The Seton Hill community is happy to welcome James Paharik, Ph.D., as he steps into his new role as director of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education.
Paharik began a full-time teaching career at Seton Hill in 1982 after receiving his doctorate in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.
“I knew about the Center’s work all this time. I collaborated with them in many different ways, and probably the most significant example of that was about ten years ago when I helped to develop an academic program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies here at Seton hill University,” Paharik said.
Paharik directed the Graduate Certificate Program for Holocaust studies for ten years and taught classes for the Undergraduate minor.
Paharik has also presented abroad at the International Conference on Holocaust Education at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to educate about Catholic/Jewish relations.
Here at Seton Hill, the NCCHE hosts many educational events, such as the annual Kristallnacht commemoration which gives attendees the opportunity to hear from Holocaust survivors. The Center will also be hosting an event upon the one year anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting of 2018.
The NCCHE offers many resources and positions for Seton Hill students, including work study positions, internships, and volunteer opportunities. Students could help with social media, marketing, event planning, and many other contributions.
The Center has also worked closely with the art and design programs to create unique ways to educate the public.
“If everyone understood what happened in the Holocaust and the millions of innocents that were killed, they’d never think about stereotyping or attacking a Jewish person again,” Paharik explained.
“Moving forward, our goal is to increase interactivity with both the on-campus community as well as outside schools and organizations,” Paharik said.
Students can expect to see more events as well as a stronger presence on social media, such as the brand new instagram account which can be accessed at @nccheshu.
Paharik has also been working to make the NCCHE office more accessible and convenient for its guests.
Readers who are interested in the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education can contact the organization via ncche@setonhill.edu, by calling (724)830-1033, or by checking out their instagram (@nccheshu) or facebook (@shuncche). Visitors are also welcome at the NCCHE office on the third floor of Admin.
*In print, the headline held a typo. The error has been corrected in this version*
Published By: Caitlin Srager