Rabbi Marc Sack. Courtesy: Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC)

By Scott Kammerman

Students from Huston-Tillotson University in Austin will travel to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., this spring thanks to funding approved by Friends of the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC).

Friends approved a $14,500 grant to support the trip, which is part of an undergraduate course titled “The Holocaust: Confronting and Responding to Human Evil,” taught by Rabbi Marc Sack at Huston-Tillotson University, a historically Black university in Austin.

In his grant proposal, Rabbi Sack explained that many of the students have limited financial means, with some working full-time jobs while attending school and others being the first in their families to attend college. He wrote that visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would leave a powerful and lasting impression on the students and help them better understand antisemitism, racism, and the responsibility people have toward one another.

During the trip, students will keep journals documenting their experiences and will later write letters describing what they learned and how the trip changed their perspective.

Lauren Hamer, Austin Board Representative of Friends of the THGAAC, said the trip reflects the organization’s mission to expand Holocaust and antisemitism education to communities that might not otherwise have access to these opportunities.

“When students experience Holocaust education firsthand, it can shape how they see the world for the rest of their lives,” Hamer said. “Programs like this help build understanding between communities and remind us why education is one of the most important tools we have to combat antisemitism and hatred.”

Friends of the THGAAC works in partnership with the THGAAC state agency to support Holocaust education, student programs, and outreach initiatives across Texas, particularly in underserved communities and rural areas where Holocaust education resources are limited.  For more information and to support the similar initiatives, log on to THGAAC.Texas.gov  and click on “Support the THGAAC.”