Newsletter

* Visit www.cvhen.com for details.

August Community Education Series PART 1: Presentation by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Trainer, April Powers. By tracing the long history of antisemitism, we can become more aware of subtle signs of hatred and act as upstanders for the Jewish community.

Photo: Liz Igra and Dana Hirschel

September 19th at 4:30pm (in case you missed her in person): April Powers Zoom Presentation

Join us by emailing Kenzie Vitorelo at kv.cvhen@gmail.com or visit the CVHEN website.

October Community Education Series PART 2: - On Tyranny

November Community Education Series PART 3: Kristallnacht Remembrance

December Community Education Series PART 4: Jennifer Norton - Einsatzgruppen

January Community Education Series PART 5: The Role of the Media (past & present) in Promoting or Mitigating Hatred

Leah is survived by her husband Mervin, sons Leyne (Eric) Milstein, Jay (Michelle) Ezray and Rabbi Nathaniel (Mimi) Ezray, grandchildren Evan (Alicia) Ezray, Brianna (Drew) Wham, Emily (Mike) Dressler, Hannah Milstein (Alex Eppler), Abby Milstein and Ethan Ezray and great-grandchildren Mateo Ezray, Lucas Ezray and Violet Wham.

Leah lived with her family in Sacramento since 1960. She was a beloved educator and friend.

We extend our sincerest condolences to the entire Ezray, Milstein, Wham, Dressler and Eppler families and to all of Leah’s extended family and friends. Leah left a legacy of cherishing friends and family and the importance of showing up for large and small moments in life. She will be missed. Her memory is a blessing.

Each year, Sacramento State University invites partners who collaborate in preparing educators to attend the Hats Off to Partners event. CSUS honored CVHEN in April, recognizing the profound impact mentorship has on the development and success of educators. Over the last six years, the CSUS education department has partnered with CVHEN in training preservice History and English teachers to develop interdisciplinary units.

Photo left to right: Professor Marcy Merrill, Dawniell Black, Liz Igra, Jody Cooperman, Professor Mimi Coughlin

This well-attended teacher workshop included:

• Challenging conversations and collaboration on best practices
• Guest speaker panel with established local journalists
• Research on the evolution of propaganda and current media practices
• Classroom activities to engage students with sensitive topics

• CVHEN is part of the statewide network that unites California’s leading institutions for Holocaust and genocide education as well as community leaders from diverse ethnic groups across the state.
• CVHEN presented on the Role of the Media at the Summer Institute for teachers in LA.
• CVHEN Vice President, Jody Cooperman, is leading the way as a member of the Holocaust Educational Leadership Committee.

Why Now?

Source: Claims Conference - First Ever 50 State Survey of Holocaust Knowledge Among Millenials and Genz Americans https://www.claimscon.org/millennial-study/

• 37% of Millenial and Gen Z Californians cannot name a concentration camp of ghetto

• 53% of Millenial and Gen Z Californians do not know what Auschwitz is

• 47 % of Millenial and Gen Z Californians have seen Holocaust distortion and/or denial on social media or other online platforms

• 13% of Millenial and Gen Z Californians believe Jews caused the Holocaust

• The Nazis failed to capture an estimated 25,000 who escaped into the forests of Eastern Europe. Instead of simply hiding, these young men and women – many of them teenagers — banded together to fight back, carrying out deadly acts of sabotage, staging ambushes, and waging clandestine warfare against the Nazis and their collaborators.
• CVHEN Vice President, Jody Cooperman, contextualized the events in the film and responded to audience questions.

From El Cerrito in the Bay to Turlock, Vacaville, Sacramento, and Placerville, Liz has presented her story to well over 1,000 students, middle and high school alike. Starting in November, students at Prospect Sierra Middle School got the opportunity to interview Liz about her childhood, later turning that interview into a physical book that they presented to their class. At Gold Trail and Vaca Peña, middle school students were captivated by Liz as she spoke, with many of them sharing that Liz was the first Jewish person they had met. Jessalyn VanNieuwburg from Vaca Peña spoke with Liz after her presentation, sharing that Liz’s story had implored her to want to know more about her family’s story and experiences as immigrants and survivors of war. At Pitman, El Dorado, and Rio Americano, high school students excitedly welcomed Liz’s contributions to their Holocaust education. Many rushed to meet her after her presentation, exclaiming how grateful they were to hear from her and how much more they had learned about Holocaust history. Liz continues to enjoy sharing her story with the young scholars of the Central Valley and looks forward to more presentations in the coming school year.

In November and June, CVHEN board member Elizabeth Steele lead groups of teachers to the Museum of Tolerance in LA, facilitating experiential learning for educators throughout the Sacramento region. Teachers and administrators increased their content knowledge and practiced social-emotional learning activities to support students.

Kenzie Vitorelo is from Elk Grove, California. She graduated from Laguna Creek High School in 2022 and is currently pursuing her Bachelor's in English from Los Rios Community Colleges and Cal State Sacramento. She plans to obtain her teaching credential after completion of her degree to teach English at the High School level. Kenzie chose to intern for CVHEN to better her Holocaust and Genocide knowledge, both to be a more responsible, educated, and proactive community member, and to pass on this knowledge to her future students. She has greatly enjoyed her time with CVHEN and looks forward to celebrating one year with the team in September.

Pictured: Newest CVHEN team member Ya’ara Trost (left), CVHEN President Liz Igra (center), Newest CVHEN Intern Kenzie Vitorelo (right)

The newsletter is brought to you by support from The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region.

June - August Hours: Tuesday/ Thursday 11:00am - 4:00pm

September - May Hours:

Wednesdays 4:00-6:00 pm

Sundays 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

We depend on volunteers, grants, and donations to fulfill our mission of teaching about the Holocaust. CVHEN focuses on classroom strategies, resources, and lessons that inspire young people to embrace civic responsibility, tolerance, and social action as a way of fostering moral adulthood.

Elizabeth Steele

CVHEN Board Member

916-905-0062