What is the Holocaust?
The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. During the era of the Holocaust, German authorities also targeted other groups because of their perceived “racial inferiority”: Roma (Gypsies), the disabled, and some of the Slavic peoples (Poles, Russians, and others). Other groups were persecuted on political, ideological, and behavioral grounds, among them Communists, Socialists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals.
(Definition courtesy of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)
The term “genocide” was coined in 1944 in a book documenting Nazi policies of systematically destroying national and ethnic groups, including the mass murder of European Jews.
The Alabama Holocaust Commission (AHC) was established in 1999 by the Alabama Legislature in order to foster remembrance of the horrible atrocities committed during the Holocaust and other times in human history as the result of bigotry, discrimination, and the abuse of power; and to foster understanding, through education and awareness, of the basic principles of human rights and equal protection under the law.
The Alabama Holocaust Commission (AHC), a state agency, utilizes both public and private resources to provide Holocaust and genocide education to all Alabamians. Through Holocaust and genocide education, the Commission seeks to foster an understanding of one of the darkest periods in the history of mankind.
The Holocaust provides opportunities, especially for our young people, to recognize the need for understanding diverse cultures and the lessons history can teach us about the consequences of discrimination and hatred. In a democratic society, human rights must be maintained and discrimination and hatred must be eradicated.
Commission Members
- Ms. Lisa Bachman Birmingham, AL
- Dr. Donald Berry Mobile, AL
- Rabbi Edward Boraz Mobile, AL
- Dr. Blake Busbin Auburn, AL
- Rep. Phillip Ensler Montgomery, AL
- Rep. David Faulkner Birmingham, AL
- Rep. Danny Garrett Trussville, AL
- Ms. Farrah Hayes Gadsden, AL
- Dr. Molly Johnson Huntsville, AL
- Dr. Jim Jolly Tuscaloosa, AL
- Ms. LeAnn Judah Andalusia, AL
- Rabbi Scott Kramer Montgomery, AL
- Dr. David Meola Mobile, AL
- Dr. Barbara Minsky Dothan, AL
- Ms. Ann Mollengarden Birmingham, AL
- Dr. Dan J. Puckett, Chair Wetumpka, AL
- Dr. Christopher Shaffer Enterprise, AL
- Rabbi Steven Silberman Mobile, AL
- Sen. Jabo Waggoner Birmingham, AL
- Mr. Bill Watt Jasper, AL
- Dr. Jonathan Wiesen Birmingham, AL
State Holocaust Education Centers
The Alabama Holocaust Commission, collaborating through the Alabama Holocaust Education Center (AHEC) / Birmingham and the Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education / Mobile, offers resources in Holocaust and genocide education to everyone, in hopes of teaching remembrance as well as cultivating a sense of our individual and collective responsibilities in maintaining human rights.
Please contact our regional centers for further information on the following:
- Community Programs
- Teacher Resources/Scholarships/Workshops
Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education
Dr. Donald Berry, Executive Director
251.455.3592
Yom Hashoah Days of Remembrance
ALABAMA HOLOCAUST COMMISSION
Annual Gathering of Remembrance
Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 11:00 am CST
Alabama Department of Archives and History | 624 Washington Ave., Montgomery
Grants
Alabama Holocaust Commission (AHC) Educational Grants are awarded to Holocaust education programs and projects which promote a moral and ethical response to prejudice, hatred, and indifference for the benefit of all humanity.
All proposals should:
- Educate students, educators, and/or the community
- Be Alabama-based and benefit the people of Alabama
- Be free and open to the public
Grant requests will be reviewed and selected quarterly on a rolling basis.
All proposals must be submitted at least ONE MONTH prior to an AHC quarterly meeting.
The proposed program must occur within one year from the date of the award.
Grants typically range from $300 – $5,000.
All proposals should include the following:
- Narrative
- Budget
- Follow-Up Report (due within 30 days of completion)
Grant Proposal Guidelines and Online Application
For further information or questions, please contact the AHC Grant Coordinator.
Contact Us
Alabama Holocaust Commission
P.O. Box 130577
Birmingham, AL 35213
205.795.4176
Donations
The Alabama Holocaust Foundation is a 501 C-3 organization. We welcome your contribution towards our efforts.
Checks should be made out to: Alabama Holocaust Foundation
Checks should be mailed to:
Alabama Holocaust Foundation
P.O. Box 130577
Birmingham, AL 35213
