Foundations for Teaching the Holocaust
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Reich College of Education 124ABC
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies, in partnership with the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, will host Foundations for Teaching the Holocaust, a free professional development workshop for current and pre‑service K–12 teachers in North Carolina, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will take place in Reich College of Education 124ABC, located at 151 College St. in Boone.
The workshop will introduce educators to curriculum resources developed for the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act and provide training on how to teach foundational lessons about the Holocaust. Sessions will cover the Guidelines for Teaching about the Holocaust, the historical photo narrative lesson, constructing a Holocaust timeline, and instructional approaches for Alexandra Zapruder's Salvaged Pages, a collection of young people’s diaries written during the Holocaust. Each participant will receive a copy of Salvaged Pages.
In addition to modeling classroom strategies, the program will prepare attendees to train other educators in using North Carolina’s Holocaust curriculum materials, including resources for the Holocaust elective course. Public school classroom teachers who attend will have their substitutes paid at the state rates for certified and non‑certified substitutes. Space is limited, and early registration is encouraged.
The workshop portion of the event, held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., requires advance registration at https://bit.ly/october6foundations.
The concluding survivor testimony session, scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m., is free and open to the public. Attendees will hear from Holocaust survivor Renee Fink, who will share her story and participate in a question‑and‑answer session. Fink is a Holocaust survivor whose life story spans continents, identities, and extraordinary courage. Born Renate Gabriele Laser in 1937 to German Jewish parents who fled Nazi Germany, Fink spent her earliest years in the Netherlands in a loving family. That childhood was shattered when she was separated from her parents at age four and placed into hiding with a Catholic resistance family, the van den Brinks. Renamed Rita van den Brink, Fink survived the war through ingenuity, compassion, and the bravery of those who risked their lives to protect her, including during the devastating Dutch Hunger Winter. Though she never reunited with her parents, Fink rebuilt her life after the war, immigrating to the United States in 1948 and eventually becoming an American citizen. Today, Fink shares her journey to illuminate the enduring relevance of the Holocaust and to inspire others to stand up, speak out, and choose moral courage in the face of injustice.
The testimony portion of the event will be held both in-person and via Zoom. Register for the Zoom at https://appstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/Iq-tTyZSShe22hoSTxrl1w.
Questions may be directed to Center Director Dr. Darci Gardner at gardnerdl1@appstate.edu or 828-262-2928.
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About the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies
Appalachian State University’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies was established in 2002 to develop new educational opportunities for students, teachers, and the community. Located administratively within the College of Arts and Sciences, the center’s vision promotes tolerance, understanding, and respect for all human life. To accomplish this vision, the center works to strengthen tolerance, understanding, and remembrance by increasing the knowledge of Jewish culture and history, teaching the history and meaning of the Holocaust, and utilizing these experiences to explore peaceful avenues for human improvement and the prevention of further genocides. Learn more about the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more about App State
A logo featuring the text "Appalachian State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies" on top of another logo featuring the text "The North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction."
Appalachian State University’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies and the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust