PB Educators Participate in Field Study

Credit: inSIGHT

(Press Release) PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL – inSIGHT Through Education, a leading force in Holocaust education in Palm Beach County, led an intensive and transformative field study in Washington, D.C., for 24 principals and assistant principals, along with three district leaders from Palm Beach County Schools. This powerful professional development experience—fully funded by inSIGHT through grants from The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and The Isadore and Bertha Gudelsky Family Foundation, Inc.—was offered at no cost to participants and was made truly unforgettable by the presence of Holocaust Survivors Mary Ekstein and Herschel Greenblat.

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This marks the fifth inSIGHT field study in just four years, reaching more than 100 school leaders. Designed not only to inform but to empower, the experience equips educators to lead school-wide initiatives that foster kindness, acceptance, and respect.  This trip ignites a strong demand for inSIGHT-funded programs—bringing powerful, engaging lessons to students and meaningful professional development to their teachers.

Over the course of three immersive days, educators visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Capital Jewish Museum. Participants engaged in powerful conversations and reflections with Holocaust Survivors about their individual experiences as well as the parallels between African-American history and the experience of the Jewish people during the Holocaust and the dangers of stereotypes and propaganda. 

Integrating Survivor testimony and the enduring lessons of the Holocaust into the classroom curriculum facilitates inSIGHT Through Education’s overarching goal of cultivating an environment that empowers students to become informed, empathetic and serve as active upstanders in their communities.
“The impact of this trip has fueled a surge in demand for our programs,” said Kelly Warsaw, President & CEO of inSIGHT Through Education. “Four years ago, we reached 10,000 students. This year, we impacted 75,000. Next year, our goal is to reach 100,000—and the educators on this trip are key to making that happen.”

“In 33 years of education, I’ve never experienced professional development as transformative as this,” said Joan M. Pierre-Jerome, principal of J.C. Mitchell Elementary School in Boca Raton. “Hearing directly from Holocaust Survivors brought history to life in a way no textbook ever could. Thanks to inSIGHT Through Education, I return to my school not just inspired, but equipped to teach with purpose and authenticity.”
Warsaw emphasized the critical importance of immersive learning experiences for educators.

“Field studies like this expand education beyond the classroom,” said Warsaw. “When educators visit the Point of Pines Slave Cabin or see the powerful exhibit of shoes belonging to victims of the Holocaust, they gain a perspective that’s far deeper than what’s possible through traditional instruction. These experiences help draw powerful connections—from the Nuremberg Laws and Jim Crow to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda—and empower educators to bring those lessons into the hearts and minds of their students.”
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