3GNY

3GNY, also known as Third Generation New York, is a nonprofit educational and social organization formed by grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. The organization combines peer support, cultural programming, historical education, and public speaking to help descendants of survivors process and preserve their family histories while sharing broader lessons about genocide, prejudice, and intolerance. The name 3GNY refers to the “third generation,” meaning the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. The organization was founded in New York in 2005 by Daniel Brooks and initially consisted of six people. It subsequently grew into a community of more than 1,500 members. Its activities are designed both for descendants of survivors and for wider audiences interested in Jewish history, intergenerational memory, genealogy, and human-rights education. 3GNY’s community programming has included Shabbat dinners, discussion groups, genealogy workshops, writing workshops, museum tours, and informal social gatherings. These activities provide members with opportunities to learn about their families, discuss the experience of growing up with survivor histories, and build relationships with others who share related experiences. The organization’s educational work also draws on testimony from Holocaust survivors and from survivors of other genocides, including Rwanda and Darfur, connecting personal memory with broader discussions of mass violence and intolerance. A major turning point came in 2010 with the launch of WEDU, short for “We Educate.” Developed with Facing History and Ourselves and the American Society for Yad Vashem, the initiative trains grandchildren of survivors to research, interpret, and communicate their family histories. The four-week program is intended to help participants speak compellingly to younger and more diverse audiences about the Holocaust and the consequences of hatred and discrimination. After training, 3GNY helps participants secure speaking opportunities in schools, community organizations, and corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. According to the organization’s published history, WEDU has trained more than 500 descendants of survivors, supported presentations in hundreds of classrooms, and reached more than 50,000 students of different ages. This model makes 3GNY both a support network and an outreach platform: its members use inherited family stories as a starting point for civic education and anti-intolerance work. The organization received broader public attention through a 2010 profile involving Ike Davis, then a first baseman for the New York Mets. Davis, whose mother is Jewish and whose extended family included relatives murdered during the Holocaust, met with 3GNY members and discussed the importance of keeping survivor memories alive. The encounter illustrated the group’s emphasis on personal connection and the role of descendants in carrying historical memory forward. 3GNY is best understood as an educational and community brand rather than a commercial product brand. Its principal offerings are programs, training, public presentations, and member activities. The organization’s public-facing identity centers on intergenerational remembrance, testimony, pluralism, and practical education about the consequences of intolerance.

3GNY was established in New York in 2005 by Daniel Brooks as a community for grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. The group began with six members and was created to address two related needs: providing a supportive forum for descendants and ensuring that the lessons of survivor testimony remained available to people who had not experienced the Holocaust directly. The organization’s identity is reflected in its name. “3G” means third generation, referring to grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, while “NY” identifies its New York base. Rather than functioning as a commercial enterprise, 3GNY developed as a nonprofit social and educational organization. Its early community-building work included Shabbat dinners, discussion groups, museum tours, informal gatherings, genealogy workshops, and writing workshops. These programs allowed members to explore family histories and the emotional and cultural dimensions of inherited Holocaust memory. 3GNY also broadened its educational focus beyond the Holocaust alone. Its programming has included direct engagement with Holocaust survivors and with survivors of other genocides, including Rwanda and Darfur. This approach places individual testimony within a comparative framework and uses historical memory to discuss the dangers of hatred, discrimination, and intolerance in contemporary society. In 2010, 3GNY launched WEDU, an initiative whose name stands for “We Educate.” The program was developed in collaboration with Facing History and Ourselves and the American Society for Yad Vashem. It introduced a structured, four-week training process for grandchildren of survivors. Participants learn how to develop their family stories and communicate them effectively to audiences from varied backgrounds, particularly younger people. The program’s purpose is not only to preserve family narratives but also to connect those narratives to civic lessons about prejudice, genocide, and moral responsibility. Following the training, 3GNY facilitates speaking opportunities for participants in classrooms, community settings, and corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The organization has reported that WEDU trained more than 500 descendants of survivors, supported presentations in hundreds of classrooms, and reached more than 50,000 students of different ages. These figures describe a shift from a primarily member-oriented group toward a wider educational platform. The group gained public visibility in 2010 when Ike Davis, then a New York Mets first baseman, met with members. Davis had a Jewish family background and relatives who were murdered during the Holocaust, while one great-aunt survived. The meeting drew attention to the way descendants can maintain connections to histories they did not personally witness. Over time, 3GNY’s activities have remained centered on three linked functions: community support for descendants, preservation of survivor and family testimony, and education for broader audiences. Its work is especially significant in the context of generational change, as fewer Holocaust survivors remain available to speak directly and descendants increasingly assume responsibility for transmitting their stories. The available reference material does not specify a current executive structure, annual budget, legal parent, or detailed recent program developments.

