The Holocaust did not happen overnight; nor did it occur in a vacuum. It was the result of a slow shift in definition of what were already understood and accepted concepts of good and evil. The Holocaust, therefore, was possible not because Hitler was a charismatic speaker or a cruel dictator, but because so much of his party’s intellectual and therefore ethical construct was already familiar to the people of Europe. As a result, the people of Germany and the many Nazi party members and soldiers were not deficient in moral sensibilities nor were they quintessentially evil or brutal people; they were in fact ethically sensitive. For them such deeds were simply no longer understood as evil. Herein lies the need for comprehensive Holocaust education. Through a thought-provoking study of the Holocaust and the social environment that led to it students can learn to counteract ignorance, brutality, and contempt fostered by intolerance as well as recognize the importance in following a moral compass that elevates the individual and the democratic values that nurture such a society.

The Holocaust Education Symposium elevates, empowers, and enlightens classroom teachers through general and break-out sessions led by Holocaust survivors or their descendants and experienced classroom teachers just like them to become advocates for  academic integrity, democratic values, truth, historical accuracy, and compassionate communities in their schools.