What it does
Educate about the history of the Holocaust, seeking to remind citizens that prejudice, hatred, and violence, as manifested in the Holocaust and other genocides, leads to the destruction of a humane society.
Exhibitions - The Commission manages several exhibits. The most ambitious project for the state of Tennessee, entitled Living On: Portraits of Tennessee survivors and liberators, recorded stories and portraits of Holocaust survivors, refugees, and US Army personnel who liberated survivors or experienced the events of the Holocaust firsthand. What began as an intention to record biographical accounts for historical purposes became a rich, multifacted artistic and education model that has drawn audiences from across the state. Living on Now includes a museum exhibition, public programs, a teacher seminar and a variety of printed materials supplied to every venue, including teacher materials. The Commission also manages two other exhibits/ An exhibit entitled Perpetrators portrays the people who made Hitler possible and is designed to educate and provoke study and discussion. The Nelly Toll exhibit is a series of watercolor paintings based on the childhood memories of Nelly Toll who was 6 years old when the Nazis occupied Poland in September 1939.
Community Events - The Commission plans and hosts a variety of community events around the state and virtually. These include Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance) events, Survivor speakers, Library programming, and various educational webinars that are open to the public. These programs are either requested by an outside entity or created by staff and put on in locations and manners to provide Holocaust education to the community at large.
Education Outreach Programs - These programs serve teachers and students in public, private, home-school, and parochial settings throughout the state. These programs include annual conferences in the three grand divisions of the state. These conferences are designed to introduce teachers and students to in-depth study on research focused topics regarding the Holocaust. Conferences include sessions with survivors who were eyewitnesses to this crisis in history or their children as well as training from staff historian or other experts in the field. These programs typically are requested by an outside educational entity. During 2025, the program supported 25 educators on an educational 8 day tour of Poland that included visiting Auschwitz, Treblinka and both Warsaw and Krakow Ghettos.