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