special educators’ tour of the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond and a certificate for up to 16 continuing education hours.