What has enabled individuals and groups to stand up for a principle, to make a difference in their community and their world? Educators are invited to join the Museum on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009 for an introduction to the resources and methodology of Facing History and Ourselves, an international educational and professional development organization. Topics for review will include the role of upstanders in history, or those people who stood up for what they believed and truly became the change they sought in the world. Participants will be introduced to the organization’s main case study, "Holocaust and Human Behavior," as well as the group’s print and online resources. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is $20, and participants must register by Feb. 5, 2009. RSVP online at www.facinghistory.org/FHintro or contact Tracy Garrison-Feinberg at 212-868-6544, ext. 34 or by e-mail at tracy_garrison-feinberg@facing.org.

TEACHER TRAINING: "THE ART AND POWER OF POLITICAL CARTOONS" FEATURES FORMER HOUSTON CHRONICLE EDITORIAL CARTOONIST CLYDE PETERSON

Political cartoons are powerful mediums for transmitting critical thought on issues. On display at Holocaust Museum Houston now are the political cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel, also known as “Dr. Seuss,” and illustrator Arthur Szyk.  Join us Tuesday, Feb. 17, for a one-day teacher training session focusing on the work of these two men while addressing the TAKS standards relevant to analysis of political cartoons.  T he event is free to teachers, but educators will need to provide their own lunch. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the class from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Register by Feb. 9 by e-mailing education@hmh.org. 

The session will include an appearance by former Houston Chronicle editorial cartoonist Clyde Peterson, who ended his career as one of the nation’s most widely respected editorial cartoonists in 2006 after an astonishing run of 40 years and more than 12,000 drawings. Apart from his cartoons, as many as six per week in the Chronicle, Peterson - who drew under the pen name of C.P. Houston - contributed countless drawings for public service booklets and other occasions and publications. His drawings have graced the auction tables of almost every charity in Houston, and he has been a tireless volunteer in the public schools. In this free public lecture, Peterson will discuss his life-long work and the motivation and impact of other cartoonists and illustrators such as Szyk. If you can't attend the workshop, meet Peterson in a free public reception beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by his lecture at 7 p.m. Peterson will speak on the topic "Those Darn Pictures: How Political Cartoons Have Changed Our World." Visit www.hmh.org/register.asp to RSVP online. For more information, call 713-942-8000, ext. 112 or e-mail events@hmh.org.

APPLICATION DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR JEWISH FOUNDATION FOR THE RIGHTEOUS SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

Applications for the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) Summer Institute for Teachers are now being accepted through Feb. 16. Holocaust Museum Houston is recognized as a JFR Center of Excellence and will partially support one teacher to attend this prestigious program. For nomination, alumni of Holocaust Museum Houston programs are invited to submit their names by Feb. 16, 2009. This residential program takes place at Columbia University in New York City June 28 through July 2, 2009 and has an intensive reading requirement. For more information or to submit a nomination, call the Education Department at 713-942-8000, ext. 123 or e-mail education@hmh.org.

SAVE THE DATE FOR THIS YEAR'S MAX M. KAPLAN SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

The Max M. Kaplan Summer Institute for Educators at Holocaust Museum Houston is a four-day program that moves beyond the general history of the Holocaust to explore the various dimensions and implications of the Holocaust and other genocides. This year's institute runs from July 7 through July 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The institute provides substantive content and the opportunity to network with internationally known scholars of the Holocaust and teachers from around the world. The program is directed toward educators on a secondary or higher level, but university students and educators of all levels who have a specific interest in and background knowledge of the Holocaust are invited to attend. Seating is limited and is on a competitive basis. The cost to attend the program is $150, which includes lunch and materials for the four days. Applications for the 2009 institute must be received with payment by Monday, June 22, 2009. For more information, call 713-942-8000, ext. 123 or e-mail teachertraining@hmh.org.

HELP TEACH THE DANGERS OF HATRED: BECOME A DOCENT

Teaching the dangers of prejudice and hatred against the backdrop of the Holocaust would be an almost impossible task without the assistance of volunteers who help educate the thousands of visitors to Holocaust Museum Houston each year. In preparation for this fall’s busy tour schedule, HMH is now accepting applications for tour guides, commonly called docents, to help with those tasks. Volunteers will be trained in the history of the Holocaust and taught to give tours during seven weeks of training. The class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. from Aug. 4 through Sept. 17. The deadline for applications is June 15, 2009. For more information on becoming a docent, call 713-942-8000, ext. 102 or e-mail volunteers@hmh.org.

ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO ENTER THIS YEAR'S STATEWIDE YOM HASHOAH STUDENT ART, WRITING AND VIDEO CONTEST

The Texas Coalition for Holocaust Education sponsors an annual statewide art, writing and  video contest to mark Holocaust Commemoration Day (called Yom Hashoah in Hebrew) in remembrance of the 6 million Jewish victims and the millions of other innocents who suffered unjustly.

The theme for 2009 is “The Holocaust Through the Eyes of Its Youngest Victims.”  The children and youth victimized during the Holocaust were some of the most vulnerable of the powerless victims. Their varied experiences are the theme of this year's contest. Students will explore and respond to the experiences of these children and youth in artistic and creative ways. They will learn about children and youth who were enslaved in the labor camps, imprisoned in the ghettos, hidden in forests and in private Christian homes, and targeted for death at the hands of the Nazis. Even if they were survivors, rescuers or even resistors, they were all victims. Within the context of the Holocaust (but not isolated or separately), students may also wish to research and respond to the experiences of child victims of genocide in places like Rwanda, Darfur, Cambodia, Bosnia and elsewhere.

For complete Information about the contest, including rules and deadlines, click here.

SUPPORT CREATION OF THE TEXAS HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE COMMISSION

In 2007, Texas passed landmark legislation divesting from firms that supported genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Now, backers hope the state will again take steps to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides are never forgotten.

State Sens. Rodney Ellis and Florence Shapiro have introduced Senate Bill 482 for consideration in the 2009 session of the Texas Legislature — legislation to create a Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission. Under the current draft of the bill, this commission would serve in an advisory capacity for Holocaust and genocide education, as well as a clearinghouse for Texas educators who need resources and advice on teaching these topics. The 18-member commission would be appointed, and the Office of the Secretary of the State would support its work.

Holocaust Museum Houston and many other organizations — including the Anti-Defamation League Southwest Region; the Holocaust museums in Dallas and El Paso; the Department of Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars; Jewish Federation of Greater Houston; and the national organizations Save Darfur and Genocide Intervention Network — support this legislation, and ask you to do so as well. For information on how to contact your state senator or representative to urge passage of this legislation, visit our Web site at www.hmh.org. You can also download a copy of the proposed bill.

EMERY/WEINER AND HMH HOST "BEYOND SURVIVAL: WISDOM FOR THE FUTURE"

Join Holocaust Museum Houston and the Emery/Weiner School for this special presentation of “Beyond Survival: Wisdom for the Future,” an oral history film project that records the lessons of the Holocaust and its aftermath. The school’s 12th-grade students gained firsthand knowledge by being paired with Holocaust survivors, whom they interviewed. From the videotaped footage of the interviews, the students have created a powerful documentary based on the survivors’ wisdom on hate and forgiveness. The documentary focuses on survivors Edith Mincberg; Bill Morgan; Sam and Pauline Rubin; Ruben Samelson; Ruth Steinfeld; Naomi Warren and Ben Waserman. The film begins at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, at the Becker Theater, Emery/Weiner School, 9825 Stella Link. Admission is free, and advance registration is not required. For more information, call 713-942-8000, ext. 105 or e-mail education@hmh.org.