Where are you from?
Boca Raton, Florida

Where do you teach and what subject do you teach?
Loggers’ Run Middle School, Holocaust and Genocide Studies

How did you get involved with the JFR?
I have always taught something about the Holocaust in all my years of teaching. In the school year 2018-19, I was assigned to teach Holocaust and Genocide studies for high school in a middle school setting and advanced students. It was then that I knew I would need to strengthen my knowledge base and JFR seemed the perfect organization to help me do just that.

What drew you to the organization and its programming?
I had the opportunity to spend time at Columbia a few summers ago, and the experience was truly impactful for me. I got to hear from outstanding speakers like Doris Bergin, Peter Hayes, Roman Kent and more. These experiences truly influenced me and helped me to create a course for my students. I also got to see Peter Hayes in Palm Beach that same year along with Stanlee Stahl. When the opportunity came to travel on the Summer Institute in July 2019 I jumped on the chance because I knew the history covered and sites visited would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Getting to have Professor Robert Jan van Pelt along was just the icing on the cake.

What was the most compelling thing you learned as an Alfred Lerner Fellow?
The most compelling thing I learned in my time with JFR was about the bystanders. On the July 2019 trip, we visited many sites and were made aware of the neighbors right next to the camps and other facilities who just minded their own business. Most remained bystanders instead of standing up for the Jewish people and others.

What is your favorite memory from your participation in JFR programming?
I have many favorite memories, but when I think about it, I feel very lucky to have gotten to hear Roman Kent describe the events his family went through during the war. His descriptions were so vivid, and it was heartbreaking to even hear him talk about how difficult it was for him to lose his pet dog which for a child especially is so hurtful.

Anything else you’d like to share with the JFR’s followers and supporters?
JFR has impacted my life both personally and professionally. Personally I have developed lifelong friendships (I am sure Bradd Weinberg and I will never forget racing through the airports to make flights that summer). In Palm Beach County the JFR Fellows have collaborated with Insight for Education and are now offering in service programs to teachers in the district.

Where are you from?
I was born in Chicago, but currently live in the southwestern suburbs of the city with my husband, Matt, and our daughters, Ellie & Lucy. I am a graduate of Marquette University (BA) and Tiffin University (MA). I am currently completing my doctoral work in Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Gratz College, where I am finishing my second year of courses. I have served on the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center’s Educator Advisory Committee since 2016, and have been doing volunteer work for Yahad In-Unum since the fall of 2020.

Where do you teach and what subject do you teach?
I have been teaching high school for nearly fifteen years. My current school, Oswego East High School, a diverse suburban school, has been home to me for the past six years. I teach Honors World History, Modern World History, Ancient History, and AP Seminar.I am proud to live in a state where Holocaust Education is a state-mandate. I am also fortunate to be able to share survivor testimony with my students each year! This year on Yom HaShoah, I will be hosting a virtual experience with my students. We are fortunate to be in community with survivor, Estelle Glaser Laughlin.

How did you get involved with the JFR?
In 2017 I was nominated to attend the JFR Summer Institute, but had to defer as I was traveling to Japan that summer to meet with survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The following year in 2018, I was fortunate to be nominated by the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center for a second time, as an Irena Sendler Fellow.My nomination meant that I would be spending a week in New York and learning from some of the foremost scholars, historians, and survivors and no doubt this would be the opportunity of a lifetime! This opportunity would bring me to New York City for my first time and allow me to earn my place among the Alfred Lerner fellows.

What drew you to the organization and its programming?
Becoming a fellow would open additional doors for me– to attend the JFR Advanced Seminar (see you there in 2022!) and even travel to Europe to learn more at specific locations and scholars like Robert van Pelt (!). Between the Claims Conference and JFR, I also knew that I would be able to network with other teachers both domestically and foreign because of the caliber of programming. At my session I met some wonderful new friends from Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania.
Becoming part of the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous as a fellow meant that I would be able to continue learning, sharing, and teaching from an even greater caliber of information and testimony than I had previously been exposed to. In 2018, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from folks like Peter Hayes, Edward Westermann, and Daniel Greene. This event was the catalyst for me to begin my doctoral work.

What was the most compelling thing you learned as an Alfred Lerner Fellow?
During the seminar, I was able to pick the brains of my academic idols and learn about emerging topics within the field, like the Holocaust in the East. One of the most important revelations I had during this time had to do with the information that related to the Holocaust in the East. Even as a seasoned teacher and avid student of IHMEC, I found myself thinking, Whoa…I have only been teaching half of the story?! I realized then, that indeed I still have so much more to learn and teach my students.The information presented at the Summer Institute further connected to subsequent training from Yahad In-Unum the following January. I was very fortunate to have this introduction to the Holocaust in the East, and felt that much more prepared!

What is your favorite memory from your participation in JFR programming?
Hands down meeting Roman Kent and having an incredible conversation with him. When Mr. Kent had spoken at the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, he said that “We don’t want our children’s future to be our past”. I told Mr. Kent how I have shared his speech every year since, and that I promised to continue doing so. It was an incredible experience!! The photo below is one that I keep prominently on my bookcase in the classroom. I love when my students ask about Mr. Kent.

How do you feel the fellowship has impacted your life, both personally and professionally?
Attending JFR’s Summer Institute set my on a trajectory to learn and grow more as an educator within Holocaust and Genocide Studies. I am still in regular contact with the friends I made as well as with some of the scholars!The investment of time, education, and collaborative discussions with like-minded folks was and continues to be a gift that continues giving. The amount of information I came home with and was able to update and adapt my own teaching curriculum was substantial.

Anything else you’d like to share with the JFR’s followers and supporters?
I honestly feel that if it had not been for my experience with JFR and becoming a Fellow I would not have made the commitment to further my education. I feel indebted to JRF for the connections, knowledge, and experience I gained during that summer. I would attend every year if I could!”