Irvin Moreno-Rodriguez
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP - Irvin O. Moreno-Rodriguez of Pleasantville, a program assistant at the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University, was recently named to the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education.
The mission of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education is to promote the education of the Holocaust in the State of New Jersey.
A native of Atlantic City, Moreno graduated from Stockton in 2015 with a minor in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies program at Stockton. He said he is honored to represent South Jersey on the commission.
From the first time I stepped foot in the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center in 2011, I felt the importance of learning about the Holocaust, Moreno-Rodriguez said. As an undergraduate Stockton student, local Holocaust survivors became my mentors. The center has made me aware of the importance of Holocaust and genocide education in South Jersey schools.
Gail Rosenthal, director of the Holocaust Resource Center, said she remembers his enthusiasm starting when he was a student intern in the center.
He has such a positive approach to teaching the next generations about learning from the past to make a better future for all, Rosenthal said.
Moreno-Rodriguez said he hopes to learn from other members of the commission, and add to their knowledge, sharing his experience with the dual-credit program where students at area high schools can take a Stockton course in Holocaust and Genocide studies.
I am now making a difference by sharing this knowledge with students, educators and community members who participate in visitations, activities and programs sponsored by the Holocaust Resource Center, Moreno-Rodriguez said. We are all dependent on each other, and yes, one person can make a difference to make a better future. Learning lessons from the Holocaust can empower everyone.
