Rising from Darkness: The Inspiring Journey of Holocaust Survivor Allan J. Hall


In the face of history's darkest chapter, Allan J. Hall has become a beacon of hope and resilience, a Holocaust survivor whose life journey exemplifies the human ability to triumph over unimaginable adversity.

Jaclyn Wesler
Jaclyn Wesler has a lifelong passion for Judaism, Israel and community-building. She holds a bachelor's degree in social science from San Diego State University and a master's in security and diplomacy from Tel Aviv University. She moved north to Los Angeles three years ago to pursue her career, most recently serving as the Assistant Director of Membership Engagement at Valley Beth Shalom Synagogue in Encino.

Jaclyn Wesler has a lifelong passion for Judaism, Israel and community-building. She holds a bachelor's degree in social science from San Diego State University and a master's in security and diplomacy from Tel Aviv University. She moved north to Los Angeles three years ago to pursue her career, most recently serving as the Assistant Director of Membership Engagement at Valley Beth Shalom Synagogue in Encino.

Building Bridges


Thursday, June 19, 2025 - 11:41 AM PDT

How does the physical displacement and emotional trauma of genocide shape cultural identity? Join for a meaningful dialogue as we explore this in depth with descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors and descendants of Holocaust survivors. This question defined a significant portion of the twentieth century for both the Armenian and Jewish communities in Los Angeles.

Panel conversation moderated by Jennifer L. Rodgers, PhD, Director of Academic Programs at the USC Shoah Foundation.

The Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument


Thursday, June 19, 2025 - 11:41 AM PDT

In February, the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument at Bicknell Park in Montebello, California, was officially recognized as a California State Historical landmark. In light of this recognition, join us for an on-site educational experience at the Monument for middle school and high school educators. 

Colleyville: A Story of Jewish Heroism and Triumph in the Face of Terror


Thursday, June 19, 2025 - 11:41 AM PDT

In the safe haven of Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others find themselves hostages when a stranger disrupts a typical Saturday morning at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Dani Menkin, this gripping real-life drama documentary unfolds over an 11-hour standoff, testing their resilience and courage in unimaginable ways.

Jewish Refugees in the Global South


Thursday, June 19, 2025 - 11:41 AM PDT

As Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany traveled throughout the colonial and quasi-colonial Global South, they encountered highly diverse local populations and authorities. Always shadowed by the emerging European catastrophe, uprooted Jews were also precariously privileged as white Europeans in non-western, colonial, or semi-colonial societies. 

In the Face of Catastrophe, Coherence


Thursday, June 19, 2025 - 11:41 AM PDT

What did children growing up in New York, Buenos Aires, or Montreal need to know about the events that came to be referred to as “the (third) Destruction?” The secularist-Yiddishist world and its trusted teachers felt they lacked the dubious luxury of waiting for some developmentally optimal moment: the wreckage was all around them.

Musicians from the University of Southern California (USC) marching band played a spirited musical flourish as shiny streamers wafted down. It was a fitting welcome to the May 6 ceremony recognizing Mickey Shapiro’s transformative $30 million gift to the USC Shoah Foundation. In honor of the gift, the Foundation’s headquarters was named the Mickey Shapiro Headquarters of the USC Shoah Foundation.