Menu

Spector/Warren Fellowship for Holocaust and Human Rights Education

A group of students at the Holocaust Museum Houston

Teaching about the Holocaust and human rights provides the opportunity to examine the basic moral issue of what it means to be a responsible citizen in a democratic society. Studying the Holocaust and human rights provides an understanding of—and tools to disrupt—racism, antisemitism, and other forms of prejudice and to work for inclusion and justice in society.

2024 Spector/Warren Fellowship: May 19-24, 2024
Application Deadline: March 11, 2024

Apply Now

Faculty Recommendation Form

Binaka Norris headshot“The Spector/Warren Fellowship has instilled in me that peace and justice can be achievable through the teaching of truthful, uncomfortable, and radically humanizing history, both inside and outside of the classroom. This experience showed me how non-traditional educators like myself can fill in gaps that our education system and policy leave open so that all of us can work towards a future free from atrocities.”
Binaka Norris ’23

A group of students at the Holocaust Museum HoustonThe Spector/Warren Fellowship for Holocaust and Human Rights Education is for undergraduate and graduate students preparing for careers in education, counseling, student affairs, museum studies, library and information science, law, and other fields broadly related to social justice and human rights.

During this five-day, fully funded intensive program at the Holocaust Museum Houston, fellows engage with nationally recognized scholars and Holocaust survivors and their descendants to explore historical, pedagogical, and personal contexts for understanding the Holocaust and advancing human rights.

Fellows will benefit from the program through:

  • Awareness and understanding of Holocaust history and its application to human rights
  • Strategies for introducing the universal lessons of the Holocaust in the classroom and workplace
  • Awareness and understanding of the Holocaust’s portrayal in the media
  • Learning how to teach about and address the Holocaust and human rights within the context of racism, antisemitism, prejudice, and contemporary atrocities, including genocides
  • Expanding the lessons of the Holocaust to understand the importance of respect for human rights and diverse perspectives

Fellows also will have opportunities to participate in and lead activities on the Syracuse University campus to extend what has been learned in Houston.

Contact

Julia M. White, Associate Professor
jmwhit02@syr.edu|315.443.9321
Julia M. White
Rachel Brown, Professor Emeritus
Rachel Brown

Abby Cullen headshot“As a graduate student interested in pursuing a career in museum education, the Spector/Warren Fellowship taught me so much about how to communicate intense and important aspects of history to the public.”
Abby Cullen G’24

Josh Spodek '25“The Spector/Warren Fellowship guided me toward a more holistic view of human atrocities and influenced me to pursue academic and professional opportunities I would not have done previously.”
Joshua Spodek ’25

 


About Naomi Warren

naomi warren and a fellow pose in the holocaust museum houston's memorial room
Naomi Warren with a 2014 Spector/Warren Fellow

The Warren and Spector families established the Fellowship for Future Educators to honor Naomi Warren, by preparing future teachers with approaches for bringing Holocaust education into the classroom.

Naomi Warren overcame her own personal tragedy to become a symbol of perseverance, determination and success. Born in Eastern Poland, she survived three concentration camps during the Holocaust. Her first husband, Alexander Rosenbaum, died in Auschwitz in 1942, but Naomi survived the war and immigrated to the United States in 1946.

She married Holocaust survivor Martin Warren, and together the couple raised a family and established a successful import company. After her husband’s death, she continued to run the business until her retirement in 2002. She was awarded the Tolley Medal for Lifelong Learning by the School of Education in 2013.

Naomi passed away in October 2016. As our students go out into the world, they carry Naomi’s story, her spirit, and the meaning of being an ally to next generations.