Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

Yom HaShoah Commemoration
2026-04-13 19:00 (America/New_York) | Beit Kulanu (Formerly Rodef Shalom Congregation), 4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States
Register here.

Join us in remembering the approximately six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Holocaust Center has been holding a community-wide commemoration every year since the establishment of the Center in 1980. This year’s program will feature music played by students from Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, poetry readings, filmed testimony from Holocaust survivors, a candle-lighting ceremony, and other traditional elements.
During the candle-lighting ceremony, six candles are lit in memory of the six million Jewish victims, and three additional candles are lit in honor of the Veterans, the Liberators, and the Righteous, those non-Jews who risked their lives to save the lives of their Jewish friends and neighbors. The candle-lighters are Holocaust Survivors and/or descendants, community members, and lay leaders.
There are both in-person and virtual attendance options available (select the ticket that reflects your preferred attendance option when registering).

Łódź to Pittsburgh: A Holocaust Survival Story
2026-04-29 18:00 | Butler Area Public Library, 218 N McKean St, Butler, PA, 16001, United States
Lee Goldman Kikel, daughter of Holocaust survivor Melvin Goldman, will be sharing her father’s story of survival and resilience.

In middle age, Melvin Goldman recorded a series of cassette tapes telling his life story, leaving them to be found decades later after his passing. His daughter, Lee Goldman Kikel, discovered the recordings—a priceless family heirloom conveying memory and the history of a Polish Jewish family which became the basis of a 2019 Holocaust memoir. Lee’s presentation focuses on her father’s recounting: his pre-war childhood, ability to survive the Łódź ghetto, Auschwitz and other concentration camps, and a miraculous recovery while knowing most of his family perished. Lee tells how hope, tenacity, and perseverance amid major losses guided her father to become a United States citizen and start a new life in Pittsburgh.

Register here.

This is the second of a three-program series highlighting stories of Jewish people in Butler
County and Western Pennsylvania.Presenter: Lee Goldman Kikel

"Disposable Humanity" JFilm Screening
2026-05-03 17:30 | McConomy Auditorium CMU, 5034 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States
A ReelAbilities Film Co-presented with Achieva & the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

Tracing the eugenicist roots of Nazi Germany’s genocide, DISPOSABLE HUMANITY confronts the little-known history of the Aktion T4 program, a state-sanctioned campaign that led to the murder of more than 300,000 disabled people between 1939 and 1941. Carried out by physicians under the guise of “mercy killings,” T4 not only devastated lives but also laid the technological and bureaucratic groundwork for the Nazi death camps. Spanning over two decades of research and filmmaking, director Cameron S. Mitchell and his collaborators weave together archival records, testimony from descendants, and insights from historians, disability scholars, and activists to examine why this atrocity remained absent from public memory for so long. At once intimate and urgent, the film offers a timely reminder of how fascism exploits prevailing ideas about health, purity, and human worth.
Winner: Slamdance Audience Award and Grand Jury Honorable Mention

This program will be followed by a talkback with Randall Halle (Director of the European Studies Center, University of Pittsburgh) and Daniel Singleton (Holocaust Center Of Pittsburgh).

Learn more and register here.

"But I Live" Conversation with Editor Charlotte Schallié
2026-05-04 19:00 | Zoom

Generations Speaker: Michelle Ultmann
2026-05-05 18:30 | C.C. Mellor Memorial Library – Edgewood, 1 Pennwood Ave, Edgewood, PA, 15218, United States
Michelle Ultmann is the daughter of two survivors: her mother from Germany and her father from Austria. She will share the story of her mother, Ruth, who was a young teenager during Kristallnacht in her hometown. After the November pogrom, Ruth was sent to England for the duration of the war through the Kindertransport.
Registration opens on April 1.

