Search...

Speakers Bureau

NC Council on the Holocaust Speaker's Bureau

3G Holocaust Survivor Courtney Doi shares her grandmother’s story of survival in the Holocaust at the Spring 2025 Conference for Teaching the Holocaust at the Museum of the Albemarle.

Since the 1990s, the NC Council on the Holocaust Speaker’s Bureau has connected schools and communities with powerful firsthand and family testimony, as well as expert educational voices, to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten.

Our bureau includes:

Holocaust Survivors, who generously share their stories, often joining classrooms and events via Zoom.

Second-Generation (2G) and Third-Generation (3G) Speakers, who speak about the experiences of their parents and grandparents,  and carry their families’ legacies forward.

Subject-Area Experts, many of whom are retired North Carolina public school teachers and current Council members, are available to provide historical context and classroom-ready insights or lessons either in person or virtually.

All speakers are provided free of charge to schools and organizations. Whether hearing a survivor’s testimony, a family legacy, or an educator’s expertise, students and communities gain meaningful opportunities to connect with history on a personal level and deepen their understanding of the Holocaust.

Apply to be a Speaker on the NC Council on the Holocaust’s Speaker’s Bureau

Before you host a speaker, read through our Supportive Guide for Teachers and Other Hosts

Request a Speaker Below on the Form at the Bottom of the Page

Shelly Bleiweiss (2G Survivor & Subject-Area Expert)

Shelly Bleiweiss is the eldest child of two Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors who met during a deportation and survived independently by living openly under false identities. (See mother’s photograph to the left.) By sharing his parents’ experiences, he also reflects on what it was like to grow up as a child of survivors. Shelly is also a member of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust and teaches Holocaust classes to adults through the OLLI program. He has also attended training at Yad Vashem and worked as a docent at the Holocaust Museum in Houston. His work explores key historical perspectives, including the roots of antisemitism, the behaviors and events that led to the Holocaust, and Kristallnacht as a critical “green light” for genocide.

Availability: In-person in Central NC and via Zoom.

Subject-Area Expertise: The Roots of Antisemitism; Behaviors and Events that Led to the Holocaust; Kristallnacht as a Critical “Green Light” for Genocide

Amy Clark (Subject-Area Expert)

Amy Clark is a retired North Carolina educator and member of the NC Council on the Holocaust. Inspired by reading Rena’s Promise and meeting Holocaust survivor Rena Gelissen, Amy has dedicated her work to Holocaust curriculum development and teacher professional learning. She authored the North Carolina 8th- and 9th-grade ELA text sets supporting the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act and is passionate about using children’s literature to help students engage with Holocaust history in meaningful, age-appropriate ways.

Availability: In-person in the Western part of NC and via Zoom

Subject Area Expertise Presentations: History of the Holocaust; Introducing the Holocaust; Using Survivor Testimony; Propaganda and Media Literacy;  Using Picture/Children’s books to teach about the Holocaust; Life After Survival; Danish Resistance; Challenges of Escape; Sharing the story of Holocaust Survivor Rena Gelissen

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker (Subject-Area Expert)

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker has served as the rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem, NC, since July 1, 2022. He served at Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) in Colleyville, TX, from 2006 to 2022. On January 15, 2022, Rabbi Charlie and three congregants were held hostage by a gunman in the sanctuary. After an 11-hour standoff, all the hostages were able to escape when Rabbi Charlie threw a chair at the gunman, distracting him long enough for everyone to get out of the building. Since then, he has spoken at the White House, testified before Congress, and has been published in numerous news sources. The documentary, “Colleyville,” features Rabbi Charlie and tells the story of the incident.

Availability: In-person in Central NC and via Zoom.