1. 2010WEDU educational initiative launches

   3GNY introduced WEDU, a four-week speaker-training initiative developed with Facing History and Ourselves and the American Society for Yad Vashem.

   Source
2. 2010Public profile involving Ike Davis

   A New York Times profile highlighted a meeting between 3GNY members and New York Mets player Ike Davis concerning Holocaust memory and descendant responsibility.

   Source
3. 20053GNY is founded

   Daniel Brooks founded 3GNY in New York as a community and support organization for grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. The group began with six people.

   Source

A descendant-led nonprofit that turns Holocaust and genocide family histories into community support, public education, and anti-intolerance programming.

• WEDUEducational training program2010

  WEDU, meaning “We Educate,” is a four-week training program for grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Developed with Facing History and Ourselves and the American Society for Yad Vashem, it helps participants develop their family histories into effective educational presentations. Graduates can speak in classrooms, community venues, and corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion settings, linking personal testimony with lessons about the Holocaust and the dangers of intolerance.

• Community and cultural programmingCommunity services

  3GNY provides recurring activities for descendants of Holocaust survivors, including Shabbat dinners, discussion groups, museum tours, happy hours, genealogy workshops, and writing workshops. These programs combine peer connection with opportunities to explore family history, Jewish culture, survivor testimony, and the experience of carrying historical memory across generations.

• Classroom and community presentationsPublic education2010

  Through WEDU and related outreach, trained descendants present family histories and Holocaust-related lessons to students, community groups, and other audiences. The organization’s educational approach uses personal narratives to make historical events accessible while emphasizing the wider risks of prejudice, discrimination, and intolerance.

• 2010WEDU (We Educate)

  United States

  3GNY launched WEDU to train grandchildren of Holocaust survivors to share family histories and educate diverse audiences about the Holocaust and intolerance. The program was developed with Facing History and Ourselves and the American Society for Yad Vashem.

  Outcome. The organization reports that the initiative trained more than 500 descendants, supported presentations in hundreds of classrooms, and reached more than 50,000 students.

  Source

• 2010Expand from member support into structured public educationStrategy

  3GNY had established a community model based on descendant support, social events, and historical discussion.

  What changed. The organization launched WEDU, creating a formal training pathway through which descendants could become public educators in schools, community settings, and corporate programs.

  Aftermath. WEDU became a major vehicle for the organization’s outreach, with reported training and classroom-reach figures extending well beyond its original membership base.

  Source

• 2010The New York Mets' Ike Davis meets with 3GNY

  A media profile described Ike Davis meeting members of 3GNY to discuss Holocaust memory, family history, and the responsibility of descendants to preserve the experiences of relatives who were affected by the Holocaust.

  Other
  Source
• 20103GNY launches the WEDU educational initiative

  3GNY introduced a four-week training program, developed with Facing History and Ourselves and the American Society for Yad Vashem, to prepare descendants of survivors to share family histories and teach about intolerance.

  CampaignProduct launch
  Source

1. 3GNY
2. 3GNY official website