AUGUSTA — The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine kicked off its summer seminar series for Maine teachers with a two-day intensive training on July 9 and 10 titled “Holocaust and Human Behavior,” presented in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves and will be facilitated by Daniel Pearl and David Greenham, according to a news release from the center.

“In these turbulent times, it’s important not to shy away from difficult conversations about Holocaust history or human rights today. Through the summer seminar series, we work to equip teachers with tools to have these conversations,”  said David Greenham, associate director of the HHRC, according to the release. “The journey that takes place for teachers here at the Klahr Center has a significant impact and creates the basis for teaching a profound examination of the Holocaust.”

This seminar was the first in a series that will include anti-bias, immigrants’ rights and slavery in Maine. Middle and high school teachers from all over the state are welcome to participate in these seminars designed for continuing education credit.

“Teacher training is core to our mission of promoting universal respect for human rights through education,” said Shenna Bellows, executive director of the HHRC, according to the release. “The HHRC’s summer seminars are a huge opportunity for teachers to gain skills and knowledge to bring Holocaust history and human rights into Maine classrooms.”

Upcoming seminars, held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day, include: Yearning to Breathe Free: The Immigrant Experience in Maine July 18 and 19, cost is $125; Teaching Tolerance: Social Justice 101 & the Teaching Tolerance Curriculum on July 30, free; and Slavery in Maine on Aug. 7, cost is $100. Workshops are designed for middle and high school teachers of history, literature and the humanities.

To register, or for more information, visit hhrcmaine.org.

All programs will be held at the Michael Klahr Center on the campus of the University of Maine at Augusta, 46 University Drive, Augusta.

The Michael Klahr Center is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and houses permanent exhibits dedicated to the history of Holocaust survivors who came to Maine after World War II.

The Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine is a nonprofit organization that promotes universal respect for human rights through outreach and education. Using the lessons of the Holocaust and other events past and present, the HHRC encourages individuals and communities to reflect and act upon their moral responsibilities to confront prejudice, intolerance and discrimination.

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