Arizona Education Department gives $7M to Holocaust center

The Arizona Department of Education gave a $7 million check to the Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center and the Arizona Jewish Historical Society on Sept. 10, part of an effort to educate school children about the Holocaust and genocides.

The funding will help teach those lessons to about 50,000 students, officials said in a press release.

“The Holocaust Education Center will take a multifaceted, experiential approach to presenting the history and legacy of the Holocaust,” said Steve Hilton, Project Chair for the HFHEC. “As students move through the galleries, they will experience both a physical and emotional journey, gaining knowledge and understanding that will inspire them to take action and help ‘Repair the World.’”

Several state legislators as well as Arizona Superintendent Tom Horne were on hand for the presentation.

The Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center will consist of a 28,500-square-foot building on the current campus of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society, 122 E. Culver St., Phoenix. This new facility will include a permanent state-of-the-art high-tech gallery dedicated to Holocaust education as well as an area dedicated to traveling exhibits on other genocides and closely related topics.

The Hilton Family Holocaust Education Center will serve providing educational resources for students in conjunction with a recently passed Arizona state law to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides once in middle school and again in high school.