Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

10/19/2026

Join us for two virtual programs this week! Find links to register here: https://hcofpgh.org/events/

10/13/2026

Apply before supplies run out at https://hcofpgh.org/crocus-project/

10/12/2026

Today we're reflecting on the invaluable contributions of more than 500 Native American servicemen who were deployed as "code talkers" during World War II, using their Indigenous languages to send messages that could not be deciphered by enemies.

The U.S. Marine Corps, which operated the largest code-talking program, sent approximately 420 Diné (Navajo) language speakers to help win the war in the Pacific. In Europe, Comanche code talkers participated in the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France as well as many of the major campaigns against the Third Reich.

Consequently, in 1940 and 1941, the army recruited Comanche, Meskwaki, Chippewa, and Oneida language speakers to train as code talkers; they later added eight Hopi speakers. In April 1942, the Marine Corps trained twenty-nine Navajo men in combat and radio communications. They went on to serve as the foundation of the largest code-talking program in the military.

Source: The National Museum of the American Indian

10/06/2026

Join us on Sunday, November 8th for this year's Kristallnacht program featuring Dr. Michael Berenbaum. Register now: https://hc-kristallnacht2026.eventbrite.com

Dr. Berenbaum is a writer, lecturer, and teacher consulting in the conceptual development of museums and the development of historical films. He is director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust at the American Jewish University (formerly the University of Judaism) where he is also a Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies.

10/04/2026

Join us on TOMORROW as The Edith Balas Annual Lecture Series welcomes Rachel Perry presenting “Who Will Draw Our History: Women’s Graphic Novels of the Holocaust.” The lecture and small exhibition features the work of Zusza Merenyi, Maria Turan Hacker, Edit Ban Kiss and Agnes Lukacs–four Jewish Hungarian women who used visual art to testify to their experiences under Na**sm.

09/25/2026

Chag sameach! We’re taking a look back at Sukkot 2019, during which we celebrated the opening of Lest We Forget, an outdoor exhibit featuring photographs of Holocaust survivors taken by Luigi Toscano.

We are grateful for all the members of our community and remember those who are no longer with us.

09/25/2026

09/24/2026

We are so proud of Lily and thrilled to see her receive this well-deserved honor!

Congratulations to Lily Sassani, whose work with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh helped bring the Holocaust Education Patch Program to life, on receiving a 2026 Keystone Award!

The Tree of Life Center for Humanity CEO, Carole Zawatsky, and Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Director Emily Loeb joined Governor Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro at the Pennsylvania State Dinner Keystone Award Ceremony to celebrate Lily and this well-deserved recognition.

For her Girl Scout Gold Award, Lily created the Holocaust Education Patch Program with mentorship from Holocaust Center staff and Julia Gaetano. The program combines Lily’s passion for history with her commitment to connecting the Jewish and Girl Scout communities and has already reached far beyond Pittsburgh.

We’re so proud of Lily and grateful to and the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh for helping make this work possible. Thank you to and for recognizing young leaders making a difference across Pennsylvania.

Congratulations, Lily! 💙

09/23/2026

Join us on October 5th as The Edith Balas Annual Lecture Series welcomes Rachel Perry presenting “Who Will Draw Our History: Women’s Graphic Novels of the Holocaust.” The lecture and small exhibition features the work of Zusza Merenyi, Maria Turan Hacker, Edit Ban Kiss and Agnes Lukacs–four Jewish Hungarian women who used visual art to testify to their experiences under Na**sm.

09/20/2026

The Holocaust Center is closed tomorrow, September 21st, in observance of Yom Kippur.

On Yom Kippur of October 12, 1940, an announcement was made by the N***s that all Jews were required to move to the newly established ghetto in Warsaw within the month. Despite this, many individuals still came together to observe the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Reuven Ben Shem (Feldschuh), who kept a detailed journal of events in German-occupied Warsaw, wrote:

"The prayer room is almost full. The cantor prays boldly and melodiously, and you wouldn't know by looking at him and the worshippers that the world is on the verge of collapse. They are wearing prayer shawls and phylacteries. If you close your eyes for a moment and don't look at these people, at their pinched faces… and just listen to the chanting of their prayers, you would surely think that you happened upon a house of God in a time of peace and harmony."