Craig and Barbara Weiner are proud to be the co-founders of the HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. (HLEF)
After Craig had completed a 37 year career in Florida commercial real estate development, and having served on the boards of various organizations, and Barbara dedicating over 20 years to educating children in her capacities as both a classroom teacher as well as a director of education, the Weiners decided to form HLEF. Their mission is to teach all students of this and future generations how critically important it is for them to learn to make good life choices in their everyday lives - The need for everyone of this and future generations to learn how important it is that we ALL STAND UP and REJECT ALL forms of hate and intolerance - be it racism, bigotry, antisemitism, bullying, as well as all other similar "cancers" which have permeated society.
The greatest genocide in human history was the Holocaust. There were perpetrators and collaborators, as well as countless humans that simply stood by and did nothing - including world leaders. These are referred to as "Bystanders". Had enough people had the courage to follow their conscience and STAND UP against the earliest signs of hate and antisemitism that was brewing in Europe at the time, perhaps this genocide could have been prevented. And so could numerous other unspeakable genocides that have since followed. This critically important education must be brought to the classrooms and, most importantly, made RELEVANT to students of today and tomorrow. We can't simply teach them about the historical "facts of the Holocaust". Rather, we must teach our world's young people to learn "From" the Holocaust so as to make sure that our world, right down to our local friends and neighbors, can one day live in peace and harmony.
After Craig had completed a 37 year career in Florida commercial real estate development, and having served on the boards of various organizations, and Barbara dedicating over 20 years to educating children in her capacities as both a classroom teacher as well as a director of education, the Weiners decided to form HLEF. Their mission is to teach all students of this and future generations how critically important it is for them to learn to make good life choices in their everyday lives - The need for everyone of this and future generations to learn how important it is that we ALL STAND UP and REJECT ALL forms of hate and intolerance - be it racism, bigotry, antisemitism, bullying, as well as all other similar "cancers" which have permeated society.
The greatest genocide in human history was the Holocaust. There were perpetrators and collaborators, as well as countless humans that simply stood by and did nothing - including world leaders. These are referred to as "Bystanders". Had enough people had the courage to follow their conscience and STAND UP against the earliest signs of hate and antisemitism that was brewing in Europe at the time, perhaps this genocide could have been prevented. And so could numerous other unspeakable genocides that have since followed. This critically important education must be brought to the classrooms and, most importantly, made RELEVANT to students of today and tomorrow. We can't simply teach them about the historical "facts of the Holocaust". Rather, we must teach our world's young people to learn "From" the Holocaust so as to make sure that our world, right down to our local friends and neighbors, can one day live in peace and harmony.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Archbishop Thomas Wenski to it’s Board of Directors.
Archbishop Wenski, born in West Palm Beach on October 18, 1950 grew up in Lake Worth, Florida. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami on May 15, 1976. He served three years as associate pastor of Corpus Christi Church in Miami. In 1979, after briefly ministering in Haiti, he was assigned to the Haitian Apostolate of the Archdiocese. He was associate director and then director of the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center in Miami from that time to his appointment as a Bishop in 1997. Through the 1980's he conducted a circuit-riding ministry that led him to several Haitian communities throughout Florida. He also celebrated the weekly Mass in English at Miami's ABC affiliate from 1992-1997. He further directed the Archdiocese of Miami Ministry to Non-Hispanic Ethnic Groups.
In January 1996, the then Father Wenski was appointed the Archdiocese Director of Catholic Charities, one of the largest Catholic social service agencies in the United States. Since early 1996 he has traveled to Cuba on many occasions on behalf of the Church. Additionally, he spearheaded relief operations that delivered food to Caritas Cuba for distribution to people left homeless by hurricane Lily. In subsequent years, similar relief efforts were also directed to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the countries of Central America and Colombia.
