About the Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Family Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE)

As generations of Holocaust survivors are no longer able to tell their stories, education is more important than ever. That’s why FAU established the Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE) in 1996; it prepares school district professionals and support staff to implement Florida’s statute requiring instruction of the Holocaust.

The Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Family Gutterman Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE) is a formal unit within FAU’s Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights (PJHR), a university-wide effort established in 2015 and designed to bring together scholars, practitioners, students and community leaders to expand the reach and influence of existing peace, justice and human rights programs.

In January 2019, the CHHRE moved within the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters to strengthen its impact, outreach efforts and distinction. And in September 2020, the Gutterman Family advanced our goal to expand our impact when they gave a generous naming gift, elevating our work under the new auspices of the Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Family Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education.

WHAT WE DO

Each year, the Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Family CHHRE serves more than 500 K-12 teachers as well as 350 FAU students through professional development workshops, the Annual Holocaust Summer Institute for Educators, intensive travel-study opportunities, and community programs. Our work is aimed at:

Combatting prejudice, hatred, and indifference
Applying the lessons of the Holocaust to understand the consequences of prejudice, racism and stereotyping
Identifying behaviors that discriminate against people
Knowing when and how to act on behalf of others whether you know them or not; and
Being responsible and respectful people, and to encouraging tolerance of diversity within our society

By understanding the challenges in the classroom, the Arthur and Emalie Gutterman Family CHHRE determines best practices for program implementation at different grade levels by developing age-appropriate curricula and providing resources for K-12 teachers.

Research has demonstrated that learning about the Holocaust in school is positively associated with citizenship values in adults. Studies have also shown that Holocaust education facilitates the development of students’ tolerance and intolerance, as well as their prosocial behavioral skills.

THE IMPACT OF HOLOCAUST EDUCATION

According to results from a 2020 Echoes and Reflections* survey, students exposed to Holocaust education demonstrate higher critical thinking skills and a greater sense of social responsibility, as well as civic engagement, if survivor testimony was part of their experience.

28% OF STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO CHALLENGE INCORRECT OR BIASED INFORMATION

12% OF STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO CHALLENGE INTOLERANT BEHAVIOR IN OTHERS

20% OF STUDENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO STAND UP TO NEGATIVE STEREOTYPING

*Echoes and Reflections is a partnership between the Anti-Defamation League, the USC Shoah Foundation, and Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, Israel

150 STUDENTS BENEFIT FOR EVERY 1 TEACHER WHO WORKS WITH THE GUTTERMAN FAMILY CENTER