Director of Holocaust Museum & Study Center to Teach Holocaust History Course at SUNY Rockland Community College

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: August 15, 2007

CONTACT: Zipora Reitman

(845) 574-4244

Director of Holocaust Museum & Study Center to Teach Holocaust History Course
at SUNY Rockland Community College

Suffern, NY - A course on Holocaust History has been re-introduced into the Fall ’07 curriculum at SUNY Rockland Community College. The course, HIS 248, will be offered on Mondays from 4:00-6:40 pm, beginning September 10, and will be taught by Rick Harkavy, Executive Director of the Holocaust Museum & Study Center in Spring Valley.

The 3-credit course examines the causes and trends leading to the Holocaust, covering events from the rise of Hitler through the adoption of the Nuremberg laws and the implementation of the Final Solution. Topics include: ghetto life and concentration camp existence, the responses of the victims to their fate, the reaction of world Jewry and the non-Jewish world and the aftermath for the survivors and their children. The pre- and post-Holocaust relationship between world Jewry and western civilization are explored.

Rick Harkavy earned his BA at Claremont Colleges, a law degree from the University of California at San Francisco Law School, and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College, where he also earned a certificate in Jewish Communal Work. Prior to coming to Rockland in February 2007, he served as regional director for the American Jewish Congress in Seattle.

The Holocaust History course was taught in previous years by Ramapo Town Councilman Harry Reiss, one of the original founders of the Holocaust Museum & Study Center, who passed away in July.

"The College is very pleased that Rick Harkavy, an eminently qualified educator, has stepped forward to teach this course. Holocaust History is an important study topic for people of all religions and backgrounds," said Dr. Cliff L. Wood, President of SUNY Rockland. Dr. Wood and his wife, Wylene, are members of the board of directors of the Holocaust Museum & Study Center.

In-person registration is available at the Registrar in the Technology Center. Currently enrolled students can also register on the web. The course is open to full-time RCC students as well as to members of the community and senior adult audits. The first class will meet on Monday, September 10, which is also the last day for late registration. Tuition is $133 per credit for in-state residents.

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.