As a contractor for Berenbaum Jacobs Associates I am currently responsible for acquiring all photographs that will be used in the newly designed Dallas Holocaust Museum. Relying on my knowledge of the subject material and experience with Holocaust era visual images I have accessed the most extensive repositories for these assets. Due to our designers all encompassing approach to exhibit I have needed to conduct an exhaustive search to ensure each subject/topic is thoroughly supported with… Show more As a contractor for Berenbaum Jacobs Associates I am currently responsible for acquiring all photographs that will be used in the newly designed Dallas Holocaust Museum. Relying on my knowledge of the subject material and experience with Holocaust era visual images I have accessed the most extensive repositories for these assets. Due to our designers all encompassing approach to exhibit I have needed to conduct an exhaustive search to ensure each subject/topic is thoroughly supported with photographic representation. Show less

With the Shoah Foundations recent acquisition of 1400 unprocessed testimonies, I have been tasked with indexing these videos in accordance with our established guidelines in order to optimize their availability to the end user. I am responsible for cataloging these experiences in our video interface utilizing a controlled vocabulary of terms and keywords. I will perform supplemental research when it is required to substantiate a historical event mentioned during the interview.

Served as the 8th grade Holocaust educator at Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown, Pa. Created an age appropriate curriculum that covered the various events collectively known as the Holocaust. In keeping with the synagogues values, the focus of the course was meant to illustrate the unique Jewish quality of the genocide. I had divided the lesson into five major themes meant to be comprehensive and presented chronologically. Starting with the history of European Jewry as a whole the… Show more Served as the 8th grade Holocaust educator at Congregation Keneseth Israel in Allentown, Pa. Created an age appropriate curriculum that covered the various events collectively known as the Holocaust. In keeping with the synagogues values, the focus of the course was meant to illustrate the unique Jewish quality of the genocide. I had divided the lesson into five major themes meant to be comprehensive and presented chronologically. Starting with the history of European Jewry as a whole the class was then introduced to the political, social and racial upheaval of interwar Germany that would allow a leader like Hitler to take control.This is followed by the rise of Nazism and the many and varied Jewish responses to antisemitism, segregation and eventually violence.The specific events most often associated with the Holocaust such the Final Solution, concentration and destruction of the Jewish people are discussed however more time and emphasis is dedicated to seeking out the individual experiences of those who earned labels such as resister, rescuer, bystander, collaborator and perpetrator.By stepping away from monolithic tropes of the Holocaust the hope is to identify a human being behind every action, for good or ill. We would then discuss recovery, memorial and those who would bear witness to atrocity.Finally, we see how the postwar emigration and desire for a homeland played a large role in the birth of Israel. I was very fortunate and grateful for the freedom I was afforded to utilize the available scholarship, documents and media as I thought best served the students.To ensure interaction and participation I included activities that require the students to engage the material from a first person perspective to gain a visceral understanding of the actual events. This includes journal writing, creating persecuted groups insignia's, researching individual children from the Holocaust and relating their experience through different stages of persecution. Show less

In this role I provided a variety of services and functions both within the museum and for the general public. Along with the director of the department I was responsible for accepting new acquisitions into the collection and assessing their retention value based on our needs and if they conformed to the scope of our collection. Upon accession I was then tasked with cataloging the image into our digital database (FoxPro) in preparation for making the photo accessible to the public. When… Show more In this role I provided a variety of services and functions both within the museum and for the general public. Along with the director of the department I was responsible for accepting new acquisitions into the collection and assessing their retention value based on our needs and if they conformed to the scope of our collection. Upon accession I was then tasked with cataloging the image into our digital database (FoxPro) in preparation for making the photo accessible to the public. When supplemental information about the photo was not provided by the donor it was my responsibility to conduct research in order to enhance the photo’s viability. I would establish provenance through various methods and attach biographical data, information on the photographer, date and location of the photo and reproduction restrictions. Utilizing our established system, I would assign the photo a designation number based on its subject and attach established keywords to the photo to increase its searchable qualities. These tasks were performed independently and in many cases I was the only point of contact for outside researchers, book publishers, government officials, fellow institutions and Holocaust survivors. As a result it was imperative that I dedicated myself to providing exceptional service via detailed oriented research, analysis and interpretation. Show less

