History
Carry Testimony Forward
What began as a series of local efforts grew into a national movement at a critical moment. As Holocaust survivors became less able to share their stories firsthand, demand surged for new ways to carry testimony forward. Under the leadership of Dave Wachs, 3GNY’s Speaker Training model gained more attention and inspired the growth of 3G communities across the country. Yet these efforts remained largely unconnected. When Jen Mendelson encountered this same need while developing speaker training for children of Holocaust survivors, she recognized the opportunity to unify and scale this work. 3G organizations aligned around a shared vision: to build a national organization that could connect descendants, expand training, and ensure that Holocaust testimony is carried forward with care, depth, and integrity. This vision accelerated through a partnership with the USC Shoah Foundation, formalized in July 2023, leading to the launch of Living Links in May 2024—transforming fragmented efforts into a coordinated movement to sustain testimony for generations to come.
In the Beginning
How 3Gs Launched a Movement
3GNY Founding Board, 2010
David Polen, Leora Klein, Daniel Brooks
Gayle Peck, Julie Cohen, Rachel Spring
In 2005, six 3Gs, a diverse group of individuals, with varying professional backgrounds and religious upbringings, were united by their unique family legacy. 3GNY was born. Since then, thousands of 3Gs have participated in educational, cultural, and social events in the New York metropolitan area.
Under the leadership of Leora Klein and Daniel Brooks in 2010, 3GNY developed its flagship initiative, the WEDU, We Educate, speaker training program. Driven by the same passion, devoted volunteers have worked diligently over the years to improve and evolve the speaker training program. To date, this renowned program has trained 500 3Gs to tell their grandparents’ stories. While most are in the New York Metro area, the pandemic moved WEDU virtual, allowing speakers to be trained across the country. WEDU-trained 3G speakers have been in classrooms and community centers nationwide, reaching 60,000 students.
This successful program forms a cornerstone of the partnership between Living Links and the USC Shoah Foundation, which will expand the Speakers Training Program to reach as many 3Gs as possible.
We thank the following individuals for their ongoing devotion to the growth and success of the WEDU Speaker Training Program.
Volunteers:
Alexis Fishman
Laurie Klugman
Farah Kraus
Elizabeth Kamens
Anna Scheumann
Alison Berg
David Wachs
Staff:
Peter Nelson
Dave Reckess
As the grandchild of 4 Holocaust survivors, I felt the urgent obligation to carry their stories forward and create a forum for others like me to allow us to grapple with our grandparents' stories of survival.
-Leora Klein, 3GNY Founding Board Member
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