Dale Daniels, executive director of the Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, will retain the position when the center changes its name in July to the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education Center at BCC. Photo by Jill Huber
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Beyond the HolocaustApril 22, 2008
The Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft is getting a name change.
Beginning July 1 it will be known as the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education Center at BCC.
The name change will clarify the full mission and scope of the center, said its executive director, Dale Daniels. The move has been under discussion for two years and was approved unanimously by the center’s 12-member board of directors — two of whom are Holocaust survivors — in January.
“While the current name has never been a limitation to the educational services the center offers, it repeatedly has proven to be a barrier to the community’s perception of the center,” said Daniels. “The assumption is made, understandably so, that the only area of concern and focus at the center is the Holocaust.”
This misconception has limited the use of the center’s services and resources by BCC staff and students and by the community, including schools and educators, she said.
“We have also come to recognize that grant opportunities also are affected by the funding community’s interpretation of the center’s name,” said Daniels.
Since its founding 30 years ago, the center’s mission has included serving as a resource for education about historical issues of the Holocaust and genocide and furthering the elimination of racism, anti-Semitism, and all forms of prejudice that damage society.
The name change also will highlight the facility’s function as an educational resource.
“We are not a political action center, nor are we a research center, as the term ‘studies’ implies,” Daniels said. “The center’s role is to educate our target audience, which includes Brookdale, Monmouth County schools, and the community at large about crucial human rights issues, and to provide them with related services and resources.”
The center’s staff, board, volunteers, and network of Holocaust survivors have always acknowledged that Holocaust education must also encompass current issues, such as the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Daniels said. A thorough knowledge of the Holocaust is necessary to teach and understand the history of genocide, she added.
“Holocaust education has always been the foundation of the work of the center, and this name change ensures that it will continue to be so,” Daniels said. “The Holocaust is intrinsically linked to the persistence of genocide and human rights abuses. With its place confirmed in the new name, it will communicate to all that it remains an essential part of the center’s mission.”
According to Daniels, Prof. Jack Needle, and Dr. Seymour Siegler, the cofounders and codirectors of the center, its programs and community partnerships will continue to expand.
In 2003, the center created a Train the Trainers Program that sends 50 Monmouth County law enforcement officers each year to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, for an intensive two-day training session. Sessions focus on the role of law enforcement during the Holocaust and explore the responsibilities of law enforcement in a democracy. More than 150 officers have attended the trainings.
The center also developed a Juvenile Bias Crime Awareness Program in 2004. The 12-week program is a mandatory part of the sentencing for young offenders. Its purpose is to reduce the misperceptions and biases of the juveniles and examine the problems that lead to their crimes, Daniels said.
Since the facility opened, Holocaust survivors, more than 200 of whom live in Monmouth County, have shared their stories with students in hundreds of public, private, and parochial schools every year. Survivors’ stories are also presented to schools in book, exhibit, and media formats, and survivors often speak at center programs and community events.
“The survivors are the center’s master educators,” said Daniels. “Despite their harrowing experiences, they share messages of hope, healing, and the need to improve our world. Their messages will be a continuing focus of center programs and services.”
As long as hatred and intolerance exist in the world, violence is often close behind, she said.
“Wherever and whenever there is genocide, hatred, lack of tolerance, and bullying, there will be a breeding ground for violence,” said Daniels. “The programs and resources offered by the center will continue to promote understanding and acceptance of diversity. The perfect result would be a peaceful world.”
Additional information about center activities is available from its office at 732-224-2074.
Beyond the Holocaust
Old name: Center for Holocaust Studies at Brookdale Community College
New name: the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education Center at BCC
Why the switch: “The assumption is made, understandably so, that the only area of concern and focus at the center is the Holocaust.”
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