Public schools in West Orange and the Township of Union partner with MorseLife’s Holocaust Learning Experience.
(Courtesy of HLE) The Holocaust Learning Experience (HLE), a nonprofit developed by MorseLife Health System in West Palm Beach, is expanding to New Jersey. West Orange public schools and those in Union Township will implement HLE’s age-appropriate Holocaust education model for students in grades 5-12.
“Our social studies and English departments incorporate Holocaust instruction across all grade levels. While we have several partnerships with universities and Holocaust studies programs, we joined forces with The Holocaust Learning Experience to further enhance our curriculum,” said Michael Figueiredo, social studies district supervisor K-12 of West Orange public schools. “The vetted resources from the Holocaust Learning Experience are suitable for all grades and their detailed lessons guide educators through teaching the Holocaust effectively. Additionally, the subscription includes in-person professional development, allowing teachers to fully grasp the material and ask questions about best practices during and after training.”
HLE’s Learning Management System (LMS) develops, deploys and delivers turnkey lessons about the Holocaust that focus on enhancing civic duty, civility and compassion. Using the historical context of the Holocaust, these lessons address issues such as bullying, cyberbullying, hate speech and physical violence, promoting tolerance, kindness and the importance of confronting bigotry.
“We’re thrilled to educate young minds in New Jersey. It’s crucial to reach students at this highly impressionable age, as this impacts their future. The Holocaust Learning Experience humanizes history, especially for visual and auditory learners who absorb videos better than textbooks,” said Keith A. Myers, president and CEO of MorseLife. “Often, history feels disconnected and unrelatable to young students, but HLE draws parallels between the Holocaust and modern issues like bullying, aiming to end antisemitism, prejudice and bias, while remembering the six million lives lost in the Holocaust.”
Pre-recorded lessons and Holocaust survivor testimonials bring history to life, helping students connect personally through inspirational stories of courage, resilience and compassion. The platform offers grade-appropriate, plug-and-play lessons for grades 5-12. The program includes documentary-style films and professionally produced interviews with survivors, accompanied by a teacher’s resource guide for each grade.
Public and private schools that are interested in learning more about HLE may contact Leigh Routman, MSW, ACSW, executive director of the Holocaust Learning Experience, at 561-668-5961 or [email protected] to inquire about adding the program to their curriculum. For more information, visit holocaustlearningexperience.com.
