(New York, NY)—The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present virtual adult education classes amid the pandemic, designed to deepen students’ understanding of life before, during, and after the Holocaust.

The first three-part course, A Coat of Many Colors: Jewish Life in Europe Between the Two World Wars, begins Wednesday, March 10 and runs through Wednesday, March 24, 2021. The course meets each Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:30 PM ET and includes an hour-long lecture followed by a 30-minute student Q&A.

The University of Connecticut’s Dr. Avinoam Patt will lead the March series. Dr. Patt is the Doris and Simon Konover Chair of Judaic Studies and Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life. He is the author of Finding Home and Homeland: Jewish Youth and Zionism in the Aftermath of the Holocaust and the editor of several books on Jewish literature, history, and life.

Class Schedule:

  • Wednesday, March 10 at 5:00 PM ET – Jewish Life in Europe in the Aftermath of World War I
  • Wednesday, March 17 at 5:00 PM ET – Jewish Responses to the Rise of Hitler and Nazism
  • Wednesday, March 24 at 5:00 PM ET – Jews in Europe on the Eve of World War II

The Museum piloted the adult education course last fall, offering an Introduction to the Holocaust, generating a significant response. The Museum will host another introductory Holocaust course in May, but adults of all ages and experience levels are welcome to attend the March session. An additional adult education series this summer will explore the history of Jewish names and name-changing.

“We’re excited to offer enriching courses that are led by distinguished experts and will connect students from around the world while deepening their understanding of the Holocaust,” said Jack Kliger, President and CEO of the Museum. “Because the classes are live and have a limited capacity, they create an interactive experience that is unique from many of our other programs.”

Register for the March course at: https://mjhnyc.org/events/a-coat-of-many-colors-jewish-life-in-europe-between-the-two-world-wars/. Enrollment is for the entire series, and classes cannot be purchased individually. Space is limited.

For information on the Museum’s other educational programs, visit https://mjhnyc.org/education/.

About the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York’s contribution to the global responsibility to never forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The third largest Holocaust museum in the world and the second largest in North America, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains a collection of almost 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, a resource center for educators, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The Museum is the home of National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene.

Currently on view is the acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. This is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust ever presented in North America, bringing together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world. In response to demand, the exhibition’s run concludes May 2, 2021.

Also on view are Ordinary Treasures: Highlights from the Museum of Jewish Heritage Collection and Rendering Witness: Holocaust-Era Art as Testimony.