Dr. Miriam Kassenoff, Director of the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development/Miami-Dade County Public Schools Holocaust Teacher Institute, has spent her career ensuring the lessons of the Holocaust reach the next generation, and the opening of the new Education Center at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach brings that mission closer to home than ever.
The Education Center, six years in the making, dramatically expands the Memorial's capacity to serve schools and the broader South Florida community. At its core is Dimensions in Testimony℠, an interactive exhibit developed in collaboration with USC's Shoah Foundation that lets visitors hold real-time, simulated conversations with Holocaust survivors, including those no longer living, ensuring their voices endure for generations to come. All tours are free, with reservations required, keeping the center accessible to students across Miami-Dade.
For Kassenoff, whose Holocaust Teacher Institute bridges UM's academic resources with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the center delivers exactly the kind of immersive, evidence-based learning environment educators need.
The gallery walks visitors through the full arc of the Holocaust, from the normalcy of pre-war European life to the horrors of the camps to the resilience of liberation, while a companion exhibit confronts present-day antisemitism, connecting history to the current moment.
Through the Holocaust Teacher Institute, Kassenoff trains educators to carry these stories back into their classrooms.
The Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach Education Center is open to the public. Tours are free of charge; reservations are required at jewishmiami.org.
