Glenn Flickinger welcomes Doug Cervi, who will offer a general presentation on the Holocaust that blends historical overview with educational insight.

Cervi will situate the Holocaust within the broader sweep of Nazi persecution and genocide — tracing how state-sponsored antisemitism escalated from discrimination and isolation to industrialized mass murder. His presentation will clarify the scope of the Nazi regime’s crimes, including the targeting of Jews as well as Roma, people with disabilities, political dissidents, LGBTQ individuals, and others deemed “undesirable.”

Drawing on decades in the classroom, Cervi will also explain how and why Holocaust education is taught across New Jersey’s schools today. New Jersey was one of the first states in the nation to mandate Holocaust and genocide education. As Executive Director of the Commission, Cervi works with educators to provide curriculum guidance, training, and resources designed to ensure students understand not only the historical facts but the moral and civic questions the Holocaust raises.

He will share reflections on the challenges and opportunities of teaching this history in a time when fewer survivors remain to tell their stories firsthand. As living witnesses pass from the scene, the responsibility shifts to educators, institutions, and communities to preserve testimony accurately and thoughtfully — without sensationalism, distortion, or political misuse.

Finally, Cervi will address why understanding genocide and its human impact remains vital for students and citizens alike. The Holocaust is not presented as distant tragedy alone, but as a case study in how prejudice, propaganda, bureaucratic obedience, and indifference can converge with catastrophic consequences.

Whether you’re new to the topic or looking to deepen your grasp of its historical and contemporary significance, Cervi’s talk will anchor the history of the Holocaust in both documentary fact and the responsibility of memory.