The Kindness Suitcase (TM)  is a free, educational program available to teachers and librarians in elementary and middle schools in Western New York with kits--in the form of an actual suitcase-- to teach students in grades K through 6 about empathy, inclusion, and the history of the Holocaust.

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Each suitcase contains age-appropriate books and hands-on projects to get students thinking and talking about values, humanity, and courage.

Created by the Holocaust Education Resource Organization (HERO) at the Buffalo Jewish Federation.

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For older learners in grades 7-12, rent a Traveling Trunk--a case that contains real artifacts from Holocaust Survivors and lessons that accompany them. Students are encouraged to interact with and be curious about these. Perfect for kinesthetic and visual learners. 

The Student to Student  program is a peer-to-peer educational initiative where trained Jewish high school students visit middle and high school classrooms to teach non-Jewish peers about Judaism, Jewish identity, and antisemitism.

Student ambassadors visit Social Studies and ELA classrooms in teams of about four to share their personal stories and daily experiences as Jewish teens. This program aims to dispel myths, replace stereotypes with real human connection, and disrupt ignorance that leads to antisemitism. 

Presentations are free for public and private schools, fit into standard class periods, and use open dialogue, props (like challah), and personal narratives to engage students. 

We are committed to bringing the stories of Holocaust survivors to life here in Rochester and throughout New York. Our Survivors in the Classroom program is an essential part of that mission, bringing young community members from 6th grade through college face-to-face with those who were there and their families, who continue to tell their stories.
 

We work with educators and local groups to match classrooms, schools, and programs with survivors and their family members to create impactful and meaningful educational experiences.

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This experience may be combined with attending Survivors. This one-hour play, commissioned by CenterStage Theatre and the Louis S. Wolk Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester and written by Wendy Kout, teaches the chronological history of the Holocaust by enacting the actual experiences of Jewish children and teenagers from Europe.  Actors portray the Survivors and take us on a perilous journey from innocence through the terrifying rise and rule of bigotry, xenophobia, and violence to the triumph of immigrating to America.