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The OCC Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education

Ocean County College Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education fosters student and community understanding of the causes and legacy of the Holocaust and other genocides such as the Armenian genocide, to create an acute awareness of contemporary human rights abuses locally, nationally, and globally through lectures, exhibits, and events. Please visit our website often to see what programs are forthcoming.

If you have any questions or suggestions for future programs and presenters, please contact:

Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig, Professor/Director of the Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education
Location: W. Kable Russell Building (#7), Room 227
Phone: 732.255.0400, Ext. 2368
Email: abotein-furrevig@ocean.edu

Our Mission Statement

The core mission of the Ocean County College Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education at Ocean County College is to serve the college and community by offering innovative educational programs and events which foster awareness of the Holocaust, genocides, and other crimes against humanity, and which advance ongoing dialogue about the pernicious consequences of bigotry, ethnic hatred, indifference, and intolerance. To this end, the Center will:

  • Regularly invite distinguished speakers to discuss topics regarding the Holocaust, genocides, and human rights.
  • Encourage student involvement in the work of the Center and in the pursuit of further study on issues pertinent to genocides and human rights, including an understanding of the various systemic stages of genocide and recognition of the signs and symptoms of prejudice and intolerance.
  • Introduce to the community, timely and frequent discussion of local, national, and global issues relevant to the mission of the Center.
  • Cultivate a campus climate that encourages reflection upon moral and ethical questions, so that students can become engaged and informed citizens committed to mutual respect and justice.
  • Maintain a program of outreach to local schools to engage students in the Center’s programs and to be a resource center for further study in holocaust and genocide studies, as well as cultural diversity.
  • Sponsor Yom haShoah, a week of Holocaust Remembrance events, including: personal testimonies and experiences of survivors; scholarly historical presentations; workshops; memorial prayer services; film, art, and music programs relative to the Holocaust.

2024 Events

All events are free and open to the public.

Questions?

Contact Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig 732-255-0400 ext. 2368 or abotein-furrevig@ocean.edu.

War on Israel

In the early morning hours of October 7, 2023, almost 50 years to the day of the Yom Kippur war, the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, launched an unprovoked large-scale air, sea, and land attack against Israel. They fired thousands of rockets and infiltrated towns and cities after crossing the fortified borders between Israel and Gaza. Hundreds of Israeli lives have been lost, over 1000 wounded, and Hamas has taken women, children, and the elderly hostage. The Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education is devastated by the events unfolding in Israel. I hope that we will all, in our own ways, keep the victims of this barbaric attack in our thoughts and prayers in this moment of trial and tribulation

Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig, Professor/Director OCC CHGHRE

“The most deadly poison of our time is indifference” – Maximillian Kolbe

Maximillian Kolbe, venerated as Saint Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a Jewish man in the German death camp of Auschwitz.

Yom ha Shoah 2024

The OCC Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education has announced its Spring, 2024 program for Holocaust Remembrance Week May 6th through the 9th. The historical and topical theme of the event is: Aspects of the Holocaust and their Implications and Relevance in Today’s World. More information to follow in early 2024.

Questions? Contact Dr. Botein-Furrevig: (732)255-0400 X2368; abotein-furrevig@ocean.edu

HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

Our Mission Statement

The core mission of the Ocean County College Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education at Ocean County College is to serve the college and community by offering innovative educational programs and events which foster awareness of the Holocaust, genocides, and other crimes against humanity, and which advance ongoing dialogue about the pernicious consequences of bigotry, ethnic hatred, indifference, and intolerance. To this end, the Center will:

  • Regularly invite distinguished speakers to discuss topics regarding the Holocaust, genocides, and human rights.
  • Encourage student involvement in the work of the Center and in the pursuit of further study on issues pertinent to genocides and human rights, including an understanding of the various systemic stages of genocide and recognition of the signs and symptoms of prejudice and intolerance.
  • Introduce to the community, timely and frequent discussion of local, national, and global issues relevant to the mission of the Center.
  • Cultivate a campus climate that encourages reflection upon moral and ethical questions, so that students can become engaged and informed citizens committed to mutual respect and justice.
  • Maintain a program of outreach to local schools to engage students in the Center’s programs and to be a resource center for further study in holocaust and genocide studies, as well as cultural diversity.
  • Sponsor Yom HaShoah, a week of Holocaust Remembrance events, including: personal testimonies and experiences of survivors; scholarly historical presentations; workshops; memorial prayer services; film, art, and music programs relative to the Holocaust.
Past Events
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please contact:
Ali Botein Furrevig, Ph.D.
Professor/Director of the Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education

NOTABLE QUOTES

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) Born in Transylvania. Holocaust survivor, Nobel Prize winning writer, teacher, activist speaking out against persecution and injustice around the globe.

“The highest result of education is tolerance.”

Helen Keller (1880-1968) American author and educator who was blind and deaf.

MORE ABOUT DR. ALI BOTEIN FURREVIG

Dr. Botein-Furrevig holds a BA, MA, and Ph.D. in English literature and is a recipient of a 2009 fellowship at the renowned YIVO Institute in NYC. She holds certificates in Jewish and Holocaust studies from American and Israeli universities. A retired tenured English professor at OCC, she developed courses in Hebrew, Jewish literature, and Holocaust literature. As Center Director, she teaches courses for the college community on Holocaust and Genocide studies, and Jewish culture and history. She also develops and delivers outreach programs for local schools on Judaism and antisemitism. Dr. Botein-Furrevig is the author of four books, two of which received distinguished awards: Heart of the Stranger: A Portrait of Lakewood’s Orthodox Community and Last Waltz on the Danube: The Ethnic German Genocide in History and Memory; The Stories We Carry: Texts and Contexts of Jewish History and Literature from the Biblical Era through the Diaspora; Beyond the Pale: Shtetl Roots, Emigrant Routes, and a New York City Love Story. Dr. Botein-Furrevig is a popular speaker throughout New York and New Jersey.

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