About Us

The Holocaust Resource Center (HRC) of Kean University opened its doors in the Fall semester of 1982. The Center is a joint initiative between the University and the Holocaust Resource Foundation, a private philanthropic organization. The Center collects and disseminates knowledge of the Holocaust to commemorate and strengthen education about the Holocaust.

The mission of the HRC is to strengthen the conditions for a just and humane life in our society by collecting and disseminating knowledge of the Holocaust. The mandate for the HRC is to commemorate and strengthen education about the Holocaust.

The Center offers an annual free lecture series and a tuition-free graduate course for teachers called “Teaching the Holocaust.” As enrollment in the course increased, it expanded from the University to various local school districts to allow for greater teacher preparation. The Center also offers a follow-up course called “Teaching Prejudice Reduction.” Thousands of teachers have participated in the project. The Center's educational programs serve as a resource for many Kean University students and members of the community.

The Founding Director of the Holocaust Resource Center and the architect of all programs offered by the HRC is Dr. Joseph J. Preil.  Under his inspired leadership, dedication and guidance the HRC has become a leading repository of Holocaust survivor testimonies, books and audio-visual materials.  Under his aegis the HRC began an annual Scholar in Residence Lecture Series which has brought to campus the leading scholars in Holocaust Studies.  His vision for the Holocaust Resource Center at Kean University continues to be the inspiration for the work of the Center.

The Center:

• Conducts workshops on the Holocaust and genocides for K-12 teachers.
  
• Hosts visiting scholars, writers and others who speak at public events on campus.
  
• Provides intellectual and material resources for K-12 teachers.
  
• Coordinates activities with other organizations, on and off campus, on Holocaust, Genocide, Human Rights and Prejudice involving displaced local communities who have genocidal situations in their history, such as Native Americans, Cambodians, Sudanese, Rwandans and Bosinians.
  
• Maintains an extensive library on the Holocaust that includes books, original sources, videotapes and testimonials of Holocasut survivors, all of which are available to visiting researchers.