NEVER AGAIN BEGINS IN THE CLASSROOM
The Olga Lengyel Institute (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.
BRINGING LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST TO THE CLASSROOM
TOLI in US and Europe
United States
Ten seminars for educators were held in cities across the US in 2019. TOLI’S 2019 professional development seminars began in June with programs in Montana, Mississippi and New Mexico. Our flagship seminar in NYC, bringing 25 educators from throughout the US, took place from June 16 – June 27, and our Leadership Seminar in New York, July 8-14, prepared 19 educators to lead satellite programs in new states for 2020. The US satellite seminars continued in June and July with programs in Charlotte, NC and Portland, OR. The U.S. Satellite programs closed out the summer with Michigan, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In total there were ten TOLI seminars on Holocaust education in the US and eight in Europe. Continue to US Programs in 2020.
Europe
Seminars for teachers were held in eight European countries in 2019. For the first time, TOLI seminars took place in Vilnius, Lithuania and Kiev, Ukraine. For the second year, TOLI organized a seminar in Poland, opening in Warsaw (The Museum of Polish Jewish History) and continued in Krakow, with a visit to Auschwitz. In Bulgaria, the fifth TOLI summer seminar took place at the American University in Bulgaria. The expansion of TOLI’s activities in Europe reflects 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 2019.
Announcing New TOLI Art Exhibit in Memory of Kathy Carlisle
TOLI is embarking on an exciting new project for 2020, and we encourage our educators from across the US and Europe to join us. This new project is a student art exhibit in memory of Kathy Carlisle, a beloved TOLI teacher from Sacramento, California. Kathy was a high school art teacher, photographer, and painter who was dedicated to illuminating the lessons of the Holocaust through her art and the art of her students. Her powerful work is a testament to her artistry and love of teaching, and has inspired our new TOLI art exhibit in her memory.
We are inviting all TOLI graduates of our domestic and international seminars to submit photographs of their students’ artwork to reflect what they have learned about the Holocaust. We will begin highlighting the art through the month of February and will continue throughout the spring semester. The exhibit will feature the art of students on a new page on the TOLI website as well as in our newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram. We also hope to showcase the artwork in local newspapers to honor student voices and ideas and to keep Kathy’s memory alive. Stay tuned!
TOLI in the News
Washington Jewish Week- Teachers Confront the Past in Lithuania and Ukraine
I recently visited Lithuania and Ukraine to take part in Holocaust education programs for local teachers, organized by the Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI) in […continue]
Jewish Telegraphic Agency- Lithuania’s Holocaust record is an ‘open wound,’ Israeli envoy tells history teachers in Vilnius
Lithuania’s Holocaust record is an ‘open wound,’ Israeli envoy tells history teachers in Vilnius OCTOBER 29, 2019 8:05 AM (JTA) — Israel’s ambassador to Lithuania said the European nation’s […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
- Tempe, Arizona
- Sacramento, California
- Ligonier, Indiana
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Salisbury, Maryland
- Farmington Hills, Michigan
- Saint Cloud, Minnesota
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Billings, Montana
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Portland, Oregon
- Sterling, Virginia
- 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.