Schwartz Holocaust and Antisemitism Resource Center
Schwartz Holocaust and Antisemitism Resource Center
The Schwartz Holocaust and Antisemitism Resource Center is a premier educational resource dedicated to Holocaust education, the study of antisemitism, and the preservation of Jewish history. Following extensive renovations, the Center brings together a comprehensive collection of Holocaust educational resources for students, educators, and the community.
The Center's collection includes more than 5,000 Holocaust-related books and the Dr. Saul Friedman Holocaust Research Audio Collection, featuring recorded testimonies and interviews that preserve the voices and experiences of Holocaust Survivors.
Visitors can explore a permanent Antisemitism Timeline, which traces more than 2,000 years of anti-Jewish hatred. The exhibit examines how myths, stereotypes, and falsehoods about the Jewish people have fueled discrimination, violence, and genocide throughout history. While documenting centuries of persecution—including discriminatory laws, pogroms, the Holocaust, and the rise in global antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack—it also tells a story of resilience, highlighting the strength, perseverance, and enduring contributions of the Jewish people.
A centerpiece of the Resource Center is The Staff of Resilience, a commissioned mural by artist Andrew Merritt. The mural features multicolored butterflies as symbols of remembrance and hope. It honors the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust—including 1.5 million children—as well as homosexuals, political prisoners, Jehovah's Witnesses, people with disabilities, and other victims of Nazi persecution. Interwoven through strands of barbed wire are the words of Zog Nit Keyn Mol ("Never Say"), the 1943 Partisan anthem, transforming the work from a memorial of loss into a powerful declaration of resistance, survival, and hope.
The Resource Center additionally features a rotation of the traveling exhibits of local Holocaust Survivors Abe and Francis Honigman, Bill Vegh, and Henry Kinast. These traveling exhibits are available at no cost to schools, religious institutions, libraries, museums, and civic organizations, extending Holocaust education throughout the Mahoning Valley and beyond.
The Schwartz Holocaust and Antisemitism Resource Center is open during the JCC of Youngstown's regular operating hours. Whether you are conducting research, planning a classroom visit, or seeking to learn more about the Holocaust and the history of antisemitism, the Center welcomes visitors of all ages.
