Nancy Pettus He has been a Holocaust educator for over 30 years. “I guarantee you that Holocaust education will change the lives of children,” says the former Jenks middle and high school teacher. “I've seen it many times.”
Pettus, former director of Holocaust education for the Tulsa Jewish Federation, is a professional development consultant for the SB 1671 Oklahoma Holocaust Legislative Coalition. SB 1671 The Oklahoma Holocaust Legislative Coalition is a group of citizens who have come together to ensure that students in grades 6 through 12 are protected after the passage of HB 1775 in 2021. The entire state will learn about the Holocaust. The coalition supported SB 1671, which was signed into law in May 2022.
This summer, the coalition will host four sessions of the 2024 Eva K. Unterman Conference on Holocaust Education, named after the last survivor living in Oklahoma. In 2023, he had two meetings in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. This year we have added Enid and Lawton. Themed “Everything Starts with Words: Voices from the Holocaust,” these themes tell the story of how words inspired both the worst and the noblest acts during the Holocaust, Pettus said. says.
“When you study the Holocaust, you meet all kinds of people. Of course, there are victims and there are perpetrators. I tried really hard,” she says of her time in the classroom. “I wanted people to know that even if the number is very small, there are actually righteous people as opposed to bystanders.”
Educators in a variety of disciplines, including social studies, English language arts, and visual arts, can earn seven hours of professional development credit and participate for free thanks to a coalition that raises funds year-round to make this possible. can.
Pettus and the coalition hope that teachers will leave the conference feeling passionate and confident about teaching this subject.
“The story of the Holocaust is a story of survival and resilience that should foster hope for the future of all humanity.” John waldron, state representatives, former educators, and administrative consultants for the coalition said in a press release. “The message of Holocaust education is therefore extremely important: it promotes an understanding of humanity and all its aspects, so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.”
For more information, visit okholocaustcoalition.org.