Appointed auxiliary Bishop of Miami on June 24, 1997, he was ordained to the episcopacy on September 3, 1997. Besides his duties in the Archdiocese of Miami, where he served on numerous boards including Catholic Hospice, Catholic Charities, Catholic Charities Legal Services, and St. Thomas University, he also served as chair of CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.) (1998-2001), chair of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops' Committee on Migration (2001-2004); and chair of the conference's Committee on International Policy (2004-2008). He also served on a number of community and civic organizations, including Miami-Dade County's Homeless Trust, the Coordinating Council of Broward and in 2001, Governor Bush appointed him to the Florida Council on Homelessness as well as the Governor's Task Force on Haiti in 2004.
Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Wenski as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Orlando on July 1, 2003. Bishop Wenski assumed the role of the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Orlando on November 13, 2004. In June 2009, Bishop Wenski was elected to a four-year term on the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.
On April 20, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the fourth Archbishop of Miami and Metropolitan of the Province of Miami (which includes the seven dioceses of the State of Florida) to which he was installed on June 1, 2010.
Archbishop Wenski, born in West Palm Beach on October 18, 1950 grew up in Lake Worth, Florida. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami on May 15, 1976. He served three years as associate pastor of Corpus Christi Church in Miami. In 1979, after briefly ministering in Haiti, he was assigned to the Haitian Apostolate of the Archdiocese. He was associate director and then director of the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center in Miami from that time to his appointment as a Bishop in 1997. Through the 1980's he conducted a circuit-riding ministry that led him to several Haitian communities throughout Florida. He also celebrated the weekly Mass in English at Miami's ABC affiliate from 1992-1997. He further directed the Archdiocese of Miami Ministry to Non-Hispanic Ethnic Groups.
In January 1996, the then Father Wenski was appointed the Archdiocese Director of Catholic Charities, one of the largest Catholic social service agencies in the United States. Since early 1996 he has traveled to Cuba on many occasions on behalf of the Church. Additionally, he spearheaded relief operations that delivered food to Caritas Cuba for distribution to people left homeless by hurricane Lily. In subsequent years, similar relief efforts were also directed to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the countries of Central America and Colombia.
Appointed auxiliary Bishop of Miami on June 24, 1997, he was ordained to the episcopacy on September 3, 1997. Besides his duties in the Archdiocese of Miami, where he served on numerous boards including Catholic Hospice, Catholic Charities, Catholic Charities Legal Services, and St. Thomas University, he also served as chair of CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.) (1998-2001), chair of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops' Committee on Migration (2001-2004); and chair of the conference's Committee on International Policy (2004-2008). He also served on a number of community and civic organizations, including Miami-Dade County's Homeless Trust, the Coordinating Council of Broward and in 2001, Governor Bush appointed him to the Florida Council on Homelessness as well as the Governor's Task Force on Haiti in 2004.
Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Wenski as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Orlando on July 1, 2003. Bishop Wenski assumed the role of the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Orlando on November 13, 2004. In June 2009, Bishop Wenski was elected to a four-year term on the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.
On April 20, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the fourth Archbishop of Miami and Metropolitan of the Province of Miami (which includes the seven dioceses of the State of Florida) to which he was installed on June 1, 2010.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Father Patrick Desbois to it’s Board of Directors.
Father Desbois is without question the world's foremost researcher on Genocide and the Holocaust. He is co-founder and president of Yahad - In Unum, an international NGO that discovered over 1900 mass killing sites of the Jews and Romas in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldavia, Lithuania, Romania and Poland including interviews of over 5000 witnesses as outlined in his book - Holocaust By Bullets (2009, Macmillan). With his new initiative Action Yazidis he has been to Iraq numerous times since 2015 researching and exposing the genocide of the Yazidis by ISIS. His findings are documented in his newest book - The Fabric of Terrorists - the Inner Secrets of Daech, currently in French (with Costel Nastasie, La fabrique des terroristes, 2016, Fayard, soon to be in English).
