Holocaust Education Committee letters and meeting minutes, document 08

. - JEWISH FEDERATION OF LAS VEGAS . .. :? ' August 6, 1980 TO: FROM: HOLOCAUST EDUCATION COMMITTEE EDYTHE KATZ Since summertime in Las Vegas is such a dif ficult time for full- s cale meetings , I'm taking this opportunity to recap some of the items already dis cussed for the benefi t of the new members to our Holocaust Education Committee and to bring everyone up-to-date on some new facts. The Conference on "TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST" is scheduled for November 20, 1980 - the Thursday before Thanksgiving . The Clark County School District and the State Board of Education is busily putting togethe r their part of the Confere nce. Those teache rs participating will b e in secondary e ducation specializing in history and social studies. They are planning for approxi-mately 150 t eachers , and are considering inviting Junior High School t eachers who e vidence a special interest. The decision of "who to include" will be the responsibility and pre rogative of the District and the State Board. Through the efforts of our d ear fri e nd Fred Lewis, Summa Corporation will host the Conference in Novemb er . Not only will they furnish the space but will host a dinner for all the participants. The Educators involved in the planning have stressed two important n eeds-- a Resource Cente r in Las Vegas (that will also serve the e ntire State ) and a Speakers Bure au of Holocaust survivors who can dir ec tly convey to stude nt groups the ir p ersonal histories and experiences. Both were the most effec tive means of education at the Conference held in Los Angeles this past April. Re the Resource Ce nter: Plans are underway to set up a room at th e J ewish Fe deration offic e to house th e neede d r esource material -- books, pamphlets , motion picture films, video cassettes, b e t amax , poste r s , etc . It will be a p e rmanent r esource center, and a place where teach e rs, church l e aders, servic e organizations , etc . can draw from to h e lp convey to others the hi s tory of the Holocaust. Blanche Stein, Naomi Cherry, Elaine Steinberg and David London are redoing the "Children of the Holocaust" Library show of April 1979 to make it eas i er to trans port from class to class, or c ommunity to community .. as the case may b e . It will b e a permanent part of our Res ource Library . Hop efully , we will be able to apply for " grant " money to h e lp pay fo r it' s being refurbi s hed. 10.30 East Twain Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 ( 702) 7.32-0556 HOLOCAUST EDUCATION COMMITTEE Re the Speakers Bureau: A concentrated effort is being made to find Holocaust survivors here in our area who are able and willing to become members of a Speakers Bureau. Los Angeles has such a group, and their services in that area's classrooms have been invaluable. In order to help the speakers overcome any reluctance in presenting their stories, we have the volunteer service of Dorothy Bokelman, a speech therapist associated with the School District, who has helped political candidates present themselves to the public. Rev. Ruth Hanusa and Dr. Ruth Pitts will be looking into the involvement of the University Education Department in the Conference, or at least taking advantage of the visiting speakers. page 2 On Thursday, August 21, some members of the Holocaust Education Committee plan to spend the day in Los Angeles for the express purpose of visiting the Simon Weisenthal Center for Holocaust Studies and the Martyrs' Memorial at the Los Angeles Jewish Federation. For anyone working on this committee, it will prove to be an invaluable experience. Mimi Katz at the Federation Office is coordinating plans for this trip, and anyone interested should call her at 732-0556. Please think about participating and call for all the particulars. We'll plan the day together. NOTE: THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION COMMITTEE WILL BE ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 7:30 p.m., at the Federation Office. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and we'll see you soon.