Holocaust Resource Center IS NOW
REMEMBER
the Survivors and Victims
Holocaust Education Resource Organization
TEACH
the lessons of the Holocaust
EMPOWER
future generations to take action
In 1983, with the unwavering support of the Buffalo Jewish Federation and a non-sectarian group of founders, under the leadership of Toby Ticktin Back, the Holocaust Resource Center was established. Over the last 40 years, we have remembered and honored our Holocaust survivors and victims through our signature commemorations, programming, and meal deliveries. We continue to teach the lessons of the Holocaust through our vibrant Speakers Bureau, our Teachers Conference, and Arts and Writing Contest. We promote social justice and civic responsibility by honoring members of the community with the Sophia Veffer Upstander Award and responding to incidents of antisemitism and Jew-Hatred. From our work, over the last 40 years, we have learned our world and our community’s needs have changed and we have new challenges. Consequently, the need to have a name that reflects who we are is imperative. We do not have a physical space, our place is being firmly immersed in the community, reaching out and being accessible to meet people and organizations in their own space. As a result, The Holocaust Resource Center transitioned to the Holocaust Education Resource Organization. Our purpose and mission will remain the same, remembering the survivors and victims, teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and empowering future generations to take positive action.
REMEMBERING THE SURVIVORS AND VICTIMS This past year, with the generous support of the Center for Jewish Life and our partners at Jewish Family Services and the Jewish Community Center, we were able to deliver Rosh Hashana, Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim, Passover and Shavuot meals to 30 local Holocaust survivors.
We gathered our survivors for cultural programs, celebrated holidays and enjoyed each other’s company. We commemorated the victims of the Holocaust at our signature commemoration programs - Kever Avot V-Imahot, Kristallnacht, UN Holocaust Remembrance Day and Yom HaShoah. Our Descendants group, consisting of second and third-generation descendants, meets monthly. We engage in discussions, attend cultural programs and celebrate holidays together.
TEACHING THE LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST This past year members of our Speakers Bureau reached over 10,000 students and community members, speaking in schools, at community events and for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at organizations. Survivors included Grigory Shershnevsky, Sophia Veffer, Sol Messinger and Nick Leibovic, 2nd Generation speakers include Wendy Weisbrot, Bill Lin, Lily Bink and Andy Feldman and 3rd Generation speaker Jessica Traub. This summer, Wendy Weisbrot, Lauren Bloomberg and Mandy Weiss led a workshop training 2G’s, Ellen Dubie, Carol Schmeidler, Deborah Shiffner and Evie Weinstein, to join our Speakers Bureau.
The 2023 recipient of the Toby Ticktin Back Education and Excellence Award was given to Mary Lou Wyrobek. In 2009, The Permanent Chair of Polish Culture and the HRC collaborated under the guidance of Sophia Veffer to present the play, Life in a Jar, about Irena Sendler. That partnership began Mary Lou’s dedication to the HRC/HERO by organizing exhibits and programs for UN Holocaust Remembrance Day and serving on the board of the HRC including the role of Vice President for Community Outreach. Acting as a liaison between the Jewish and Polish communities, and the Jewish and Catholic Communities, she has been a bridge-builder, sharing the rich cultural, religious, educational, and historical connections between the two communities.
TEACHING THE LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST TEACHERS CONFERENCE
ARTS AND WRITING
Over 60 teachers gathered at our Annual Teachers Conference. Todd Hennessy of Yahud-in Unum presented Holocaust by Bullets: Exploring the History of the Undocumented Victims in Ukraine.
The 2023 Arts and Writing Contest, over 75 students participated in the annual contest Heroes of the Holocaust, responding to the prompts: How can studying the choices and actions of heroes during the Holocaust influence our choices and actions today?
EMPOWER FUTURE GENERATIONS TO TAKE ACTION SOPHIA VEFFER UPSTANDER AWARD RECIPIENTS Dr. Iris Danziger and Samantha White were the recipients of the prestigious award created in 2018 and named in honor of local Holocaust survivor Sophia Veffer who dedicated her life to creating a more just world. The recipients of this award are members of the Buffalo community who have strongly impacted the Buffalo region by focusing on standing up for others while promoting equality, social justice and human rights. Samantha White is a Staff Attorney at WNY Law Center leading the School Discipline Project. Sam serves as a Trustee for Temple Beth Zion, Chairs the Social Action Committee, and recently joined the Sisterhood Board. She also serves on the board for Kadimah Scholars at Park School. Sam’s commitment to making the world a better place is undeniable. She fights to change laws, to create opportunities for others, to beautify neighborhoods and to build community.
Dr. Iris Danziger is an Otolaryngologist. She volunteers for numerous boards and organizations and is the creator of STOP the BLEED workshops. Her parents were survivors of the Lodz Ghetto, Ravensbrook, Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. She has understood at a deep level how antisemitism manifests itself and how hate can impact generations of Jews and other people and has turned those lessons into lessons to help others survive.
Paige Hurwitz, a senior at Clarence High School, was chosen to receive the prestigious Sophia Veffer Student Upstander award as she used her strong voice to express her concern over the choice of her high school’s musical. Paige contacted the Buffalo Jewish Federation and used its guidance and resources to communicate to her school and district’s administration about her worry and fear about the outcome of the show. Paige’s bravery, leadership and maturity are the characteristics of a true upstander.
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS DONORS, ACCOMPLISHING OUR MISSION WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR GENEROSITY AND SUPPORT. Please refer to the Jewish Journal (March 2024 edition) for the Buffalo Jewish Federation’s Honor Roll for a list of donors.
buffalojewishfederation.org/herobuffalo
HERO LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Armand Morrison, Co-Chair Wendy Weisbrot, Co-Chair Dr. Ann Marie Carosella, Past Chair Jeff Blum, Community Engagement Chair Naomi Haefner, Education Chair Justin Loeber, Teacher Support Chair Monica Neuwirt, Honoring Survivors, Victims & Descendants Chair Judge Lisa Bloch Rodwin, Social Justice Chair
BUFFALO JEWISH FEDERATION Marjorie Bryen, President Rob Goldberg, CEO Lauren Bloomberg, Director, HERO Mandy Weiss, Operations, HERO