Educational Resources

RECOMMENDED LOCAL QUAD CITY HOLOCAUST RESOURCES

A BOOK by ME

A Book By Me is a series of short books for children, mostly about Holocaust survivors, written and illustrated primarily by middle- and high-school students. Now Available on Amazon: Holocaust, Heroes & Human Rights Series.

View sites

Shnurman Holocaust Visual Arts Contest

Shnurman Holocaust Visual Arts Contest, in partnership with the Quad City Arts, is open to grades 6-12 in the Quad City area. Contest theme is “Imagery and Expression: A Visual Response to the Holocaust.” Deadline (annual): March 1.

Entry form

Ida S. Kramer Yom HaShoah Student Essay Contest

Ida S. Kramer Student Essay Contest is open to grades 6-12 in the Quad City area. Contest theme is “Children and the Holocaust.” Deadline (annual): March 1.

Entry Form

Jeff Leibovitz Special Collection of Holocaust Education Materials

This special collection of Holocaust education materials is a valuable resource for use in instruction and research about the Holocaust. The contents of the collection are carefully chosen by the Leibovitz Collection Steering Committee to represent the highest quality materials aimed at teachers and students.

Library Collection

WIU LEIBOVITZ COLLECTION LENDING CURRICULUM CASES

Quad City educators in grades 6-8 may borrow three different Holocaust Curriculum Cases for classroom use from WIU Quad City Campus (3300 River Dr., Moline, IL) and Iowa Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (729 21st St., Bettendorf, IA). Curriculum Cases cover themes: Teaching the Holocaust, Rescuers & Resisters, and Diaries & Memoirs. For lending information visit:

Curriculum Cases

YOM HASHOAH – QC HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

Since 1982, the Yom HaShoah has been annually observed in the Quad Cities. The evening program is open to the public. It seeks to ensure that a crime of such proportions as the Holocaust will never be allowed to happen again by keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive to guard against the wanton destruction of any people. The committee was formed by representatives of the Quad Cities Jewish and Christian communities, and has maintained ecumenism in its membership and mission ever since.

Visit Facebook

Educational Requirements

Iowa HF2220 House File 2220 was signed by the Iowa Governor on March 23, 2022. Transitioned to SF 2183. An act relating to antisemitism in the State of Iowa.

Iowa HF2457 (SF 2059) (HF 2545) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed HF 2545 into law, a bill which requires teaching: World War I, World War II, the Holocaust, Cold War, 9/11, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and amendments, the Emancipation proclamation, and more. Gov. Reynolds signed the bill at Beit Shalom Jewish Community in Davenport, alongside leaders from around the state and members of the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities.https://governor.iowa.gov/press-rele

RECOMMENDED STATE, NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES ON TOLERANCE

State of Illinois
Holocaust and Genocide Study (105 ILCS 5/27-20.3)
(23 Ill.Admin.Code 1.420(r)(41)

Every public elementary and high school must provide a unit of instruction studying the events of the Nazi atrocities of 1933-1945, a period in world history known as the Holocaust.  To reinforce that lesson, such curriculum shall include an additional unit of instruction studying other acts of genocide across the globe. This unit shall include, but not be limited to, the Armenian Genocide; the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, and more recent atrocities in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Sudan. 

Each school system shall provide history and social sciences courses that include the study of that period in world history known as the Holocaust.

State of Iowa
Holocaust Requirement HF 2545

The state board of education shall complete a review and revision of the state social studies standards contained in the core content standards established pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 28, with a focus on United States history, government, founding philosophies and principles, important historical figures, western civilization, and civics. At a minimum, the revised social studies standards shall include instruction related to all of the following topics in grade one through grade twelve, in such a manner that is both relevant and appropriate for the age of the student receiving instruction:

I, World War II and instruction related to the Holocaust, and the Cold War.

Abd el-Kader Project
Started in 2008 in Elkader, Iowa this project promotes cultural literacy and humanitarianism. Abdelkader Global Leadership Prize

ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.

Facing History & Ourselves
Facing History & Ourselves provides ideas, methods, and tools that support the practical needs, and the spirits, of educators worldwide who share the goal of creating a better, more informed, and more thoughtful society.

Webinar video of Sol Nayman, entitled “Hear Lessons from a Holocaust Survivor." The webinar can be accessed on Youtube at: https://youtu.be/mhgr2NYFOsQ Recommended for 5th grade students and up.