Holocaust Center Receives Grant to Build Education Institute

The Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center has received the largest grant in its 20-year history to build a state-of-the-art education facility that is already under construction, the center announced Friday.

The grant was provided by the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, a Huntington-based charity whose stated mission is "promoting tolerance throughout the world, proliferation of the arts and advocacy for people who need help," according to its website.

"The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is supporting the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County because the Center has been on the forefront of providing educational training to more than 180,000 youth and adults, including law enforcement cadets and officers from both Nassau and Suffolk Counties," said foundation president Peter J. Klein in a statement. "The Claire Friedlander Foundation and I believe these visitors leave the Center different people and we are proud to provide the support to make this happen - to enhance society one person, one child at a time."

The Claire Friedlander Education Institute is expected to open in the spring of 2013. Four classrooms will contain audio-visual aids and other technical equipment, as well as specialized Holocaust video-conferencing programs.

A variety of workshops will be available there for youth, adults, law enforcement personnel and educators interested in professional development. 

The Center's chairman, Howard S. Maier, said in a statement, "Our Center is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice and intolerance. We look forward to opening the Claire Friedlander Education Institute and expanding our programs with these values in mind."