The JFCS Holocaust Center’s Next Chapter program was recently featured in The Mercury News! Read the article >

The Next Chapter enables high school youth to develop profound connections with Holocaust survivors. By participating in the program, students build a special community of social responsibility and genocide awareness and are awarded 40 hours of community service.

In the article, program alumna Samantha shared about her experience meeting with a local Holocaust survivor, Denise.

“‘My mom always told me that the opportunity to talk with a Holocaust survivor and hear their story is a special one as it becomes more and more rare,’ Alvarez said. “It has become almost unheard of.’

“Alvarez’s great-grandparents immigrated to the United States before World War II from near the Austria-Germany border. So it meant a lot to Alvarez to learn of the time period through Elbert’s first-person account.

‘It’s an invaluable way to connect with our history,”’ Alvarez said. ‘I’m a huge advocate for the program.'”

As part of The Next Chapter, students write a narrative essay about their survivor’s story. Read Samantha’s essay >