The Ninth Candle Launches National Award Honoring Excellence in Holocaust Education

New Sol and Sally Rosenkranz Holocaust Educator of the Year Award will recognize an outstanding middle or high school teacher.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, September 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Ninth Candle today announced the launch of the Sol and Sally Rosenkranz Holocaust Educator of the Year Award, a new national award to celebrate outstanding teaching of the Holocaust in middle and high schools.

The award is named for Sol and Sally Rosenkranz, who married and emigrated from Europe to New York City after 1945. Sol survived six slave labor camps in Poland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia, and he later spent more than two decades sharing his story with visitors and students at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park, New York. Sally was an Auschwitz survivor.

“The Ninth Candle’s Sol and Sally Rosenkranz Holocaust Educator of the Year Award honors my parents’ history of survival and commitment to remembering those who perished,” said Rita Rosenkranz, Sol and Sally’s daughter. “My family is grateful for this lasting engagement with educators, in keeping with Sol’s decades-long involvement as a gallery educator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.”

“The Ninth Candle is honored to help carry Sol and Sally’s legacy forward, ensuring that their story continues to inspire students and educators for years to come,” said Dr. Luke Berryman, Founder of The Ninth Candle.

The award will recognize an educator currently teaching grades 6–12 at a middle or high school anywhere in the United States. Teachers may nominate themselves or be nominated by colleagues, administrators, students, or parents.

Candidates must demonstrate that they have introduced students to primary sources and the fundamental principles of historical investigation, and that they have fostered constructive discussion around sensitive topics in the classroom.

The winner will receive a custom trophy and a curated collection of books for their school library, and they will be invited to speak at select The Ninth Candle events during the 2027-28 school year.

The Ninth Candle will also recognize an Emerging Educator, honoring an outstanding teacher with fewer than five years of teaching experience.

Nominations are open through October 4, 2026. Finalists will be selected in the following months, with the winner being announced on January 27, 2027, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“Holocaust education is at its most effective when students are given a chance to work in the same way as professional historians,” said Berryman. “We want to celebrate the teachers who are working on the frontlines of education to create such inquiry-based learning experiences.”

For more information or to nominate an educator, visit https://theninthcandle.com/rosenkranz-educator-of-the-year.

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Luke Berryman
The Ninth Candle
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