Teaching the Holocaust in Portugal can provide a different perspective than that of most European countries. For one thing, historic anti-Semitism in Portugal resulted in the expulsion of Jews during the Inquisition. On the other, Portugal was neutral during World War II, allowing tens of thousands of Jews to escape from the Nazi genocide. Both [...continue]

This July in Farmington Hills, Michigan, 16 educators gathered and bring the Holocaust back to the forefront of education during a week-long intensive seminar. Now in its seventh year, the seminar is one of many taking place across the country this summer, organized and sponsored by the Olga Lengyel Institute (TOLI). Teachers from across Michigan [...continue]

What lessons can be drawn from learning about the Holocaust and Native American experience? That is what 35 educators considered during a week-long seminar that began on June 10 in Billings, Montana. Worlds Apart But Not Strangers is the title of the program, sponsored by The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights [...continue]

Sondra Perl, Director of TOLI US Programs, second from right, at a TOLI seminar in Wisconsin. Sondra Perl, Director of the Olga Lengyel Institute and academic architect of the TOLI seminars, traces her interest in Holocaust studies back to the summer of 1996, when she was teaching a graduate course for teachers in Austria. It [...continue]

TOLI held its thirteenth annual summer seminar in NYC from June 16 – 28, with participants including 23 middle school, high school, and college faculty members from across the United States and one from Greece. This year was especially notable in that with the participation of teachers from North Dakota, Vermont, and Hawaii, TOLI has [...continue]

The Olga Lengyel Institute conducted its first annual seminar for teachers in Poland, July 3-8, learning about the Holocaust and drawing upon its lessons to confront contemporary anti-Semitism, racism and abuse of human rights.  The seminar took place at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (POLIN), a partner in the program, and included [...continue]