Father Desbois has appeared on 60 minutes twice with Lara Logan, NBC with Ann Curry, and numerous other media outlets around the world. He speaks numerous languages including French, English, Spanish and being fluent in Hebrew. He is the Braman endowed Professor of the Practice of Forensic Study of the Holocaust at Georgetown University in DC and spends the remaining parts of each year traveling to areas of mass genocide conducting research so as to inform the world of the crimes being committed.
During his career, he worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta helping to set up homes for the dying. He has served under 3 Cardinals as Secretary of Jewish Relations, and was appointed as an advisor to the Vatican.
Additionally, Father Desbois has been awarded numerous honorary Doctorate Degrees from many major universities in Canada, Israel and the US, as well as being awarded the Jewish Medal of Valor by the Simon Wiesenthal Center , the Humanitarian Award by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Legion d'honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour) in France.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Father Patrick Desbois to it’s Board of Directors.
Father Desbois is without question the world's foremost researcher on Genocide and the Holocaust. He is co-founder and president of Yahad - In Unum, an international NGO that discovered over 1900 mass killing sites of the Jews and Romas in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldavia, Lithuania, Romania and Poland including interviews of over 5000 witnesses as outlined in his book - Holocaust By Bullets (2009, Macmillan). With his new initiative Action Yazidis he has been to Iraq numerous times since 2015 researching and exposing the genocide of the Yazidis by ISIS. His findings are documented in his newest book - The Fabric of Terrorists - the Inner Secrets of Daech, currently in French (with Costel Nastasie, La fabrique des terroristes, 2016, Fayard, soon to be in English).
Father Desbois has appeared on 60 minutes twice with Lara Logan, NBC with Ann Curry, and numerous other media outlets around the world. He speaks numerous languages including French, English, Spanish and being fluent in Hebrew. He is the Braman endowed Professor of the Practice of Forensic Study of the Holocaust at Georgetown University in DC and spends the remaining parts of each year traveling to areas of mass genocide conducting research so as to inform the world of the crimes being committed.
During his career, he worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta helping to set up homes for the dying. He has served under 3 Cardinals as Secretary of Jewish Relations, and was appointed as an advisor to the Vatican.
Additionally, Father Desbois has been awarded numerous honorary Doctorate Degrees from many major universities in Canada, Israel and the US, as well as being awarded the Jewish Medal of Valor by the Simon Wiesenthal Center , the Humanitarian Award by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Legion d'honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour) in France.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Stacey Petito Nowack to it’s Board of Directors.
Stacey Nowack is the instructor and founder of Weston, Florida's Temple Dor Dorim Holocaust education program,Youth4NeverAgain. She has completed a three week seminar at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies, serves on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s South Florida Professional Advisory Committee and also serves on the Broward County Public Schools Holocaust Education Committee. Her drive for Holocaust Education is fueled by the need to remember the victims, combat Holocaust denial and empower future generations to understand their role as responsible citizens of the world.
Stacey Nowack is the instructor and founder of Weston, Florida's Temple Dor Dorim Holocaust education program,Youth4NeverAgain. She has completed a three week seminar at Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies, serves on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s South Florida Professional Advisory Committee and also serves on the Broward County Public Schools Holocaust Education Committee. Her drive for Holocaust Education is fueled by the need to remember the victims, combat Holocaust denial and empower future generations to understand their role as responsible citizens of the world.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Rabbi Norman S. Lipson, D.D. to it’s Board of Directors. Originally from Oklahoma City, Rabbi Lipson is a graduate of the University of Miami and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio and was ordained in 1972. He has served on the National Staff of the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) as well as being the spiritual leader of congregations in Mississippi, Texas, Hollywood, Florida and Weston, Florida. He has also served as Director of the Institute for Jewish Studies of the Central Agency for Jewish Education in Miami, FL. In 1996 he became founding Rabbi of Temple Dor Dorim in Weston, FL and upon his retirement in 2015, was named Founder/Emeritus.
