Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Since 1981, The Institute of Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Raritan Valley Community College has offered educational programs for teachers, students, and the broader community. Through our unique programming, the Institute—a collaboration between RVCC and the Jewish Federation of West-Central New Jersey (formally known as the Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties) —promotes historical awareness and greater understanding to address the implications of historical events in the world today.

The Institute of Holocaust & Genocide Studies offers a range of services and programs for middle and high school students/educators, students on campus, college faculty, as well as the broader community, such as:

Outstanding educational events and exhibitions
Informative educator workshops
Engaging webinars
Thought-provoking presentations

Additionally, “Learning Through Experience,” the Institute’s cornerstone educational program, began as a one-day event more than 40 years ago and has educated more than 150,000 middle and high school students and educators with an extraordinary series of guest speaker workshops addressing the Holocaust and genocide. We are now pleased to offer Learning Through Experience both virtually and in person.

The work of the Institute is also a vital part of the educational experience on campus. The Morris and Dorothy Hirsch Research Library is located on the second floor of the College’s Evelyn S Field Library. In addition to housing the traveling exhibits the Institute brings to campus, the Hirsch Research Library offers books, a video collection, reference materials for research and study, and an area for classroom instruction. The research library provides a wealth of new and current information directly connected to the programs and events offered by the Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. RVCC professors and educators in the wider community are encouraged to bring their classes to see the exhibits on display and check out the new books currently available.

For information regarding programming, resource information, or annual events, contact Michelle Edgar, Program Specialist, michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu, 908-526-1200, x8735.

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Immerse yourself in history with the 5th annual virtual

Summer Book Series

hosted by the RVCC Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The series, which is free of charge and open to the public, will begin on June 27. The discussions will be held via Zoom, and registration is required. The following programs will feature discussions of novels that explore the past:

The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr
June 27, 10-11 a.m.
Before she was a “Living Legend,” Lena Browning was Bina Blonski, a wealthy Polish Jew whose life and prominent family were destroyed by the Nazis and imprisoned with the rest of Warsaw's Jews in a horrible ghetto. Determined to fight back, the beautiful, blonde Aryan-looking Bina becomes a spy and an assassin, gaining information and stealing weapons outside the Warsaw ghetto to protect her family and fellow Jews. While Bina accomplishes incredible feats of bravery, she sacrifices much in the process. To register for the June 27 discussion, email michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu

All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
July 18, 10-11 a.m.
Set in volatile, pre-Civil War Philadelphia, All We Were Promised tells the story of a housemaid with a dangerous family secret who conspires with a wealthy young abolitionist to help an enslaved girl escape. Longing to break away, Charlotte befriends Nell, a budding abolitionist from one of Philadelphia’s wealthiest Black families. Just as Charlotte starts to envision a future, a familiar face from her past reappears: Evie, her friend from White Oaks, has been brought to the city by the plantation mistress and is desperate to escape. But as Charlotte and Nell conspire to rescue her—in a city engulfed by race riots and attacks on abolitionists—they soon discover that fighting for Evie’s freedom may cost them their own. To register for the July 18 book discussion, email michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu

One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter
August 15, 10-11 a.m.
One Good Thing, set in 1940 in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, depicts the story of Lili and Esti, who have been best friends since meeting at the University of Ferrara. When Esti’s son Theo is born, the two women become as close as sisters. As war is being fought across the borders, in Italy, Mussolini’s Racial Laws have deemed Lili and Esti descendants of an “inferior” Jewish race. Yet somehow goes on—until Germany invades northern Italy and the friends find themselves in occupied territory. A remarkable tale of friendship, motherhood, and survival, One Good Thing is a tender reminder that love for another person, even amidst darkness and uncertainty, can be a reason to keep going.
To register for the August 15 book discussion, email michelle.edgar@raritanval.edu

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These programs are free and open to the public, but registration is required. If you have any questions, Contact Program Specialist Michelle Edgar at Michelle.Edgar@raritanval.edu.

The Jewish Federation of West-Central New Jersey is our co-sponsor. https://www.jfedwcnj.org/