NEVER AGAIN BEGINS IN THE CLASSROOM
The mission of the Olga Lengyel Institute is to educate students in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world about human rights and social justice through the lens of the Holocaust and other genocides so that such atrocities may never again take place.
To accomplish its mission, TOLI provides professional development seminars for educators in the US and abroad that link the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides to current world events, thereby working with teachers to promote a human rights and social justice agenda in their classrooms. Learn more.
BRINGING LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST TO THE CLASSROOM
TOLI in US and Europe
United States
TOLI’S 2019 seminars for teachers got underway in June with seminars in Montana, Mississippi and New Mexico. Our flagship seminar in NYC, bringing educators from throughout the US is now taking place. These are the first of ten TOLI seminars on Holocaust education in the US and eight in Europe. Continue to US Programs in 2019.
Europe
Nine seminars will take place in Europe this year – Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Ukraine. The expansion of TOLI’s activities to Europe reflect an interest by local partners and Jewish communities to confront rising extremism, anti-Semitism and to provide resources to educators to teach the Holocaust. For more about TOLI seminars in Europe see International Programs in 2018.
TOLI in the News
Billings Gazette- The Holocaust and American Indian Massacres: Teachers in Billings learn from history’s tragedies
The Billings, Montana Seminar, Worlds Apart But Not Strangers was featured in the Billings Gazette, the main newspaper of Western Montana. “It’s somewhat common for students to lack knowledge of […continue]
New York Jewish Week- Shoah Teacher Training Growing Amid Toxic Politics
Two weeks before Yom HaShoah, which occurs next Thursday, a high school teacher in rural Michigan gave a presentation about the Holocaust at a genocide conference at Michigan State University. […continue]
Mini-Grants
Graduates of TOLI Summer Seminars are eligible to apply for mini-grants to support projects in their classrooms, their schools, and their communities. Grants are awarded to support a wide variety of classroom work, visits by Holocaust survivors, field trips to Holocaust centers and other relevant sites, and extended programming and community outreach that bring Holocaust and social justice education to wider audiences.
Learn about Mini-Grants
Euro-Grants
Graduates of our summer seminars in Europe are eligible to apply for mini-grants of up to $300 for projects in their classrooms, their schools, and their communities. These grants have been used to support teaching students about the Holocaust, human rights, Jewish life in their country or community, discrimination, tolerance, and respect for diversity.
Learn about Euro-GrantsSatellite Programs
The Satellite Seminars bring TOLI programs to teachers across the country. These five-day seminars are designed to provide a collaborative and safe environment in which teachers can explore the difficult subject of the Holocaust and other genocides. While each Satellite focuses on local issues, the overall goal is for teachers in all of the Satellites to leave with strategies, materials, and ideas for use in their own classrooms. One long-term goal is for teachers to become advocates for social change and to return to their classrooms with action plans that will enable them and their students to have a positive impact on their communities.
Satellite Locations
- Sacramento, California
- Salisbury, Maryland
- Amherst, Massachusetts
- Farmington Hills, Michigan
- Saint Cloud State University; Saint Cloud, Minnesota
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Billings, Montana
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Portland, Oregon
- Milwaukee (Fox Point), Wisconsin
International Programs
TOLI has been steadily expanding its reach overseas after identifying a critical need to support teachers in Europe. Since 2012, TOLI has been providing important resources to European educators with limited or no access to the tools they need to engage students in the study of the Holocaust and social justice issues.