Rabbi Lipson attained his Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at St. Thomas University in 1998. He has served as President of The Broward Board of Rabbis and is currently a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Greater Miami Rabbinical Association and serves on the Board of Neve Michael Children’s Village in Israel.
Rabbi Lipson attained his Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at St. Thomas University in 1998. He has served as President of The Broward Board of Rabbis and is currently a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Greater Miami Rabbinical Association and serves on the Board of Neve Michael Children’s Village in Israel.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Joseph M. Jackson to it’s Board of Directors.
Mr.Jackson is a senior partner at the accounting firm of Sharff, Wittmer, Kurtz, Jackson and Diaz in Coral Gables, Florida, the firm being one of the oldest accounting firms in South Florida having been established in 1953. He currently serves on various Boards and Committees including the Coral Gables Museum and is further involved with the Make a Wish Foundation of South Florida, as well as serving as an Ambassador at the Miami Children’s Hospital. His deep commitment to education, children and community make him an outstanding addition to the organization’s efforts to broaden, enhance and encourage greater Holocaust Education amongst our nation’s youth.
Mr.Jackson is a senior partner at the accounting firm of Sharff, Wittmer, Kurtz, Jackson and Diaz in Coral Gables, Florida, the firm being one of the oldest accounting firms in South Florida having been established in 1953. He currently serves on various Boards and Committees including the Coral Gables Museum and is further involved with the Make a Wish Foundation of South Florida, as well as serving as an Ambassador at the Miami Children’s Hospital. His deep commitment to education, children and community make him an outstanding addition to the organization’s efforts to broaden, enhance and encourage greater Holocaust Education amongst our nation’s youth.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Maureen B. Carter to it’s Board of Directors.
Mrs. Carter is employed by Palm Beach County Schools as the Planner for Holocaust and Social Studies for the school system and serves as the Palm Beach County School system’s liaison to the Florida Commissioner of Education's Task Force on Holocaust Education. Her many years of experience in the field of Holocaust Education, as well as her numerous educational and professional achievements, including moderating and presenting at international educational conferences in various parts of the world make her an outstanding addition to the efforts to broaden, enhance and encourage greater Holocaust Education amongst our nation’s youth.
Mrs. Carter is employed by Palm Beach County Schools as the Planner for Holocaust and Social Studies for the school system and serves as the Palm Beach County School system’s liaison to the Florida Commissioner of Education's Task Force on Holocaust Education. Her many years of experience in the field of Holocaust Education, as well as her numerous educational and professional achievements, including moderating and presenting at international educational conferences in various parts of the world make her an outstanding addition to the efforts to broaden, enhance and encourage greater Holocaust Education amongst our nation’s youth.
Board Appointment : The HOLOCAUST LEARNING AND EDUCATION FUND, INC. has announced the appointment of Andrea R. Aronsohn to it’s Board of Directors.
Mrs. Aronsohn is currently employed as an educator in Boca Raton, Florida. Having attained her Masters Degree in Education at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida in 1998, she has been a committed educator ever since. She is passionate about early childhood education and believes that it is education as well as learning specifically about the Holocaust that will bring about an effective reduction in hate and intolerance in our society. Mrs. Aronsohn and her husband - a prominent physician in Palm Beach County, are both strong and committed supporters of Holocaust education and to the growth of this outreach throughout the schools within our nation.
Mrs. Aronsohn is currently employed as an educator in Boca Raton, Florida. Having attained her Masters Degree in Education at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida in 1998, she has been a committed educator ever since. She is passionate about early childhood education and believes that it is education as well as learning specifically about the Holocaust that will bring about an effective reduction in hate and intolerance in our society. Mrs. Aronsohn and her husband - a prominent physician in Palm Beach County, are both strong and committed supporters of Holocaust education and to the growth of this outreach throughout the schools within our nation.