Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
A Keene State College-based Holocaust and genocide education, research, and community outreach center in New Hampshire.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies is an educational and public-service center based at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. Established in 1983 by sociology professor Charles Hildebrandt as a small Holocaust Resource Center, it has developed into one of the older Holocaust resource centers in the United States and an institutional hub for teaching, research, remembrance, and community engagement. The center supports Keene State College's interdisciplinary academic work in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, including a nationally recognized undergraduate major and minor. The associated academic program has been described as the first undergraduate major in the United States devoted specifically to Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and it became a formal college department in 2012. The center's holdings expanded from the roughly 200 books assembled by Hildebrandt during a 1982 sabbatical to a specialized collection of nearly 6,000 volumes and other media supporting students, faculty, educators, and independent researchers. Its work extends beyond campus instruction. The center provides curricular materials and guidance to elementary, middle-school, high-school, and college educators; organizes public lectures and workshops; supports regional leaders and community organizations; and hosts annual and periodic programs focused on historical memory, antisemitism, racism, intolerance, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Its public programming includes a Holocaust Memorial Lecture, a Genocide Awareness Lecture, a Kristallnacht remembrance event, Yom HaShoah commemorations, student and community trips to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Charles Hildebrandt Awards Night, and a biennial residential Summer Institute on Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The institution's identity changed as its mandate widened. It became the Center for Holocaust Studies in 2000 and was renamed the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies in 2001 after Jan and Rick Cohen made a significant gift in honor of Rick Cohen's parents, Lester and Norma Cohen. In September 2009, the current name was adopted to reflect the center's expanded focus on genocide alongside Holocaust studies. The center frames its mission around bearing witness to the Holocaust and genocide and helping present and future generations assume responsibility for building communities free from antisemitism, intolerance, and hate. Its work combines the resources of a college library and academic program with public education, commemorative practice, and partnerships involving educators, community leaders, institutions, volunteers, and supporters. More than 300 individuals and institutions have been identified as supporting the center's efforts across New Hampshire, the surrounding region, and the wider United States. The center is housed on the first floor of Keene State College's Mason Library, where the Susan J. Herman Reading Room serves as a study, teaching, meeting, and reflection space.
History
The Cohen Center began with Charles Hildebrandt, a Keene State College sociology professor whose teaching and broader commitments to racial, ethnic, and religious diversity led him to develop a dedicated Holocaust resource initiative. During a sabbatical in the fall of 1982, Hildebrandt worked toward establishing a Holocaust Resource Center at the college, creating a sociology course on the Holocaust, and serving as a source of information for colleagues and members of the surrounding community. He assembled a collection of slightly more than 200 books and related materials. The Holocaust Resource Center opened at Keene State College in January 1983. Its initial role was that of a specialized collection and support service, but its activities progressively expanded into academic programming, educator assistance, public lectures, commemorations, and community outreach. The collection eventually grew to nearly 6,000 volumes and other media, becoming a major resource for the college's interdisciplinary work in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. In 2000, the organization adopted the name Center for Holocaust Studies. The following year, after Jan and Rick Cohen provided a transformative gift supporting substantial parts of its work, it became the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies. The name honors Rick Cohen's parents, Lester and Norma Cohen. The center later broadened its remit beyond Holocaust studies. In September 2009, it took the name Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, signaling a formal expansion into the study and public education of genocide. The center's development was closely connected to Keene State's academic program. The college established an interdisciplinary undergraduate major and minor in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, described as the first undergraduate major of its kind in the United States. The program became a formal department in 2012. The center provides library resources, instructional support, public programming, and opportunities for students to connect historical study with questions of civic responsibility and contemporary human rights. Its public-facing program has included two recurring lectures: a Holocaust Memorial Lecture held in the fall and a Genocide Awareness Lecture intended to encourage sustained attention to warning signs and patterns associated with genocide. Other recurring activities include an annual Kristallnacht remembrance program hosted with the Colonial Theatre, Yom HaShoah commemorations, a student trip and a community-leader trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Hildebrandt Awards Night, and a biennial residential Summer Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Through these activities, the center works with students, teachers, community leaders, survivors and their families, scholars, volunteers, and regional organizations. The center is located on the first floor of Mason Library at Keene State College. The Susan J. Herman Reading Room functions as a space for classes, meetings, center events, individual study, and reflection. Its stated mission is to advance Keene State's public liberal arts purpose by studying and bearing witness to the Holocaust and genocide, with the aim of encouraging present and future generations to help build a world free of antisemitism, intolerance, and hate. The center reports support from more than 300 individuals and institutions across the state, region, and nation.
