NEXT DOR

T

he Zekelman Holocaust 
Center manager of adult 
education Katie Chaka 
Parks, 33, believes people from 
all walks of life, regardless of 
age, background or religion, 
should learn the history of the 
Holocaust and how it continues 
to impact today’s world.
“It’s extremely important for 
communities to have allies,” she 
says, “and it’s so important for 
people who are not Jewish to 
also take on the history of the 
Holocaust to make sure that 
everybody understands the histo-
ry and its ramifications today.”

Parks serves as an important 
example. While she comes from a 
Greek Orthodox community, she 
is deeply committed to Holocaust 
education.
She also addresses the expe-
riences of women during the 
Holocaust and the inclusion 
and exclusion of women’s nar-
ratives within museum exhibits 
across the United States as her 
dissertation research as a Ph.D. 
candidate in European History 
at Wayne State University, which 
she plans to defend in the fall.
“I’m not Jewish, which for 
some people is confusing why I 

Holocaust educator Katie Chaka Parks 
strives to make the lessons of the 
Holocaust relevant for everyone.

‘All of our History’

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

54 | JUNE 15 • 2023 

VOICE OF A 
NEW GENERATION

Sen. Gary Peters and 
Sec. of Homeland 
Security Alejandro 
Mayorkas toured the 
Zekelman Holocaust 
Center in March 2022.

Katie Chaka Parks

