January 2024 Newsletter

What is Genocide?

Before the Holocaust (1933-1945), the word GENOCIDE did not exist. It was only in 1944, from his safe vantage point in the United States, having escaped Poland immediately after the Nazi invasion in 1939 that Rafael Lemkin coined the term GENOCIDE. By combining the term geno (from the Greek word for race or tribe) and the term cide (from the Latin word for killing, the term GENOCIDE was born. GENOCIDE is now an internationally recognized crime.

Read: The 10 Stages of Genocide Explained

In History

An Auschwitz Survivor's Story

According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, it is estimated that at least 1.3 million people were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp complex in Poland between 1940 - 1945. There 1.1 million perished, primarily Jews, but also non-Jewish Poles, Roma people, Soviet prisoners of war, and those of other nationalities. Each year January 27 (International Holocaust Remembrance Day) commemorates the day in 1945 when Auschwitz was liberated. Click here to read the story of Murray Lynn, an Atlanta Auschwitz survivor.

Book A Speaker Program

The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust offers a variety of speaker programs. Schools and community groups of 25 or more can book a Holocaust speaker or educator for 2024. Holocaust education and testimonies are as important today as ever. As an official state agency, GCH is committed to serving the citizens of Georgia. Programs are free. Email judyschancupp@holocaust.georgia.gov for more information.

Fall Programs at Georgia Libraries

GCH Traveling Exhibits - December- January

"Survivors and Liberators"

Fayette County Public Library - December 18 - January 22

Talmo Public Library - December 11 - January 22

Switzer Library - January 29 - February 29

"WWII Veteran William A. Scott III"

Oglethorpe Mall Library - January 15 - February 15

"Fashioning A Nation"

South Cobb Regional Library - January 15 - February 15

View 2024 Traveling Library Exhibit schedule

GCH Educator Workshops

The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust assists middle and high school teachers with curriculum and sensitivities around teaching the Holocaust through Educator Workshops. Future workshops will take place at Augusta University, Univ. of North Georgia, GA Southern Univ., and Valdosta State University. Contact Patrice Weaver for more information.

Our Mission

The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust strives to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and promote public understanding of the history. It ensures that learning how and why the Holocaust happened is an important part of the education of Georgia citizens. It encourages reflection upon the moral questions raised by this unprecedented event and the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy.