HERC marks 15th annual Holocaust remembrance dinner in Tallahassee

The Holocaust Education Resource Council brought together more than 350 community members in Tallahassee, Florida, for its 15th annual remembrance dinner honoring Holocaust victims and local leaders in education and outreach. The event also underscored HERC’s year-round efforts to expand Holocaust education across the Big Bend region.

Why it matters: - The Holocaust Education Resource Council’s annual dinner is a key local fundraiser and awareness event for Holocaust education across the Big Bend region. - The gathering centered on remembrance, student learning and community responsibility at a time when HERC says education and empathy remain essential. - HERC’s programs reached more than 400 students and 50 teachers and administrators in 2026.

What happened: - HERC held its 15th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Dinner in Tallahassee, Florida, yesterday. - The event honored the more than six million Jewish people killed during the Holocaust, along with millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. - More than 350 community members attended, including local leaders, families, educators and students. - HERC presented Alan Hanstein, executive director of the Challenger Learning Center, with the Steve Uhlfelder Humanitarian Award. - HERC gave Tom Flanigan, program director for news at WFSU Public Media, the Community Leadership Award. - David Goldman, chair of the Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, served as guest speaker.

The details: - Barbara Goldstein, executive director of HERC, said the event supported Holocaust education at an important time for the community. - Hanstein said the award honored Steve Uhlfelder’s work on behalf of people without a voice. - Hanstein also said Holocaust education requires people to recognize shared humanity, confront hatred and give young people courage to stand up for others. - Flanigan said HERC teaches lessons to younger and older audiences and stresses that people can choose between kindness and atrocity. - Goldman said the Holocaust could not have happened without the active involvement and complicity of Germany’s professionals. - Goldman said that history is a warning against moral blindness and a call for ethical leadership. - HERC said the dinner supports education and community outreach across the Big Bend region. - In 2026, HERC hosted more than 20 regional events, including teacher training workshops, film screenings, school presentations and other educational programming. - HERC said its work during the year reached students, teachers and administrators across the region. - Superintendent Rocky Hanna said the programs help students understand social and cultural differences and embrace diversity. - HERC works with local, state and national partners including Leon County Schools, the Tallahassee Jewish Federation, Ruby Diamond Foundation, the Florida Department of Education and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. - HERC says its mission is to teach tolerance, empathy and historical truth while building hope and silencing hate. - HERC is a nonprofit based in Tallahassee, founded in 2007 by Barbara Goldstein and Rita Miller Blank, both daughters of Holocaust survivors. - HERC provides educators, students and the public with resources, training and programs that preserve Holocaust history and promote tolerance, respect and human dignity. - HERC directs readers to more information.

Between the lines: - The dinner was not only a memorial event; it also served as a public signal of community backing for Holocaust education and civic engagement. - The awards highlighted local figures who support outreach, suggesting HERC is relying on regional partnerships to widen its educational reach. - The emphasis on ethics, diversity and student outreach points to a broader effort to connect Holocaust history with current social responsibility.

What's next: - HERC is expected to continue its regional programming with partners across education, media and cultural institutions. - The organization will likely keep using public events and school-based outreach to expand its message on tolerance and historical memory. - HERC’s next priorities appear to center on sustaining education efforts and building new community support for its mission.

The bottom line: - HERC used its 15th annual remembrance dinner to honor Holocaust victims, recognize community allies and reinforce a year-round education campaign across North Florida.