- 2012
Academic program becomes a formal department
[1]Keene State College's Holocaust and Genocide Studies program became a formal department.
- 2009
Genocide studies added to the name
[1]In September, the institution became the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies to reflect its wider academic and public mission.
- 2001
Cohen naming and major philanthropic support
[1]Following a significant gift from Jan and Rick Cohen, the center became the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies, honoring Lester and Norma Cohen.
- 2000
Renamed Center for Holocaust Studies
[1]The institution adopted the name Center for Holocaust Studies as its educational and resource activities expanded.
- 1983
Holocaust Resource Center opens
[1]The center opened at Keene State College with a collection of a little more than 200 books and related materials.
- 1982
Hildebrandt develops the resource-center initiative
[1]During a sabbatical, sociology professor Charles Hildebrandt assembled an initial collection and planned a Holocaust Resource Center, an associated course, and an educational support role for Keene State College and the surrounding community.
Products and positioning
A public liberal-arts-centered resource and engagement hub that combines specialized collections, interdisciplinary higher education, educator support, historical commemoration, and community programming to confront antisemitism, intolerance, hate, and genocide.
Higher education
Holocaust and Genocide Studies academic program
An interdisciplinary Keene State College program supported by the center's collections, teaching resources, faculty connections, and public events. It includes an undergraduate major and minor and addresses the history, interpretation, memory, and civic implications of the Holocaust and genocides.
Library and research resources · 1983
Holocaust and genocide research collection
A specialized collection that grew from approximately 200 books assembled in 1982 to nearly 6,000 volumes and other media. It supports students, faculty, educators, researchers, and community members studying the Holocaust and genocide.
Professional development
Educator outreach and Summer Institute
Educational support for teachers at elementary, middle-school, high-school, and college levels, including workshops and a biennial residential Summer Institute focused on Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Public education and commemoration
Public lecture and remembrance series
A recurring program of lectures and commemorations, including the Holocaust Memorial Lecture, Genocide Awareness Lecture, Kristallnacht remembrance event, and Yom HaShoah observance. These events connect historical scholarship with public reflection and civic responsibility.
Awards
Charles Hildebrandt Holocaust and Genocide Studies Award
An award honoring founder Charles Hildebrandt and recognizing creative or scholarly work related to the Holocaust or genocide. Eligible submissions may include essays, historical analysis, stories, poetry, music, dance, film, theater, and visual art.
Awards
Susan J. Herman Award for Leadership in Holocaust and Genocide Awareness
An endowed recognition program for individuals whose leadership has promoted understanding of genocide, advocacy for victims of crimes against humanity, or community education and engagement.
Marketing campaigns
- Kristallnacht Remembrance Event
New Hampshire · United States
An annual community remembrance program, hosted with the Colonial Theatre, that recalls Kristallnacht and emphasizes collective responsibility, mutual respect, justice, and opposition to intolerance.
Outcome. Established as a recurring public education and commemoration activity.
- Yom HaShoah Commemoration
Keene · New Hampshire · United States
An annual observance dedicated to remembrance of the Holocaust and to public reflection on historical responsibility.
Outcome. Continues as part of the center's annual commemorative programming.
- Holocaust and Genocide Studies Summer Institute
New Hampshire · United States
A biennial residential institute offering outreach and professional learning for educators and other community leaders.
Outcome. Provides recurring specialized education and networking for participants concerned with Holocaust and genocide teaching.
Brand decisions
2009
Expanded the institutional mission to include genocide studiesStrategyBackground
The center's educational and public work had grown beyond the Holocaust to include the study and prevention-oriented understanding of genocide.
Action taken
In September, the name was changed to Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Aftermath
The broader name aligned the center with an expanded academic program and public mission addressing genocide, antisemitism, intolerance, and hate.
2001
Adopted the Cohen Center name after philanthropic supportStrategyBackground
A major gift from Jan and Rick Cohen supported significant portions of the center's work and created an opportunity to recognize Rick Cohen's parents, Lester and Norma Cohen.
Action taken
The institution changed its name to the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies.
Aftermath
The renamed center continued expanding its collections, academic support, and public programming.
Sources1 sources
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