FAU recently received a gift of $260,000 from SNCF America, Inc., a subsidiary of the state-owned national railway of France, to support our Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education. The Center provides training and resources for teachers involved with Holocaust, genocide and human rights education.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to meet with Alain Leray, president and CEO of SNCF America, and learn about the company – and why supporting Holocaust education is so important to its people. For more than 25 years, SNCF has been engaged in historical research and remembrance activities related to its history during World War II. As the only railroad in German-occupied France during the war, SNCF fell under the control of Nazi troops, who used its trains to transport Jews to Germany. Today, the company’s leadership feels a special responsibility to support Holocaust and genocide education, with the hope that it will motivate younger generations to become activists for peace.

Diversity is one of FAU’s core values and the Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education is helping to create a culture of tolerance among our young people. We truly appreciate this gift from SNCF America, which will go beyond FAU and have a broad impact on our local teachers and the students they reach.