Subject Area Expertise Presentations: Connect the history of antisemitism to the Holocaust to modern antisemitism, including the incident he experienced; ways he’s helped to create/strengthen multifaith communities rooted in mutual respect, understanding, and relationship

Courtney Doi (3G Survivor)

Courtney Doi is a third-generation Holocaust descendant who has shared her grandmother’s story since 2017. Her grandmother, Judith, escaped Berlin on the Kindertransport in December 1938, shortly after Kristallnacht, and lived with a foster family in the English countryside during the war. Much of Judith’s family, including her father, two aunts, and two siblings, perished in concentration camps, while one sibling survived internment at Theresienstadt. Drawing from more than 30 years of her grandmother’s journals and essays, Courtney explores childhood experiences during the Holocaust and the complex emotions of survival, including guilt and luck. Her presentations address the Kindertransport, the German Jewish refugee experience, and the choices facing Jewish families in Nazi Germany, while also encouraging audiences to consider how genocide can be prevented.

Availability: In-person in Central NC and via Zoom.

 

Susan Ehrlich (2G)

Susan Ehrlich is the daughter of parents who fled Nazi Germany. Through historical photographs and her father’s recently published 1945 memoir, she shares his extraordinary story as a member of the “U-Boats,” a Jewish resistance group that survived underground in Berlin while defying Nazi persecution. Her presentation traces the impact of the Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht, and the deportation of Berlin’s Jews, while also exploring the lasting effects of trauma, survival, and resilience after liberation. Drawing on her professional background working with children and adolescents, Susan encourages thoughtful discussion, critical thinking, and meaningful audience engagement.

Availability: In-person only in Wake, Durham, Orange, and Johnston counties

Renee Fink (Holocaust Survivor)

Renee Fink is a Holocaust survivor whose life story spans continents, identities, and extraordinary courage. Born Renate Gabriele Laser in 1937 to German Jewish parents who fled Nazi Germany, Renee spent her earliest years in the Netherlands in a loving family. That childhood was shattered when she was separated from her parents at age four and placed into hiding with a Catholic resistance family, the van den Brinks. Renamed Rita van den Brink, Renee survived the war through ingenuity, compassion, and the bravery of those who risked their lives to protect her, including during the devastating Dutch Hunger Winter. Though she never reunited with her parents, Renee rebuilt her life after the war, immigrating to the United States in 1948 and eventually becoming an American citizen. Today, Renee shares her journey to illuminate the enduring relevance of the Holocaust and to inspire others to stand up, speak out, and choose moral courage in the face of injustice.

Availability: In-person in Central NC and via Zoom.

 

Steve Goldberg (Subject-Area Expert)

Steve Goldberg has shared the story of his friend, Abe Piasek, more than 175 times. Steve is a lawyer and 20+ year veteran teacher. He and Abe became friends after Abe spoke at the high school in Durham, where Steve was teaching US History. Steve shares Abe’s story using video clips of Abe speaking at various locations, as well as footage from interviews Steve conducted with Abe, his family, and people who knew him. People say they feel like they got to know Abe after hearing Steve share Abe’s story. More details are at MyFriendAbe.com.

Availability: In person in Western, Central, and Eastern NC, and via Zoom.

 

Adam Goldstein (Subject-Area Expert)

Adam Goldstein, MD, MPH, is a North Carolina physician, educator, and Jewish communal leader dedicated to advancing Holocaust education and combating antisemitism. An ISGAP Fellow with the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, Dr. Goldstein’s presentations examine the history and contemporary impact of antisemitism, the importance of Holocaust education, and strategies for confronting misinformation while fostering informed dialogue across communities.

Availability: In-person or via Zoom

Lee Holder (Subject-Area Expert)

Lee Holder is a veteran Holocaust educator with more than three decades of experience in North Carolina public schools. A graduate of East Carolina University, he taught social studies for 32 years in Lenoir County Schools and created a Holocaust elective in 1993, which he taught until his retirement in 2020. His work has been deeply inspired by Holocaust survivor Gizella Abramson, whom he met in 1991. Lee is a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow and has attended the Belfer Conference at the USHMM. He currently serves as Region 2 Director of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust, where he co-plans and leads workshops, webinars, and educator programs. He has also co-led multiple study trips, symposia, and professional learning experiences and manages the Gizella Gross Abramson Resource Center for Holocaust and Civil Rights Education in Kinston.

Availability: In person in Eastern NC, and via Zoom.

Subject Area Expertise Presentations: History of the Holocaust; Introducing the Holocaust; Foundational Lessons in Teaching the Holocaust; Presentations about the Holocaust through the experiences of Holocaust survivors and refugees from Nazi Germany who moved to North Carolina.