One Family's Experience of the Holocaust
2026-05-09 13:00 | Heritage Discovery Center, 201 6th Ave, Johnstown, PA, 15906, United States
While exploring the international exhibition “Let Me Be Myself — The Life Story of Anne Frank,” join us for a powerful personal perspective on the history that shaped our world.
The daughter of Hungarian Holocaust survivors Margit Haas and David Robinson, Susan Hawkins shares her family’s harrowing journey of survival and their eventual emigration to the United States. In this illustrated presentation, Susan connects her parents’ lived experiences to the broader themes of the Anne Frank exhibition, exploring how historical trauma echoes through generations.
This special event is free to Heritage Johnstown members or with museum admission (which includes the Anne Frank exhibit). Non-members will receive $2 off museum admission courtesy of the Hope Springs Eternal committee.
Due to space considerations, pre-registration is necessary. Click here to register.

Waldman Arts and Writing Awards Ceremony
2026-05-12 19:00 | Chatham University Shadyside Campus, 1 Woodland Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
Join us as we celebrate the participants and winners of the 2026 Waldman Arts & Writing Competition. The event is open to the public and all students are strongly encouraged to attend along with their families, friends, and teachers. Winners will be honored and receive their award certificates; the grand prize winner will be announced; and attendees will have the opportunity to view entries during a reception with light treats.
The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is a program of The Tree of Life.
Register here.

After the Synagogue Shooting
2026-05-20 18:00 | Butler Area Public Library, 218 N McKean St, Butler, PA, 16001, United States
This is the third of a three-program series highlighting stories of Jewish people in Butler County and Western Pennsylvania.

REACH (Remember, Educate and Combat Hate), is the 10.27 Healing Partnership Speakers Bureau of survivors and family members who lost loved ones in the Oct. 27, 2018 synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. REACH speakers share their lived experience of targeted violence and connect with audiences on a personal and human level. The individuals within REACH are an invaluable source of resilience and strength.
Presenter: REACH Speakers Bureau
Register here.

Edith and Kurt Leuchter: A Story of Love and Resilience
2026-06-01 11:30 | Beth El Congregation of South Hills, 1900 Cochran Rd, Pittsburgh, 15220, United States
June 1 – First Monday Lunch & Lecture TEMPLE BETH EL & TEMPLE EMANUEL
Lunch at 11:30am / Lecture at 12:00pm
Generation Talk by Debbie Leuchter Stueber
Edith and Kurt Leuchter: A Story of Love and Resilience
sponsored by Dollar Bank
Edith was born in Bruchsal, Germany. Kurt was born in Vienna, Austria. As hidden children, their paths crossed briefly in a French orphanage. This is just a part of their story, separately and together: surviving the Holocaust, fighting Nazis in the French Resistance, and making a new life in America. This is the true story of Kurt and Edith Leuchter, as told by their daughter Deborah Stueber.
RSVP by 5/25, CLICK HERE.
Menu:
scrambled egg bar, challah French toast bake, spring fruit compote, Greek tri-pepper salad
To join virtually at 12PM, CLICK HERE.

The Story of My Dad, Child Survivor of the Holocaust
2026-06-01 18:00 | Oakmont Carnegie Library, 700 Allegheny River Blvd, Oakmont, PA, 15139, United States
Susan Straus (she/her) is the daughter of Jewish Holocaust survivors. Susan will tell the story of her father, Henry Straus, who was born in Germany in 1928. Her presentation describes Henry’s experiences growing up in Germany under conditions of rampant antisemitism and what he and his family endured during and after Kristallnacht, the November 1938 pogrom.
Susan encourages the audience to think about how victims of the Holocaust could be resilient in the face of unimaginable challenges and the effects of indifference toward others’ pain and suffering. She also encourages participants to consider what they can do to promote social justice in the world.

Register here.

Renia's Diary
2026-06-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Join us on June 3rd for a virtual talk with Holocaust survivor Elizabeth Bellak, sister of Renia Spiegel. Register here.

