FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (SEPTEMBER 24, 2019)
Dillon Hosier
Israeli-American Civic Action Network
202-888-4240
Dillon@IsraelUSA.org

 

ICAN AND ANCA WELCOME DECISION BY NEVADA COMMISSION ON CULTURE AND TOURISM TO SUPPORT STUDY FOR STATE HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE EDUCATION CENTER

Carson City, Nevada: The Nevada Commission on Culture and Tourism voted unanimously to support a privately funded feasibility study exploring the viability of establishing a Nevada State Center of Tolerance for Holocaust and Genocide Education. The Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN) and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Western Region worked with commission officials to move the project forward. The move comes after the legislature failed to pass AB 257 which would have established a Nevada State Holocaust Museum.

“During session, we had a remarkable hearing where we brought together and heard the stories of the descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, living survivors of the Holocaust, a Syrian refugee who in recent years saw the gassing of his family in Homs, Syria; all of them Nevadans,” said Dillon Hosier, Chief Advocacy Officer at ICAN. “Although the bill to enable the Division of Museums to act failed to make it out of the legislature, today this Commission can take a step in the right direction to help make this privately funded feasibility study possible.”

“This is so important,” said Commissioner Herb Santos Jr. “We have black marks in the history of the world. We have to make sure that our children, and their children, and their children are educated so it doesn’t get swept under the rug and they know about it so that mistakes and events like this can’t happen again.”

“With intolerance, discrimination, and genocide denial on the rise, right now is the perfect time for a Center of Tolerance in Nevada,” said Lenna Hovanessian co-chair of ANCA in Nevada. “Our children shouldn’t have to travel out of state to learn the history of our community. This center will provide a home for all Nevadans to learn about the horrors of genocide so we don’t repeat the same mistakes.”

Following the Commission’s vote, the State of Nevada Division of Museums will be in charge of conducting the feasibility study after funding is provided from private donors. It is anticipated that the project could be complete before the start of the 81st legislative session in Nevada, beginning in 2021.

“I want to thank the commission for taking this action and supporting such an important project,” said Sigal Chattah, Chairwoman of ICAN in Nevada. ”You have the appreciation of Nevada’s Israeli-American, Jewish, and Armenian communities for your care, concern, and attention ensuring that the state’s descendants and survivors of the Holocaust and genocides are not forgotten and that their stories will be preserved for all Nevadans for generations to come.”

About the Israeli-American Civic Action Network: The Israeli-American Civic Action Network is an advocacy organization dedicated to empowering Israeli-American immigrants, and allied communities, at every level of government, local, state, and nationally, to create change for a better America, a more secure Israel, and a stronger U.S. – Israel alliance through advocacy education, civic action, and campaigns and elections. 

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