Nancy Fudem and her son Jonathan have long been admirers of USC Shoah Foundation. Now, they have made it their mission to support its work from their home in San Francisco.

The Fudems hosted a special event for their friends and contacts in San Francisco on January 26 in order to introduce them to USC Shoah Foundation and form connections that could lead to future partnerships with the Institute in the Bay Area. Executive Director Stephen Smith as well as advancement staff were in attendance to speak to the guests and provide more information about the Institute’s mission and programs.

Nancy and Jonathan have been aware of USC Shoah Foundation for years, through their involvement with Congregation Emanu-El and other Jewish institutions in the Bay Area. But Jonathan had the opportunity to work more directly with USC Shoah Foundation as an undergraduate student at USC, through his study of digital humanities and his work at the campus TV station, Trojan Vision. He said it was exciting to go to school on the campus where the Institute was located.

“Everywhere I went [on campus] there were connections between the work I was doing and what [USC Shoah Foundation] was working on,” Jonathan said. “I was always aware of what incredible work they were doing and tried to maintain a couple connections to it in everything I was involved with.”

USC Shoah Foundation advancement staff reached out to the Fudems a few months ago and they began planning a donor event at their home that would kick-start their San Francisco outreach.

Nancy and Jonathan have already begun setting up meetings to discuss integrating USC Shoah Foundation programs at Congregation Emanu-El, the Commonwealth Club (a public affairs forum in the Bay Area), and colleges including San Francisco State University and Cal State East Bay. At the event at their home, they hope to encourage others to learn more about the Institute and get involved as well.

USC Shoah Foundation gives a voice to people who otherwise not have a platform to tell their stories, Jonathan said, and uses these stories to try to prevent further genocides from occurring.

“I think history can often feel really cold. It seems like it’s distant and it happened to other people,” Jonathan said. “The work that USC Shoah Foundation does helps history and some of the worst parts of history feel real, living, and that’s really important work.”

Nancy said that the event and their future involvement with USC Shoah Foundation are a tribute to her husband, Frank, who passed away in 2012. The son of a World War II veteran, he was passionate about history and adamant that the Holocaust and other atrocities should never be forgotten.

“The work we are doing with USC Shoah Foundation is also special for us because it is a collaboration – not my project or Jonathan's, but an issue we both care about and are working for together,” she said. “We all just need to remember [the Holocaust] and this is hopefully part of our contribution to that.”