by George J Elbaum

Facing History and Ourselves presented this 5-day seminar Democracy at Risk: Holocaust and Human Behavior for teachers of 6-12^th grades of U.S. history, world history, humanities, and English language arts, because in today’s world, questions of how to best build and maintain democratic societies that are pluralistic, open, and resilient to violence are more relevant than ever. Studying the Holocaust using Facing History’s approach allows students to wrestle with profound moral questions raised by this history and fosters their skills in ethical reasoning, critical thinking, empathy, and civic engagement—all of which are critical for sustaining democracy.

This seminar features the fully revised, printed edition of Holocaust and Human Behavior which was given to each of the attending teachers.  It was co-facilitated by Facing History’s Jack Weinstein and Sarah Altschul, with support from Brian Fong and Emily Ocon, and was also attended by Facing History’s Board of Directors member, Joyce Reynolds-Sinclair.