It is with gratitude that we send this Rosh Hashanah greeting to all our teachers, partners and supporters.

This has been a significant year of transition and growth for The Olga Lengyel Institute (TOLI). We:

• Expanded our reach to 25 states in the US and 16 countries in Europe;
• Sponsored 24 seminars, impacting over 600 teachers – our highest annual numbers yet;
• Piloted a seminar specifically for Catholic school educators;
• Celebrated reaching the milestone of 5,000 teachers in the TOLI global network.
• Gathered our 40 US Teacher-Leaders to renew skills and address current challenges, and paid tribute to Sondra Perl, our founding US Programs Director, upon her retirement;
• Welcomed Andrea Elliott as Director of US Programs and expanded our staff;
• Launched a new website and put in place new systems for organizational effectiveness.

The importance of our mission to educate about the Holocaust has been heightened by world events. In particular, the Israel-Gaza war has triggered a rise in global antisemitism and there has been a rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation and Holocaust distortion. TOLI seminars are equipping teachers to combat these disturbing trends. 

What has buoyed us and given us hope is the incredible commitment of TOLI educators who dedicate their precious time to our intensive five-day seminars and take our unique pedagogy into their classrooms. Teachers are on the frontlines of ensuring that the next generation will understand the importance of preserving democracy and civil society so hate cannot take hold.

We enter the Jewish New Year 5785 with new energy and commitment to our mission to empower teachers to engage today’s students in Holocaust and human rights education. We thank each of you for being part of the TOLI family, and hope you share our pride in what we are accomplishing in honor of Olga’s memory to help heal this world.

L’Shana Tova,

Mark Berez, President

Deborah Lauter, Executive Director

New Year, New Look!

We have improved our website to center the voices of teachers who have participated in our programs, and make it easier for prospective teachers to see our seminar offerings and register. We will also be linking to helpful classroom resources that have been developed by many of our Holocaust education partner organizations. The updated site also makes it easier to access our archive of virtual programs, newsletters and media.

Please watch this video featuring some of our amazing “teacher leaders” speaking about the impact TOLI has had on their teaching and lives. It also can be accessed on our inaugural website homepage.

TOLI Inaugural Program in Albania Reaches Educators and Garners Worldwide Press

This summer, TOLI launched new seminars in Albania, Slovakia, Georgia, and Hungary with support from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference).

An article in JTA about TOLI's inaugural program in Albania received worldwide coverage, appearing in The Forward, Washington Jewish Week, Times of Israel and several media in Europe. The report by Larry Luxner cited the rescue of Albania's Jewish community (approximately 3,000 people) during the Holocaust, how little is known about it, and lessons for today as antisemitism surges in Europe. 

Our Albania seminar enabled over 30 Albanian teachers to learn about the Christians and Muslims who saved Jews - including many refugees from nearby countries - while genocide was taking place across the rest of Europe. The program in Elbasan featured guest speaker, Felicita Jakoel, daughter of the late patriarch of the post-war Albanian Jewish community, who spoke about the long history of the community's rescue.

Say "Chai" to TOLI

It has been 18 years since Auschwitz survivor and author Olga Lengyel's legacy initiated a program dedicated to educating teachers about the Holocaust so that they could teach students about the consequences of hate and ensure that it never takes hold again.

To honor Olga’s legacy, please join us in our Fall Fundraising Campaign – Say "Chai" to TOLI – with a contribution in a multiple of $18 and help us expand our Holocaust and Human Rights seminars for teachers in the US and throughout Europe.

*"Chai" is the Hebrew word for “Life.” Hebrew letters have numeric values and Chai’s 18 is considered a special number in Jewish tradition.

Student Art Exhibition to Re-Open in 2025

We are excited to announce that TOLI will once again be sponsoring a virtual global student art exhibit. We will begin accepting submissions in January, so we are announcing it now to give alumni of our seminars time to plan class projects and collaborate with other teachers across disciplines.

The original art should reflect a student’s learning about the Holocaust and/or related concepts, such as resilience. The original student-created art can be in any artistic medium, including painting, drawing, three-dimensional sculpture, or textiles. Students may complete this art on their own or as part of a class project, and can use a book or film as inspiration or draw from the larger lessons they learned while studying the Holocaust.

More information will be posted in the coming weeks under the “Initiatives” tab on our website.

This drawing was submitted by a high school student in Tirano, Italy, in one of our previous art exhibitions. "A Successful Rescue During World War II" tells the story of Regina Zimet, a German-Jewish child who fled Nazi Germany with her parents. The three drawings show her escape, the Italian shelter, and her salvation.

The Olga Lengyel Institute, based in New York, is a recognized leader of professional development in Holocaust and human rights for teachers throughout the US and Europe. Inspired by the legacy and work of Olga Lengyel, author of “Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz,” TOLI provides educators with the knowledge and skills they need to make the Holocaust relevant for today’s students.