To Remember…and to Teach
The Cohen Center serves as a research and resource center for the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide through Keene State College’s academic programs. The center also provides materials for educators at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
Looking for classroom presentations or lesson plans? The center provides educator support through lesson plans, workshops, summer institutes, and more. Browse our educator pages for a full array of resources.
In addition to academic programs, the center's on-campus student support includes trips to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, an honor society, and a Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Club.
The best way to stay informed about the Center's offerings and news is to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter. You can also explore, and subscribe to, our YouTube channel.
Meeting and studying with others interested and invested in this work is more than a way to get support as an educator, but an opportunity to affirm life and hope in a confused and wounded world. Thank you!”
–Cohen Center Fellow
2023 Genocide Awareness Lecture
“Memory, Culture, and Emotional Expression in Post-Genocide Rwanda”
Our featured speaker for the 2023 Genocide Awareness Lecture is Omar Ndizeye, who is a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and who went on to do important peacebuilding work in the aftermath. Using personal stories, images, and insights into the memorization process in post-genocide Rwanda, his lecture will focus on memory practices, culture, and emotional expression.
This talk will explore the role of survivors, the government of Rwanda, and international memory actors in the process of memorializing the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda--and it will demonstrate why understanding cultural memory as a tool for effective memory transmission and emotional expression matters for atrocity prevention as well as for the reparation of societal trust, empathy, and memorialization processes at large.
This lecture will be offered in-person and will also be accessible as a Zoom webinar. The in-person lecture will also be followed by a reception and book signing. Learn more and register at: https://giving.keene.edu/2023-genocide-awareness-lecture/
Holocaust Memorial Lecture
The U.S. and the Holocaust: A Conversation with Ken Burns & Sarah Botstein
The Cohen Center team is grateful to the 800+ attendees who joined us for the 2022 Holocaust Memorial Lecture. Many partners and supporters came together in order to make this event possible. Some of those important contributors included: Jan and Rick Cohen, Michele Kuiawa, Misty Kennedy, Dr. Celia Rabinowitz, Veronica Rosa and her team in Advancement, the Office of Marketing and Communications at KSC, and dozens of others.
If you were unable to attend the live event or wish to revisit the conversation, please view the video recording posted on this site (the CCHGS homepage). Please note that this video will only be accessible until April 15, 2023.
Public Events
Collections and Videos
The Cohen Center is home to one-of-a-kind artifacts, personal histories, and media resources. These resources are available for review and study by Keene State Students and the general public.
Collections & VideosAwards and Recognition
The Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies recognizes contributions to its mission through two named awards.
Awards and RecognitionAbout the Cohen Center
The Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies advances the public liberal arts mission of Keene State College through Holocaust and genocide education, inspiring students and other citizens to take responsibility for promoting human dignity and civic responsibility while confronting the escalating violence that leads to atrocity and genocide.
About the Cohen Center
A question-and-answer conversation with author and former NY Times and CNN journalist Brian Stelter is the next program in the...
Sofia Thornblad ’17 is set to embark on a new journey, one far from home but one that offers such personal and professional resonance she can see it only for...
First-year student Erin Bennett came to Keene State College from Minneapolis, Minnesota, for one reason – its Holocaust & genocide studies (HGS) major.
Upperclass student Marcos Silveira chose the state’s...
