Recently, students in Mrs. Djavaheri’s Holocaust Studies elective were treated to a special Zoom presentation by one of the most prominent scholars of the Holocaust in the world today. Dr. Michael Berenbaum is the former president and CEO of the Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation, the project director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington when it was created, author, professor, advisor on Holocaust Museums worldwide, recipient of Emmy Awards, and consultant to Academy Award winning Holocaust films.

He spoke with the students from his home in Los Angeles about how he got involved in these various projects related to memorializing the Holocaust. He also shared some of the important messages and mindsets that he feels are most urgent to spread in today’s world. The students had the privilege of showing Dr. Berenbaum the drafts of their own Holocaust memorial projects and hearing his feedback, which was incorporated into the presentations they gave in class the following day. The students walked away with a greater appreciation for the value of memorialization, some poignant sayings and even a few great jokes!

Thank you, Dr. Berenbaum and thank you Tova Rosenberg and “Names, Not Numbers©” for arranging for his presentation.