For years, Celina Biniaz, one of the youngest people saved by Oskar Schindler, did not tell anyone – not even her children – that she was a Holocaust survivor. She feared no one could comprehend what she had been through, and she didn’t want to impose the trauma of her childhood upon her son and daughter. Celina’s reluctance to speak ended in 1994. That year, director Steven Spielberg brought Oskar Schindler’s story to the screen with Schindler’s List. He established Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which later became the USC Shoah Foundation.

Join us on April 15 at the Institute of Armenian Studies for an academic lecture on the Armenian Genocide and its related USC holdings by Institute Project Manager Manuk Avedikyan.

Will Horowitz provides external relations for the USC Shoah Foundation. Will received his bachelor’s degree in political science and his master’s degree in public administration and policy from American University. He previously worked at the Government Accountability Office, Amgen, and the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington Legislative Office before starting at USC Shoah Foundation in 2023.

Shana Fishman is a grant writer on the constituent affairs team responsible for composing grant proposals to support existing and planned program activities. Before joining USC Shoah Foundation, Shana was Director of Development and Operations at Gindi Maimonides Academy and recently earned a master's from Pepperdine University in Social Entrepreneurship and Change.  

Aegis Trust Rwanda, The Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace, Radio La Benevolencija and USC Shoah Foundation - the Institute for Visual History and Education are joining forces to launch a peace-building and education program in Rwanda.

The Division of Academic Programs at the USC Shoah Foundation invites applications for its inaugural Azrieli Research Fellowships for PhD candidates and early-career scholars during the spring 2025 semester.

The Armenian Genocide testimony collections include several categories of individuals linked directly or indirectly to the calamity. The vast majority are Armenian Genocide survivors, while others are Armenian descendants (second and third generation), scholars, rescuers and aid providers, foreign witnesses, and Yezidi survivors, as well as Arab and Greek eyewitnesses. The interviews were recorded in 10 languages in 13 countries.

During the month of April, as we observe commemoration days for four genocides, we take the opportunity to raise awareness about all genocides, including those being perpetrated today. April is an opportunity for those committed to history and remembrance to alert others to the moral and physical dangers of denying the past and of ignoring atrocities occurring in our own times. Access events, educational resources, and other opportunities to commemorate the victims of genocide.

On April 21, the Pasadena Armenian Coalition will host a community-wide event at the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument to commemorate the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The event will pay tribute to the enduring strength and resiliency of the survivors of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, while honoring the memory of the more than 1.5 Million victims who lost their lives 109 years ago. The event will feature survivor testimonies from the Visual History Archive, followed by the keynote speaker, Sedda Antekelian, USC Shoah Foundation Senior Learning and Development Specialist, as well as remarks from Congresswoman Judy Chu. Students from local Armenian schools will recite poems and songs to conclude the event.

We are seeking a dynamic leader to launch the Countering Antisemitism Laboratory (“Laboratory”) at the USC Shoah Foundation. This Laboratory will be a multi-person, research-oriented, and expert-driven initiative to address antisemitism in all its forms. The Director of the Countering Antisemitism Laboratory will direct the development, strategic planning, implementation, and expansion of the Laboratory’s work. The incumbent to this position will also build and manage a team of experts to lead the Laboratory’s four divisions:

The Education Department at USC Shoah Foundation works to bring testimony-based education programming, multimedia resources and digital tools to educators and students worldwide that support them in attaining curricular outcomes and promoting the capacity to counter antisemitism and hate in the world.

Hid in the bushes for hours at the Nova music festival, where 360 people were killed by Hamas. (00:48:25)

Born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1928, Lotte Schmerzler was sent to France with her older brother via the Kindertransport. In 1940, the two siblings fled to Portugal and snuck onto a boat headed for the United States, where they reunited with their mother in New York. (02:00:04)

Honey Chester was born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1928. At age 10, she was sent to England via the Kindertransport where she reunited with her siblings. She lost her parents and extended family members in the Holocaust. (02:25:11)

Holocaust survivor David Fertig was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1922 to Polish parents. He escaped Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport at age 16 to live with cousins in England, where he joined the Royal Air Force. (02:04:22)