Representatives from the North Carolina Holocaust Foundation accept a donation from Temple Beth El Brotherhood. From left: Fred Valfer, Mitch Rifkin, Mike Abramson, and Laurie Schaefer.

By Fred Valfer

As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps and the end of WWII, the Temple Beth El( TBE) Brotherhood is reaffirming its commitment to Holocaust education in North Carolina. At a time when the number of survivors able to tell their stories grows fewer, the Brotherhood has raised over $ 3,500 for the North Carolina Holocaust Foundation. This donation will support the Foundation’ s critical mission of funding Holocaust education efforts across the state.

The North Carolina Holocaust Foundation serves as the vehicle through which funds are directed to the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust. The Council uses these resources to support essential educational initiatives, including teacher training, classroom resources, and study trips for educators to Washington D. C. and to Holocaust sites in Poland. These efforts are part of the ongoing implementation of the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act enacted in November

2021, which mandates Holocaust and genocide education in North Carolina public schools for grades 6 through 12.

For Fred Valfer, president of the TBE Brotherhood and a member of both the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust and The North Carolina Holocaust Foundation, the work is deeply personal. His parents survived deportation to Terezin

during World War II, while other members of his family, including his great-grandmother, were lost in the Holocaust.

“ As the son and grandson of survivors, I feel a deep responsibility to help ensure these stories continue to be told,” Valfer said.“ Educating students is one of the most powerful ways we can combat rising antisemitism.”

In addition to his work with

the Council and Foundation, Valfer serves on the Council’ s Holocaust Speakers bureau and shares his family’ s story in schools and community settings across the region. In the past year, he delivered 16 presentations across six school districts, in addition to civic and student groups.

The funds raised by the TBE Brotherhood have been used to help provide Holocaust-related books, webinars, exhibits, and in-person workshops to students in the greater Charlotte area, supporting the state’ s implementation of the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act; a mandate that the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust works hard to fulfill with limited State and public funding.

But for Valfer, this is just the beginning. He hopes Temple Beth El’ s model will inspire other affinity groups— brotherhoods, sisterhoods, book clubs, youth groups— to find creative ways to get involved.

“ The Brotherhood isn’ t a major foundation with a grant,” he said.“ We are a group of individuals

who simply decide to act. That’ s something any community group can do.”

Through collective action and unwavering commitment to Holocaust education, we ensure that future generations will not only learn about the past but also carry forward the responsibility to recognize and combat hate and prejudice in all its forms.

To learn more about the work of the North Carolina Holocaust Foundation and Council— and to explore how your group can make a difference, contact Fred Valfer fmvalfer1 @ gmail. com.