What it does
The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (HHC) exists to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust inspire action today. HHC educates about the Holocaust, remembers its victims and acts on its lessons. Through innovative programs and partnerships, HHC challenges injustice, inhumanity and prejudice, and fosters understanding, inclusion and engaged citizenship.
Collections & Exhibitions: The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center's exhibits and collections combine powerful storytelling with authentic artifacts to connect Holocaust history to present-day action. The museum's permanent exhibits immerse visitors in survivor experiences-especially those who rebuilt their lives in Cincinnati-through interactive technology, personal narratives, and meaningful objects that highlight resilience, loss, and moral courage. Visitors also focus on what it means to be an upstander today by reflecting on their own choices and capacity to act. In addition, HHC periodically features temporary and traveling exhibits that bring these stories and themes to broader audiences beyond the museum walls. Complementing these exhibits, the Permanent Collection preserves an extensive collection of artifacts, archival materials, and recorded testimonies rooted in local eyewitness experiences of the Holocaust and WWII. This growing collection supports Holocaust education and research while ensuring individual stories are safeguarded for future generations.
Holocaust Education: Through student field trips, educator trainings, and public programming, the Holocaust & Humanity Center educates audiences about the Holocaust and its enduring lessons. HHC serves nearly 16,000 students annually through field trips, youth programs, and the Coppel Speakers Bureau. In addition, hundreds of educators participate in the Center's professional development programs, which promote best practices in Holocaust education and equip teachers with the tools they need to effectively teach this history. Finally, through Holocaust awareness initiatives, the Center reaches the broader public by hosting scholarly lectures, gallery talks with Holocaust survivors, and community commemorations such as Yom HaShoah and Kristallnacht.
Humanity Education Initiatives: Building on the lessons of the Holocaust, the Holocaust & Humanity Center's upstander education initiatives empower individuals to harness their unique character strengths and become upstanders in their communities today. Through interactive workshops and professional learning experiences, the Center partners with corporate, civic, and nonprofit organizations to build strengths-based cultures of upstanders. The Center also brings this work to the broader community through Upstander Month, a dynamic series of public programs that inspire action. A cornerstone of this month is the Upstander Awards & Gala, held annually to celebrate the legacy of Cincinnati's Holocaust survivors while honoring local heroes whose courage, compassion, and leadership embody the spirit of upstanding.