During my tenure as a graduate research assistant in the Applied History department at Shippensburg University my duties comprised three distinct categories: research/data entry, teaching and outreach.Research/Data EntryAssisting the history departments Civil War historian in preparation for an upcoming monograph, I was tasked with transcribing Union and Confederate soldiers journals and diaries as well as several regional newspaper articles. Again, in preparation for an… Show more During my tenure as a graduate research assistant in the Applied History department at Shippensburg University my duties comprised three distinct categories: research/data entry, teaching and outreach.Research/Data EntryAssisting the history departments Civil War historian in preparation for an upcoming monograph, I was tasked with transcribing Union and Confederate soldiers journals and diaries as well as several regional newspaper articles. Again, in preparation for an upcoming book, I assisted the departments Canadian/British historian in a variety of tasks. As the book looked to demonstrate the movement of certain political groups in post-Revolutionary Canada, I was tasked with identifying these individuals through various sources and recording their vital statistics in a self-constructed database. After cross-referencing the finding for accuracy I tallied the results and provided quantitative analysis.TeachingAs need I provided classroom coverage for several Western Civilization I & II courses. The responsibilities could range from exam proctor to exam prep facilitator.OutreachIn a collaborative effort with undergraduate students, I was asked to help promote and advertise an event on campus. In recent years the activities of Joseph Kony, the LRA(Lords Resistance Army) and his practice of recruiting children as soldiers has become well-known. In an attempt to raise awareness and money in the hopes of bringing this man to justice, film makers created the Invisible Children documentary. The college campus tour of this project has become very popular and successful in raising the profile of this conflict. We were tasked with contacting the promoters and working as a liaison between the documentary tour organizers and the school events coordinator. We secured space and advertised the event through all available media sources including social, print and digital. Show less

Performed research in the photographic reference collection at NARA to identify Jewish Austrian cemeteries that were destroyed during The Holocaust. My findings were to be used by the Austrian restoration committee to secure funds for compensation.Compiled and analyzed statistical data on the state of Holocaust education in American universities. Followed a longitudinal methodology to determine whether Holocaust related courses had increased, decreased or remained static. In addition, I… Show more Performed research in the photographic reference collection at NARA to identify Jewish Austrian cemeteries that were destroyed during The Holocaust. My findings were to be used by the Austrian restoration committee to secure funds for compensation.Compiled and analyzed statistical data on the state of Holocaust education in American universities. Followed a longitudinal methodology to determine whether Holocaust related courses had increased, decreased or remained static. In addition, I documented how these courses changed over time as evidenced by their interdisciplinary formats. Show less

Provide in-class education on the Holocaust to high school students.Lead guided tours at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC.Engage students in discussions concerning genocide, social action and tolerance. The most rewarding aspects of this teaching assignment was not only the ability to engage the students in a manner they wouldn't typically experience in the classroom but also the opportunity to address a topic as meaningful as the Holocaust that they had no previous exposure to.… Show more Provide in-class education on the Holocaust to high school students.Lead guided tours at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC.Engage students in discussions concerning genocide, social action and tolerance. The most rewarding aspects of this teaching assignment was not only the ability to engage the students in a manner they wouldn't typically experience in the classroom but also the opportunity to address a topic as meaningful as the Holocaust that they had no previous exposure to. Since my teaching assignments were located in the city of Philadelphia my classes were predominately comprised of minority students which created unique challenges as well as wonderful experiences. In addition to the magnitude of the subject matter itself, the program is condensed into an intense three day session meant to provide a broad overview of the event while still drawing on specifics that allow the students to make personal connections. With this limited time I have found it most effective to utilize a teaching method that allows for maximum interaction with the students. This has included an artifact centered virtual tour through the museum via a Powerpoint presentation. Though accepted as a unique event without parallel I also focused on the universal themes prevalent during the Holocaust such as prejudice, racism, dehumanization as well as unity, faith and survival. Within this context I was able to engage the students in meaningful dialogue in which I felt I learned as much as I taught about the human condition. These were truly the most meaningful interactions I had as an educator and cherished them for their candor and honesty. A day long visit to the museum in New York City was also included in the program. I provided a 90 minute guided tour to groups of ten to fifteen students after which we would convene in one of the conference rooms to debrief and discuss what we had just witnessed. Show less