The ATPE Podcast: Holocaust Education and the Power of Student Connection

The latest episode of The ATPE Podcast is now available! Join host Andrea Hutlock for a thoughtful conversation with Elizabeth SoRelle, commission educator at the Texas Holocaust, Genocide and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC), about the importance of Holocaust education and the lasting impact meaningful classroom experiences can have on students.

In this episode, Elizabeth reflects on her journey from classroom teacher to Holocaust education advocate, including professional learning experiences at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. She also shares how those experiences have inspired powerful student projects that help students connect emotionally with history while deepening their understanding of the world around them.

Andrea and Elizabeth discuss helping students form personal connections to history, creating authentic learning opportunities that resonate beyond the classroom, and preserving stories that encourage compassion while strengthening understanding across cultures and generations. The episode also touches on Senate Bill 1828, which requires Holocaust education in Texas public schools, and Holocaust Remembrance Week.

This episode coincides with two other ATPE resources:

• A new ATPE Professional Learning Portal course, “Teaching Jewish History and Holocaust Education,” a specialized presentation THGAAC in which SoRelle discusses the THGAAC purpose, including state-approved primary sources, age-appropriate digital media, and compliant instructional frameworks designed to enrich year-round social studies, reading, and language arts curriculum while fully satisfying state requirements for Holocaust Remembrance/Education initiatives.
• A follow-up podcast episode to be released the week of June 1 featuring Claudia Loewenstein, THGAAC Speakers Bureau, in which Loewenstein shares her personal account in an expanded interview from her perspective as both a former educator and descendent of Holocaust survivors.