Tomas Levi (2G Survivor)

Tomas Levi is the son of two Holocaust survivors (see photo at the left) whose lives reflect resilience, courage, and renewal. His mother was born in Hungary, deported to Auschwitz, and later forced to work in a German ammunition factory before being liberated by American forces. After the war, she immigrated by ship to Israel in 1948 and later settled in Brazil, where she would unexpectedly encounter Josef Mengele, who lived nearby before his death. Tomas’s father was born in Yugoslavia and survived a forced labor camp in Austria, narrowly avoiding deportation to Auschwitz. Liberated at barely 100 pounds, he immigrated to Israel in 1948, joined the Israel Defense Forces, and served with pride during the War of Independence, reporting directly to Ariel Sharon. Tomas’s parents met aboard the ship to Israel. Their perseverance and values continue to shape his life and perspective.

Availability: In-person in NC and via Zoom.

 

Rona Levin (3G Survivor)

Rona Levin is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and shares her family’s history through the documented survival stories of her grandparents, Sarolta (Charlotte) and Aleksander. Her presentation begins by introducing Jewish life in Europe before World War II, helping students understand everyday life before persecution. She then explains, in age-appropriate terms, how political changes and antisemitic laws gradually stripped Jewish families of their rights and safety. The core of the talk focuses on her grandparents’ wartime experiences in Czechoslovakia and Poland, highlighting both differing paths to survival and profound loss. Aleksander survived after joining a Czech unit absorbed into the Soviet Red Army, while Sarolta endured deportation, Auschwitz, and multiple forced-labor camps. Grounded in historical records, Rona emphasizes resilience, choice, and survival, concluding with a focus on rebuilding after the war and the importance of individual lives in history.

Availability: In-person in Central and Eastern NC and via Zoom.

 

Debra Beth Seltzer LeWinter (2G) and Stefanie Seltzer (Holocaust Survivor)

Debra Beth Seltzer LeWinter is a clinical social worker, educator, and the daughter of Holocaust survivor Stefanie Seltzer. Through an intergenerational presentation, Debra shares Stefanie’s remarkable story of surviving the Holocaust as a hidden child after being smuggled out of the Łódź Ghetto, living under false identities and in hiding until liberation. When Stefanie is able to join her, audiences have the rare opportunity to hear firsthand memories from a Holocaust survivor, creating a powerful conversation about survival, resilience, moral courage, and the enduring importance of bearing witness.

Availability: In-person in the Central parts of NC and via Zoom

Lynda Moss (2G Survivor)

Lynda Moss is a second-generation Holocaust survivor who speaks about her parents’ and grandparents’ experiences. Both sides of her family trace their roots to the Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine), and she shares the distinct family histories of each parent, including life in Russia and, on her mother’s side, Germany, before their eventual immigration to the United States. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Lynda connects her family’s story to a broader lesson on the consequences of antisemitism, helping audiences understand how prejudice, when left unchallenged, shapes individual lives and history itself.

Availability: Zoom only

 

Lauren Piner (Subject-Area Expert)

Lauren Piner is a history educator and curriculum specialist dedicated to Holocaust and genocide education. She holds a B.A. in History and an M.A.T. in Secondary Social Studies. From 2011 to 2024, she taught at South Central High School in Greenville, NC, leading courses in World History, AP World History, U.S. History, Civics, and a Holocaust and Genocide Studies elective. She now serves as Scholarship and Donor Relations Coordinator at East Carolina University’s College of Education and teaches part-time in History Education.  She serves on the Teacher Workshop Planning Group for the NC Council on the Holocaust and authored the World History and Civic Literacy Curriculum Resources aligned with the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act, impacting classrooms across North Carolina.