Renia Spiegel was born in 1924 to an upper-middle class Jewish family living in Poland. At the start of 1939 Renia began a diary sharing her hopes and dreams. She continued writing until she was killed by the Gestapo in July 1942.
Meet Renia’s younger sister Elizabeth Bellak who survived the Holocaust and has preserved Renia’s legacy of beauty and love, along with Elizabeth’s daughter, Alexandra.
About Renia’s Diary
Renia Spiegel was born in 1924 to an upper-middle class Jewish family living in southeastern Poland, near what was at that time the border with Romania. At the start of 1939, Renia began a diary. “I just want a friend. I want somebody to talk to about my everyday worries and joys. Somebody who would feel what I feel, who would believe me, who would never reveal my secrets. A human being can never be such a friend and that’s why I have decided to look for a confidant in the form of a diary.” And so begins an extraordinary document of an adolescent girl’s hopes and dreams. By the fall of 1939, Renia and her younger sister Elizabeth (née Ariana) were staying with their grandparents in Przemysl, a city in the South, just as the German and Soviet armies invaded Poland. Cut off from their mother, who was in Warsaw, Renia and her family were plunged into war.
Like Anne Frank’s diary, Renia’s diary became a record of her daily life as the Nazis spread throughout Europe. Renia writes of her mundane school life, her daily drama with best friends, falling in love with her boyfriend Zygmund, as well as the agony of missing her mother, separated by bombs and invading armies. Renia had aspirations to be a writer, and the diary is filled with her poignant and thoughtful poetry. When she was forced into the city’s ghetto with the other Jews, Zygmund is able to smuggle her out to hide with his parents, taking Renia out of the ghetto, but not, ultimately to safety. The diary ends in July 1942 and is completed by Zygmund, after Renia is murdered by the Gestapo.

My Dad’s Story: Remembering the Holocaust, with Sue Tresatti and Richard Murphy
2026-06-09 19:00 | Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie, PA, 15106, United States
More than 1.6 million people were imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps between 1933 and 1945. One of them was Norman Roth.
Join Norman’s daughter Sue Tresatti for the heartrending story of her father’s imprisonment in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps as a teenage boy. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, Norman’s life was spared for labor but his mother, younger sister, and younger brother were murdered in the gas chambers. Hear about how Norman survived years of horror and escaped to the West from behind the Iron Curtain, eventually settling in Pittsburgh.
Military researcher and WWII historian Richard Murphy provides historical context. An audience Q&A will follow the presentation. A reception with light refreshments will follow this program.
Register here.

Reckoning with Antisemitism as Christians: Reflections at One Year
2026-06-24 19:00 | Beit Kulanu (Formerly Rodef Shalom Congregation), 4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, United States
Join us on June 24th for an evening of celebration and reflection on the past year of the Reckoning with Antisemitism as Christians project. Register here.

Over the past 12 months, Christian clergy and lay leaders across southwestern PA have been engaging with Reckoning with Antisemitism as Christians, a new project co-founded by Christian Associates of Southwest PA and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.
We will hear from Christians who have been reckoning with antisemitism and from Jews who have taken part in their efforts. We will also share (for the first time!) a published book of sermons written by local Christian clergy who have engaged their congregations and communities in conversations about antisemitism, from the pulpit and beyond.
Please note that parking is available in the synagogue parking lot and on nearby side streets (observe signs as marked).
Reckoning with Antisemitism as Christians provides support for Christians of all denominations to wrestle with the complex legacy of antisemitism in the Christian tradition, and offers practical tools for clergy and lay leaders to dismantle antisemitism in their communities.
This event is made possible by funding from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is a program of the Tree of Life.

Generations Speakers Series: Daniel Stern
2026-07-09 18:30 | Chatham University Shadyside Campus, 1 Woodland Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
Join us on July 9th for a short film screening and Generations Talk by Daniel Stern. Register here.

