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WHEREAS, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and Northern West Virginia’s only educational resource center on the Holocaust. Its mission is to heighten public awareness and honor survivors by utilizing events of the Jewish Holocaust experience as a means to teach tolerance to middle and high school students. The Holocaust Center also engages the community and collaborates with other organizations, individuals and institutions around programming and conversations as to the contemporary relevance of the Holocaust; and,
WHEREAS, established in 1981, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh was created as a living memorial to honor survivors who came to Pittsburgh to rebuild their lives and local soldiers who helped liberate the camps. Rather than build a statue or a monument, community members wanted a comprehensive resource center that would help people learn about the Holocaust and counter intolerance and hate in all its forms.; and,
WHEREAS, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh provides educational and commerative experiences such as UpStander Education, Twinning, Classrooms Without Borders, the Holocaust Sculpture, Chutz-Pow , the Arts and Writing Awards and the Yom Hashoa Commemoration; and,
WHEREAS, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, after years of having difficulty fulfilling its mission because its capacity had been limited by its dependence on other organizations to provide administrative, exhibition and program space, will for the first time in its 33 year history inhabit an independent and dedicated space all its own in the Squirrel Hill Plaza at 826 Hazelwood Avenue; and,
WHEREAS, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh will have its Grand Opening on Sunday , October 18, 2015, which will include the premiere of its original exhibition, In Celebration of Life: Living Legacy Project and present the first Annual Holocaust Educator Award to Dr. Barbara Burstin.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for tirelessly working to teach tolerance and to heighten public awareness of the Holocaust in the region and congratulates the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh on its Grand Opening in its new location; and,
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Sunday, October 18, 2015, to be “HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH DAY ” in the City of Pittsburgh.