Fried Academy Holds Inaugural Holocaust and Genocide Studies Teacher Workshop

The Sam and Frances Fried Holocaust and Genocide Academy recently held its inaugural Holocaust and Genocide Studies Teacher Workshop, organized in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, Teacher Education, Department of History, and UNO Dual Enrollment. The workshop was made possible by a grant to the Louis and Frances Blumkin Professorship.

On April 6, 2025, twenty UNO pre-service teachers attended an all-day program to gain skills and knowledge to teach topics relating to Holocaust and genocide education. Recently, the State of Nebraska approved legislative bill 888 which requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards for education on the Holocaust and other acts of genocide. Facilitating this workshop were Dr. Mehnaz Afridi (Manhattan University), Dr. Rebecca Erbelding (Holocaust historian and author), and Ms. Kati Larson, Lewis and Clark Middle School Teacher and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow. Students reviewed teaching strategies, resources, and active learning exercises to help them better understand how to approach. Sessions focused on a variety of frameworks for approaching the study of genocide and concrete activities that can be used with students in the classroom.

“I really enjoyed the intention behind the sessions and their order,” says Anthony Mai, secondary education and history student, “We learned about the many resources available from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, how those tools and others can be effectively used, and ways to approach these topics in a sensible manner. I would highly recommend anyone who is pursuing an education degree to attend this workshop in the future.”

Dr. Mark Celinscak, Executive Director of the Fried Academy, is thankful to all students who participated. “Teaching about genocide is critically important,” says Celinscak, “but it can also be quite challenging. We are grateful to have leading scholars and trained educators review guidelines, foundational resources, and lesson plans to address the challenges and support teachers approaching these difficult subjects.”

Ellie Sanford, secondary education student, minoring in History and Holocaust and genocide studies compliment these findings. “This workshop and experience changed my perspective on how to teach difficult subjects like the Holocaust or other genocides and put a focus on the individual stories that emerge from these events. Large-scale events like the Holocaust can be difficult for students to understand, but when you allow students to look deeply at a person who experienced it first-hand, they start to relate and understand and want to learn more. ”The Fried Academy aims to make the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Teacher Workshop available to participants every year.