In March 2019, five Appalachian undergraduate students (with a minor in Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies) became the first recipients of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies' student travel grants for Israel. These students did research at Yad Vashem, the Central Zionist Archives, the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum and Archives and Hebrew University. They interviewed peace activists from organizations such as "Women Wage Peace" and "Women in Black," and observed their peaceful protests in Jerusalem. Students also attended the Center's first conference in Israel that took place in Akko (co-organized with the USC Shoah Foundation in L.A. and the Holocaust Program at Western Galilee College), where they interacted with participating scholars from Mexico City, Warsaw, Edinburgh and Jerusalem.
Participating students minoring in Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies included: Sarah Brody, senior, History major; Elizabeth Knowlton, senior, Political Science major; Sarah Perlmutter, senior, Biology major; Haley Roth, sophomore, Apparel Design & Merchandising major and Annette Waters, junior, History, Social Studies Education major.
Now that their work is completed, these students have been invited to present their findings at the Greensboro Jewish Federation (5509-C West Friendly Avenue) in sponsorship with the Center on Wednesday, May 1 at 5 p.m. Their presentations, followed by discussion, will be part of the pre-Yom HaShoah program at the Federation.
The Center has also organized a public presentation by several of the recipients on the Appalachian State University campus on Friday, May 3 from 5-6 p.m. at the Center's conference room in the Center Suite, Edwin Duncan Hall, Room 101-102.
Both events are open to the public and free of charge.
The Center would like express its gratitude to Ed and Helen Decker, the Rosenblatt Family Foundation and the Miriam and Abe Brenner Foundation in cooperation with the Greensboro Jewish Federation for their support of these new student travel grants.
For more information, please contact the Center at 828.262.2311 or holocaust@appstate.edu.
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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 founded in 2002 to develop new educational opportunities for students, teachers, and the community. Located administratively within the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center seeks 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.
The Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies is an associate institutional member of the Association of Jewish Studies, a member of the Association of Holocaust Organizations and of the North Carolina Consortium of Jewish Studies.
Student Israel research presentation flyer
Student Israel research presentation flyer