The Charlotte Jewish News- October 2026- Page 23
Charlotte Is Leading the Way in Reimagining Holocaust Education
By Katie Cunningham This past August, Charlotte became the setting for a national conversation focused on how Holocaust education can help combat antisemitism. Hosted by Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte( JFGC), the evening brought multiple organizations together to examine the role education can play in confronting antisemitism. The program included the Anti-Defamation League( ADL), the Stan Greenspon Holocaust Education Center( SGC), Echoes & Reflections and the Butterfly Project, which moderated the panel discussion.
The evening opened with a presentation about new research from the ADL examining whether Holocaust education can influence antisemitic attitudes among students. The research found that even a single, thoughtfully designed classroom lesson can significantly reduce students’ acceptance of antisemitic stereotypes.
The Stan Greenspon Holocaust Education Center( SGC) has played a significant role in making this research possible by supporting the ADL in conducting the field research. For SGC, this work reflects a commitment to advancing Holocaust education through research, collaboration and educator training. Becoming an independent nonprofit organization has allowed SGC to build on years of educational expertise while expanding its capacity to conduct research, develop programs, train educators and collaborate with national organizations.
SGC is increasingly serving as a bridge between research and the classroom, translating emerging findings into practical approaches that respond to the needs of teachers and students.
Katie Cunningham, director of education at SGC, then shared findings from her own doctoral research examining the relationship between Holocaust education and antisemitic beliefs. Her research points in the same direction as the ADL study: when Holocaust education is thoughtfully designed and connected to Jewish life, identity and contemporary antisemitism, it has the potential to shape not only what students know but also how they understand and respond to antisemitism.
A lively panel discussion and audience Q & A followed the presentations. The conversation moved from research to the practical questions educators and organizations face: How do we bring this work into more classrooms? How do we prepare more teachers? What role do non-Jewish educators and community partners play? How can this work be sustainably funded? How should educators approach contemporary issues, including Israel and anti-Zionism, when teaching about antisemitism?
The evening highlighted something that many people in Charlotte may not yet realize. Work at the intersection of Holocaust education, Jewish literacy and antisemitism is taking place right here in our own community.
That August night brought researchers, educators, Jewish organizations and community partners, Jews and non-Jews alike, together not simply to talk about antisemitism but to ask what they can actually do about it. And that may be the most encouraging takeaway of all.
We do not have to accept rising antisemitism as inevitable. We can equip young people with knowledge. We can train teachers to have difficult conversations. We can teach the Holocaust in ways that honor the experiences of its victims and survivors while helping students recognize the warning signs of hatred in their own communities. We can build partnerships that turn research into action.
The work is rooted in a simple but increasingly urgent idea: Holocaust education should not end with learning what happened in the past. It should help students understand the forces that made the Holocaust possible and recognize and challenge antisemitism in the world around them today.
And here in Charlotte, that work is already underway.
2024-2025 CTP5 ACHIEVEMENT RESULTS CJDS STUDENTS RANK IN THE TOP 15 % OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE
TOP 10 %
in Verbal Reasoning among all Independent Schools
+ 35 pts
above the National Norm on average across all subjects
6 of 6
subjects rank above the 80th percentile
GRADES 3-8 • COMPREHENSIVE TESTING PROGRAM 5( CTP5)
PERCENTILE SCORES VS. NATIONAL NORM( 50TH PERCENTILE)
Verbal Reasoning
Reading
Mathematics
Writing Mechanics
Vocabulary
Writing Concepts & Skills
CJDS score National Norm( 50th percentile)
82nd 84th
81st
90th
87th 85th
SETTING THE STANDARD FOR TK-8 EDUCATION
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