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HOW WAS IT POSSIBLE? A HOLOCAUST CURRICULUM FOR AND BY TEACHERS™ (HWIP)
JFR’s new online curriculum is ready for teachers to use. Our learning management system is up and running. For more detailed information about HWIP, click here.
To sign up for HWIP, click here. Additionally, you can access HWIP by scrolling to the top right of this page and clicking LOGIN next to the Donate button.
To provide a brief overview of HWIP, our course provides middle and high school teachers and their students with a basic Holocaust unit of study. The program, which is based on the book How Was it Possible? A Holocaust Reader edited and introduced by Professor Emeritus Peter Hayes of Northwestern University, includes 16 lessons, an introductory video, and a closing CODA. Each lesson has a scholar-vetted and professionally prepared video. This program is being offered at no cost to teachers and their students. HWIP comes with an extensive Teacher’s Guide which is available on the JFR website.
How Was it Possible? A Holocaust Curriculum For and By Teachers™ (HWIP) can be used by educators for their own professional development as well as for educators to use with their students. The curriculum is also open to members of the community interested in learning more about the Holocaust.
The 16 lessons are based on the nine chapters of How Was it Possible? A Holocaust Reader and were developed around the themes within each chapter. An extensive Teacher’s Guide accompanies the curriculum.
2026 ADVANCED SEMINAR
The 2026 Advanced Seminar will be held on Saturday and Sunday, January 17 and 18, 2026. The program starts with breakfast on Saturday, January 17 and ends on Sunday, January 18 at 4:30 p.m.
The Advanced Seminar will be held at the Hilton Newark Airport. The following scholars will be presenting, Professors Andy Pearce from University College London, Noah Shenker from Colgate University, and Paul Salmons from the United Kingdom. We are waiting to hear from our fourth presenter. The focus of the 2026 Advanced Seminar will be “Challenges in Teaching the Holocaust.” We will explore the challenge of teaching the Holocaust after October 7, the impact of AI on Holocaust education and research, and addressing antisemitism as part of teaching the Holocaust. The 2026 Advanced Seminar will be limited to 22 participants. Completed applications are due Thursday, October 30, 2025. The participant fee is $450. A shared hotel room for Friday and Saturday nights is included in the participant fee. If you want a single room, the additional cost is $160 per night. We will not be accepting commuter applications this year. Here is a link to the 2026 Advanced Seminar.
If you are interested in attending, please let Stanlee know at sstahl@org. Remember, letting Stanlee know you are interested does not reserve your spot in the program.
2026 EUROPEAN STUDY PROGRAM TO POLAND
The JFR’s 2026 European Study Program will go to Poland in July 2026. Professor Robert Jan van Pelt is our scholar for the European Study Program. The dates of the study program are July 5 – 15, 2026. We the study program starts in Warsaw, we then travel to Lodz, Oswiecim where we will spend three nights, and we leave from Krakow. If you are interested in participating in the 2026 European Study Program, please email Stanlee at sstahl@jfr.org. Applications for the 2026 European Study Program to Poland will be sent shortly.
WE MOURN THE PASSING OF WANDA KOLOMIJSKA
Wanda Kolomijska, a Righteous Gentle from Poland, passed away on September 15, 2025. Wanda was 93 at the time of her passing. We would see Wanda each year at the JFR-sponsored luncheons for Righteous Gentiles living in Warsaw, Poland. Wanda would attend with her son, Jerzy. We became good friends. Wanda was a special lady and will be missed. May her memory be a blessing.
EXPLORING JFR DOCUMENTARIES AND RESCUER STORIES
As you being to plan your Holocaust unit, if you have not already done so, please explore the JFR’s rescuer section on our website. The rescuer section contains more than 175 individual stories of rescue. In the documentary section you will find award-winning documentaries of rescue stories. The documentaries are short, between 11 and 19 minutes, and are perfect for a classroom period. If you would like additional information on either the rescue stories or the documentaries, please reach out to Stanlee at sstahl@jfr.org. We continue to add rescue stories to our website.
SHARE A PROJECT FROM YOUR HOLOCAUST UNIT
Please do let us know how you are doing and consider writing a short piece for the Alfred Lerner Fellows eNewsletter.
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