Availability: In person in Eastern North Carolina and Zoom

Subject Area Expertise Presentations: History of the Holocaust; Introducing the Holocaust; Foundational Lessons in Teaching the Holocaust

Dr. Chaim Poran (2G Survivor)

Dr. Chaim Poran, a second-generation Holocaust survivor, is the son of two remarkable individuals who endured unimaginable hardships. His mother, born in Kreva, Belarus, survived the Kovno ghetto, Stutthof concentration camp, and a death march in January 1945 before immigrating to Israel in 1950. His father, originally from Krakow, Poland, escaped the Nazis and lived in hiding after losing his family. He immigrated to Israel in 1948, serving in the Israeli army during the Independence War. Together, they married in Israel in 1951. (See photo to the left) Over the past 25 years, Dr. Poran has visited significant sites related to his parents’ pasts and has shared their powerful story through speaking engagements. Dr. Poran’s work highlights the resilience of his parents and the importance of Holocaust remembrance. Discover more about their journey in his book: https://bit.ly/PoranH2H.

Availability: In-person in Central NC and via Zoom.

 

Jennifer Roscoe (3G Survivor)

Jennifer Roscoe’s grandmother survived the Holocaust after being hidden by a Catholic family who risked their lives by pretending she was their child. After the war, she married an American soldier and immigrated to North Carolina, where she lived to be ninety-five years old. Throughout Jennifer’s life, her grandmother shared powerful stories of her wartime experiences and the discrimination she endured for being Jewish. These memories shaped Jennifer’s commitment to ensuring that the Holocaust is never forgotten or repeated, and to helping others learn kindness, courage, and resilience through her grandmother’s example.

Availability: In-person in the Central and East parts of NC and via Zoom

Laurie Schaefer (Subject-Area Expert)

Laurie Schaefer is a nationally recognized Holocaust educator with twenty-nine years of experience in the public high school classroom. A former high school English teacher, her commitment to Holocaust education began early in her career with teaching Night by Elie Wiesel. She has received extensive training from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, including selection as a 2006 Museum Teacher Fellow, and now serves as Chair of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust and Executive Director of Women of the Shoah. Laurie is an Echoes & Reflections facilitator and is pursuing a master’s degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Availability: In-person in the Central and Western parts of NC and via Zoom

Subject Area Expertise Presentations: History of the Holocaust; Introducing the Holocaust; Using Survivor Testimony; Propaganda and Media Literacy; Teaching Night; History of Antisemitism; Contemporary Antisemitism; Resistance and Rescue; Non-Jewish Victims; Overview of Auschwitz; Overview of Terezin; Liberation and Displaced-Persons Camps; Hollywood and the Holocaust; Modern-Day Genocide

Donald Sloan (2G Survivor)

Donald Sloan shares his family’s Holocaust history through the story of his father, Curtis Sloan (born Kurt Siegfried Salomon; see photo to the left), who was sent out of Germany in 1936 just weeks before his fifteenth birthday. Curtis’s parents and sister were able to leave in the following years, and he worked tirelessly with U.S. agencies to help other relatives escape until the United States entered the war. In 1943, Curtis joined the U.S. Army, serving as a translator as Allied forces moved across Europe. He participated in the liberation of at least one concentration camp and was awarded a Bronze Star for his role in supporting civilian cooperation during the liberation of France and the invasion of Germany. Donald weaves his father’s photographs and memoir with a personal reflection on displacement, loss, and survival.

Availability: In-person in the Central and Western parts of NC and via Zoom

 

Fred Valfer (2G)

Fred Valfer is the son of Holocaust survivors who were both imprisoned in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) Ghetto, each with a unique story of survival. Through his presentation, Fred shares his father’s journey from entering Terezín at age fourteen through liberation, while weaving in the experiences of other members of his family. Beginning with the impact of the Nuremberg Laws and following their lives through the end of the war and beyond, Fred offers a personal account of survival, loss, resilience, and the enduring importance of preserving Holocaust memory.

Availability: In-person in the Central part of NC and may travel further and via Zoom

Fill out the Speaker Request  Form Below 

Stay in Touch!
Sign up for our mailing list and receive a free download (PDF and Google Doc) for students to explore the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum via a virtual tour using Google Arts & Culture.

Donate

Please consider a contribution to the North Carolina Holocaust Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible and assist the Council to continue Holocaust education in North Carolina.

Donate

Contact

301 N. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Copyright 2023 to Present | NC Council on the Holocaust. All Rights Reserved. | Site Designed & maintained by MRN Web Designs