Stern will share his family’s extraordinary journey through war, displacement, and survival during and after the Holocaust. Their journey spanned multiple continents and more than a decade of upheaval, loss, and perseverance.
The evening will feature a 17-minute documentary film followed by a conversation with Stern about his family’s experiences, the legacy of survival, and the importance of preserving these stories for future generations. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A discussion.
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The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is a program of The Tree of Life.

An Evening with Ellen Tissenbaum
2026-07-19 19:00 - 20:15 | Chabad of Squirrel Hill, 1700 Beechwood Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, United States

Jewish Heritage in the Oil Region
2026-07-28 19:00 | Egbert-Mullins-Koos House, 307 South Park St., Franklin, 16323
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Holocaust 101: The Fundamentals of Holocaust Education
2026-08-04 09:00 - 15:00 | Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E Waterfront Dr, Homestead, 15120, United States
Join us on August 4th the first program in our 2026–2027 series of teacher trainings. Register here.

These trainings are designed for teachers across grade levels and subject areas, whether you are new to teaching the Holocaust and antisemitism or looking to deepen your existing practice. Each session will offer practical guidance, classroom-ready resources, and time to think through common challenges with other educators.
Act 48 credits will be available.

*Please note, the endtime for this training was previously listed as 4:00pm, but it is now taking place from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

Cultivating Memory: A Holocaust Survivor's Legacy in Bloom
2026-08-06 18:00 | Temple Emanuel of South Hills, 1250 Bower Hill Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15243, United States
Join us on August 6th to discover the story behind the Holocaust Memorial Garden at Temple Emanuel of South Hills. Register here.

The garden is a living memorial inspired by the vision of local Holocaust survivor Marga Silbermann Randall (z”l) and brought to life in partnership with master gardener Lynn Rubin, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.
Following a screening of a short WQED documentary about the memorial’s creation, participants will hear from Rubin about her collaboration with Randall, the inspiration behind the project, and the symbolism woven into the plants and flowers that make up this living tribute. A guided tour of the garden will follow the program, weather permitting.
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The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is a program of The Tree of Life.

My Mom's Story: Child Survivor of the Holocaust
2026-08-28 18:00 - 19:00 | Bridgeville Public Library, 505 McMillen St., Bridgeville, PA, 15017, United States
Susan Straus (she/her) is the daughter of Jewish holocaust survivors. In this presentation, she tells the story of her mother, Judy Levy Straus, who was born in Germany the day after Hitler came to power in 1933. Susan describes Judy and her family’s experiences after moving to Amsterdam, being deported to Westerbork, a transit camp in 1943, and later to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp that the Nazis used as a propaganda tool to attempt to convince the world that they were treating the Jews well. Judy and her mother survived the war; Judy’s father, who was ultimately deported to Auschwitz, did not. Susan’s presentation includes video testimony, allowing the audience to hear Judy describe her experiences.
Register for Susan’s presentation at Bridgeville Public Library here.

A Conversation with Holocaust Survivor Irene Skolnick
2026-09-10 18:30 | Eddy Theatre at Chatham University, Woodland Rd, Pittsburgh, 15232, United States
Join us for an evening with Irene Skolnick as she shares his story of surviving the Holocaust.

Irene was born in Przemysl, Poland. She and her family came under Nazi occupation on June 22, 1941 when Hitler attacked the USSR. In December 1941, the family was forced to move into the ghetto. As life became ever more precarious, Irene’s mother decided that the family’s only chance of survival was to change their identity. They obtained false papers and passed themselves off as Catholic Poles. The family left the ghetto in August 1942 and moved to Lublin. After the war, Irene and her family moved to France where they lived for six years. They emigrated to the U.S. in 1952, when Irene was 14 years old.
This program is free and open to the public. Register here.

The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is a program of The Tree of Life.

Teaching the Holocaust Using the Humanities Teacher Training
2026-11-10 08:30 - 11:30 | Westmoreland IU – Hanna’s Town Room, 102 Equity Drive, Greensburg, PA, 15601, United States
