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SNCF Supports Center for Holocaust & Human Rights Education

91���� received a gift of $260,000 from SNCF America, Inc., to establish the SNCF America Holocaust and Human Rights Education Fund.

From left, Heather Coltman, DMA, dean of 91����’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters; Valerie Bristor, Ph.D., dean of 91����’s College of Education; 91���� President John Kelly; Alain Leray, SNCF America president and CEO; Linda Medvin, visiting director of 91����’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education; and Rosanna Gatens, retired director of 91����’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education

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91���� recently received a gift of $260,000 from SNCF America, Inc., a subsidiary of the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français, the state-owned national railway of France, to establish the SNCF America Holocaust and Human Rights Education Fund. The fund will be used over the next five years to support 91����’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE), which provides training and resources for teachers involved with Holocaust, genocide and human rights education.

“We are deeply appreciative of this gift from SNCF America, which will help support 91����’s ongoing commitment to peace, justice and human rights,” said 91���� President John Kelly. “Diversity is one of the core values of this institution and the CHHRE is helping to create a culture of tolerance among our young people. This gift will go beyond 91���� and have a broad impact on our local teachers and the students they reach.”

91����’s CHHRE was one of five organizations selected to receive funding from SNCF America, along with the Anti-Defamation League; March of the Living; Simon Wiesenthal Center; and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. A designated site for the Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Task Force on Holocaust Education, the CHHRE prepares teachers to implement Florida’s mandate for Holocaust education, using historical data and lessons devised to stimulate discussions on ethics, individual responsibility, nonviolence and conflict resolution. Services include a summer institute for teachers, a Holocaust survivors’ speaker’s bureau, professional development workshops, lectures, exhibits and film series.

“SNCF America is dedicated to supporting Holocaust education in order to motivate younger generations to become activists for peace and promote respect between human beings,” said Alain Leray, president and CEO of SNCF America. “91����’s track record speaks for itself. We fully trust the director and staff of the Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education to train educators whose mission is to ensure that our children will live freely.”

For more than 25 years, SNCF has been engaged in historical research, transparency initiatives, and remembrance activities related to its history during World War II. SNCF’s leadership believes that education is central to ensuring that lessons learned during and after the Holocaust are remembered and taught to young people today.

91����’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education relies entirely on the private support of generous donors. To make a gift or to learn more, visit or contact Linda Medvin at lmedvin@fau.edu or 561-297-2929.

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Tags: education | arts and letters