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I am excited to announce two upcoming programs that directly address the ways in which we recount our past – and ultimately, how we understand our present.

The first is a webinar tomorrow, describing the life and legacy of Carl Lutz. If you have not heard of Carl Lutz, you are in good company. Unfortunately, although Carl Lutz’s rescue of over 50,000 Hungarian Jews as Vice-Consul at the Swiss Embassy in Hungary is considered the single greatest rescue operation of Jews during the Holocaust, his story is often omitted from our learning. Hosted by the Mid-Atlantic-Eurasia Business Council, tomorrow’s webinar will describe in detail Carl Lutz’s work, and will feature our own Executive Director, Eszter Kutas. Please see below for details.

The second is a new programming series scheduled between July 20th and July 24th, presenting a series of live events and resources on the topic of Reckoning with Historical Injustice. In partnership with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights in Boise, ID, and the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center in Milwaukee, IL, this programming series will discuss how the world continues to work towards a holistic understanding of our history, and how the work to recognize the horrors of the Holocaust can inform modern attempts to accurately and fully tell our own American histories. We will be releasing additional details on this series next week.

Last week, we wrote to tell you about our upcoming event series, hosted along with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights and the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education and Resource Center (HERC), centered around the theme of Hope and Resilience of the Human Spirit. With events offered all next week (June 15th – June 19th), we welcome you to review our Calendar of Events, and to join us for whichever programs interest you.

This event series honors Anne Frank’s 91st birthday, coming up this Friday, June 12th. While there are any number of reasons that Anne Frank’s diary has so greatly impacted the world’s understanding of the Holocaust – her youth, her eloquent descriptions of the circumstances she lived through, her tragedy – we are inspired by her unflagging hope.

The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation stands firmly with the protesters seeking justice for George Floyd. And, we are struck by what animates their efforts: despite long-standing – and rising – racism throughout our country, these protesters are motivated by hope for a brighter and more equitable future.

Inspired by their strength, the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, along with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights and the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education and Resource Center (HERC), will be offering a full week of programming between June 15th – June 19th, centered around the theme of Hope and Resilience of the Human Spirit. Read on for a description of the events we will be offering; further details will be released next week.