Birmingham Holocaust Education Center Provides Events and Resources for Teachers and Community
By Sarah Kuper
Eva Mozes Kor is one of the surviving “Mengele Twins.”
During the Holocaust, Nazi scientist Josef Mengele performed inhumane medical experiments on twins at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Nearly 1,500 sets of twins, 3,000 children, were victims of his experiments. At the camp’s liberation in 1945, only 200 of those children were still alive.
Eva Kor will be presenting her story and her journey of physical and emotional recovery on Jan. 28 at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. The event, called “A Lesson in Forgiveness,” is a partnership between the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center and Saint Luke’s Episcopal.
The BHEC offers resources and programing to educate Alabamians about the history of the Holocaust in the hope that future generations will apply the lessons learned from the past and contribute to a more tolerant future.
Recently, the BHEC has been partnering with churches and the Birmingham Islamic Center to present events geared toward educating the community about ethical responses to prejudice, hatred and indifference.
Rebecca Dobrinski, executive director of the BHEC, said the center’s purpose is timeless and important.
“Not everyone shares their story, but survivors are out there. We try to make sure they are heard,” she said.
The center hosts workshops for teachers preparing for lessons on the Holocaust.
“Every time we work with teachers we are reaching 75 teenagers,” Dobrinski said.
The center does not charge for the workshops. In fact, they reimburse school systems for the cost of substitutes while teachers attend.
The BHEC has a resource library with books about anti-Semitism, World War II and the Holocaust. It is one of the largest of its kind in the Southeast. The public can make an appointment to spend time exploring the collections.
The center has standing exhibits educating the public, but it also offers traveling exhibits. The “Darkness into Light” photography and artwork exhibit has travelled to schools in the Birmingham area and is on display at Vulcan Park until May 16.
Local organizations and schools can request speakers through the BHEC. Survivors and survivors’ children are available to give firsthand accounts.
Dobrinski said that many may not know about all the BHEC offers, but most of the big events are standing room only.
She said she is excited to see the new partnerships emerging between the center and other organizations and she hopes it will lead to greater awareness.
For more information and a list of upcoming events, visit bhamholocausteducation.org. Tickets to hear Eva Mozes Kor speak can also be bought online.
