Inspiring Empathy, Leading Change: Summer Institute 2025
June 2025, Los Angeles, CA—The California Teachers Collaborative hosted its third annual Summer Institute, welcoming 114 educators from 88 schools and 50 district for four days of intensive professional development.
Meet the Teachers Who Are Building a World Without Hate
As antisemitism and rising division spread across the country, the need for education that helps students recognize the roots and patterns of hate has never been more urgent. In response, the California Teachers Collaborative continues to lead statewide efforts—bringing educators together to teach difficult topics with care, empathy, and purpose.
Workshops that Foster Empathy, Accuracy, and Action
At the heart of the Institute were five core workshop themes that addressed some of the most pressing and complex issues facing educators today:
- Identifying the Origins and Patterns of Hate
- Teaching with Testimony
- Integrating Primary Sources into the Classroom
- Building Empathy Through Art, Literature, and Personal Story
- Making Modern Connections and Carrying Stories Forward
These sessions didn’t just provide content—they offered strategies. Teachers explored how to foster civil discourse, safely guide students through dehumanizing histories, and navigate today’s political landscape, including the divisive context surrounding the Israel-Hamas War and the broader rise in antisemitism and violence against marginalized communities.
Testimony as a Throughline
Survivor testimony was a powerful and unifying thread throughout the Institute. Teachers heard from:
- Ella Mandel, a Holocaust survivor who shared her experiences of the Lodz Ghetto, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Bergan Belsen concentration camps
- Dydine Umunyana Anderson, a survivor of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, who was only 4 years old when the genocide began
- A survivor of the Uyghur Genocide, who co-led a session on contemporary atrocities
- Anita, a hidden child during the Holocaust and member of the JFCS Speakers Bureau
- A 3G (grandchild of survivors) guest speaker, who shared their grandparents’ Holocaust story and introduced Aron’s Story, an interactive digital museum created by Avenues for Change
Over the course of four days, educators participated in:
- 26 workshops on topics including teaching with testimony, building empathy through literature and art, civil discourse, and addressing modern antisemitism
- General sessions and keynotes featuring thought leaders such as California State Senator Henry Stern and CDE Communications Director Liz Sanders
- Museum-based learning at the Museum of Tolerance
- Testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust, the genocide against the Tutsi, the Uyghur genocide, and others—spanning eight genocides in total
- A film screening and discussion of Among Neighbors, exploring Jewish-Polish relations during and after the Holocaust
This year’s Institute also introduced new standards-aligned classroom resources and expanded its reach: 65% of attendees were first-time participants, and more than half of them had never before engaged with professional development from any Collaborative partner.
Measuring Impact
Feedback from participants underscores the lasting impact of the experience:
- 99% reported they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the Institute
- 100% said facilitators were knowledgeable
- 99% felt seen and heard throughout the program
- 96% said they would use Among Neighbors as a teaching tool
Meet some of the teachers who attended the Summer Institute!
Educators left not only with concrete strategies and classroom resources—but also with a renewed sense of purpose. As one participant shared,
“I feel empowered with a deeper knowledge of genocide and intersecting issues, such as the roots of hate, in a way that will enhance my ability to connect with my students and broaden the literature we read.”
A Statewide Movement for Change
The California Teachers Collaborative is more than a professional development provider—it is shaping a statewide movement for transformative Holocaust and genocide education. By building educator capacity, fostering cross-district collaboration, and centering testimony and lived experience, the Collaborative is setting a new standard for how we teach the past to build a more just future.
By 2029 the California Teachers Collaborative will train 8,500 teachers through professional development workshops & institutes and reach over one million California students in all secondary school districts. Learn more.