The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies is an interdisciplinary academic center committed to advancing research, education and public programming in the fields of Holocaust education, comparative genocide, conflict studies and human rights. Its academic, professional development and public programs aim to educate and empower students, teachers and the community to combat racism, prejudice, ethnic hatred and abuse of authority—the root causes of mass violence and atrocities.
Call for Participants: The Russian-Speaking Jewish Community in the North Shore and the Greater Boston Area: An Oral History Project. Learn more about how to participate.

-
International Study and Travel Course
Each summer, the CHGS organizes a study and travel course to international sites of genocide and mass atrocities for students and professional educators. Students visit museums and historical sites, learn from local academic experts, and share ideas about curriculum and teaching.
-
Teacher Workshops and Seminars
The CHGS holds a number of curriculum and educator workshops and seminars each year that prepare teachers to engage students on difficult topics including teaching the Holocaust, civil rights, Native American history and LGBTQ history.
-
Sonia Schreiber Weitz Lecture Series and Public Events
The Sonia Schreiber Weitz Lecture series, Research Conversations series and public events bring international, national and local scholars and public figures to engage our audiences on issues in comparative genocide, human rights and combatting ignorance, racism and prejudice in our world.
-
CHGS Study and Travel Course to Rwanda
Salem State students and their Safari guides at Akagera National Park.
-
Interdisciplinary CHGS Courses
Salem State students shop in the Rubona open market during the CHGS Study and Travel Course to Rwanda. The course focuses on the culture and history of Rwanda, with attention to the genocide of 1994 and the efforts to rebuild the country in its aftermath.
-
Transformational Experiences
Salem State University students take pictures from their Jeeps during a safari in the Akagera National Park. Students report that their travel courses have transformed their view of the world and left them with memories that will last a lifetime.
Watch CHGS Event Recordings
The Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies has hosted several virtual events to continue hosting compelling speakers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click a program title to watch the recording online.
- April 27, 2023 - Yom Hashoah Commemoration of the Holocaust
- February 8, 2023 - The War in Ukraine: Displacement and its Impact on Children. Zoë Kessler, Dmytro Say, and Yvonne Vissing, Salem State University.
- November 17, 2022 - Holocaust Distortion and Holocaust Denial: The Attacks on the Memory of the Holocaust in Poland. Jan Grabowski, University of Ottowa.
- November 2, 2022 - The War in Ukraine: On the Screen and On the Ground. Alisa Sopova and Vladimir Petrovich.
- November 3, 2021 - Toward Climate Justice: Centering Wabanaki Tribal Nations in Adaptation to Climate Change. Featuring Professors Darren Ranco and Steven Silvern.
- April 6, 2021 - Yom HaShoah Commemoration of the Holocaust
- March 9, 2021 - Running and Hiding from the Nazis featuring Dr. Miriam Kassenoff, Holocaust survivor and educator
- February 24, 2021 - Picturing Hidden Stories: A Visual Artist’s Approach to Excavating the Neglected Past featuring Renee Billingslea
- January 27, 2021 - The COVID-19 Pandemic and Healthcare Disparities: Contemporary Perspective, Historical Context featuring Dr. Bisola Ojikutu and Professor Samuel Roberts
CHGS Offerings
Supporters
CHGS is generously supported by the Cummings Foundation and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston.


Contact Us
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Email chgs@salemstate.edu for more information or to be put on our mailing list.
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
352 Lafayette St.
Salem, MA 01970