Emily Bengels is a middle school teacher of Gifted and Talented students at Readington Middle School in New Jersey. She also is in charge of the Enrichment program in her school. Bengels attended the 2015 Auschwitz: The Past is Present professional development program in Poland led by USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education to commemorate the 70th anniversary 

Los Angeles, Dec. 27, 2016 – As the United States prepares to inaugurate a new president, USC Shoah Foundation has announced the first 10 testimony-based educational resources for its “100 Days to Inspire Respect,” an IWitness educational program modeled after the aggressive 100-day agenda initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he took office in 1933.

This morning, I stood at attention as our select chorus sang the Star Spangled Banner. Looking at the flag in the middle school auditorium, I paused a moment to feel gratitude for growing up in a country where I have the right to define and redefine myself. I grew up believing I could become whoever I wanted to be. The flag stood tall, as did I. Thank goodness, I thought, that I live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

We are sad to learn of the passing of Helen Colin, a Holocaust survivor who had the distinction of being the first survivor to speak on camera after being liberated from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.