310 Mira Kimmelman Holocaust Education Study Group
History | Available (Membership Required)
Oak Ridge Holocaust survivor Mira Kimmelman’s memoir, Echoes from the Holocaust, concludes “Only by remembering the bitter lesson of Hitler’s legacy can we hope it will never be repeated. Teach it, tell it, read it.” The four-session class will do just that – examine the historical context and phases of the Holocaust, analyze its impact on our modern world, and explore the questions that it raises about democracy, tolerance, bigotry, and hatred.
As conveyed through her memoir, speeches, and interviews, Mira Kimmelman’s Holocaust experiences will provide personal context for our study. Class members should buy or borrow a copy of Echoes from the Holocaust prior to the first class meeting.
This class is discussion-based and interactive. Attendance each week is strongly encouraged. Each two-hour session will include a short break, and snacks will be provided. An optional ‘field trip’ to the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge synagogue will be scheduled between the first and second meetings of the class.
Reddick-DeVan-Rosenberg
Steve Reddick is a retired Oak Ridge Schools' history teacher and current Holocaust education for the Tennessee Holocaust Commission and for Facing History and Ourselves. For the past seven years, he has co-facilitated the Mira Kimmelman Holocaust Education Study Group that was originally organized by the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge and the Unitarian Universalist Church and now meets through ORICL.
Dorothy DeVan retired from teaching English at Jefferson Middle School several years ago. Each year, she taught a unit of Holocaust literature that included the play version of the The Diary of Anne Frank, plus excerpts from Holocaust survivor memoirs, including local author, Mira Kimmelman. She has previously taught two ORICL classes focusing on short stories, and she also teaches English as a Second Language classes twice a week at Grace Lutheran Church.
Dale Rosenberg is a Jewish educator and the Rebbitzen of the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge. She has been teaching at ORICL since moving to Oak Ridge in the beginning of 2024. She was a participant in the Holocaust Study Group last year and is looking forward to joining the instructor team.