2026 Theme: The Fragility of Democracy

When rights erode, societies change. Not all at once. Not with a single vote. But step by step.

In the years before the Holocaust, Jewish citizens lost protections that many believed were permanent. Civil rights were restricted. Professions were closed. Property was seized. Refuge was denied. What began as rhetoric became law. What began as exclusion became persecution.

This four-day Teacher’s Institute examines how democratic systems fail, how rights are stripped through legal and social mechanisms, and how the Jewish refugee crisis exposed the global consequences of indifference. Through primary sources, survivor testimony, legal documents, and standards-aligned instructional strategies, educators will explore how the loss of rights unfolded incrementally and how those lessons connect to civic responsibility today.

Participants will leave with classroom-ready materials aligned to Florida Holocaust Education Standards and CPALMS benchmarks, grounded in historical evidence and designed to strengthen critical thinking, civil discourse, and historical literacy.

Democracy does not collapse in a single moment. It weakens when rights are no longer protected for everyone.

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