“Art In My Heart: The Stories of Lual, Mona, and Arpi” is a highly illustrated read-along book created to teach young children about resilience. Completed in May 2025, it is the capstone of Koret’s five-year grant to the USC Shoah Foundation’s Willesden Project. “Art In My Heart” successfully introduces the concepts of “empathy” and “identity” —without using these words explicitly—in order to help children recognize and interrupt discriminatory language and behavior. 

Students follow the experiences of six-year-old Sevan as she listens to the stories of three real-life characters who have used art and creativity to overcome their personal traumas. The language is age-appropriate, the tone upbeat and reassuring. Every aspect of the book is highly intentional, providing educators multiple entry points—and supplemental resources—to prepare children to learn about the Holocaust and other genocides.

Narrowly speaking, it’s tempting to consider the Holocaust “adult subject matter.” But broadly speaking, the lessons of the Holocaust are more relevant and resonant than ever—especially for children growing up in a world where it is increasingly difficult to remain unaffected by discrimination in general, and antisemitism in particular. Emotional learning is an effective way to teach empathy, build self-esteem, and disrupt stereotyping. Educational psychology confirms that knowledge acquired via an emotional experience binds more impactfully in our brains, and this more lasting impression leads to understanding. The Willesden Project strategically combines testimony, technology, and music to reshape Holocaust education for children of all ages

The Willesden Project is a collaboration with Mona Golabek’s Hold On To Your Music Foundation. The partnership has developed a series of books about the experiences of Mona’s mother, Lisa Jura, whose own parents had sent her to London in 1938 to keep her safe. Lisa grew up to become a concert pianist, and to instill a great love of music in her daughter. Mona’s performance art—blending storytelling with classical piano music—is a way to pair her mother’s story with Holocaust testimony for primary and secondary school students. You can read our earlier piece about her work here. 

The Koret Foundation has invested broadly in the power of storytelling to bring the Holocaust out of historical isolation. We have funded multimedia exhibitions, grants for filmmakers, interactive videos for students, operas, a documentary—and The Willesden Project. With “Art In My Heart,” the team at the USC Shoah Foundation has created a fresh, optimistic, and empowering resource for educators. Lual, Mona, and Arpi each overcome a challenge by finding an artistic means of self-expression.

Lual is a South Sudanese boy born in a refugee camp. He is creative, he is tenacious, he perseveres in extremely daunting circumstances in order to learn to code. He makes a video game that he names “Salaam,” because peace is his greatest hope. Technology enables him to share his dream, which resonates with people everywhere. He encourages Sevan to “Make whatever you love like I love making games!”

Mona loves her mother, she loves music, but she realizes that she doesn’t want to be a pianist like her mother. She wants to be a storyteller, to tell her mother’s story. Her art will be about her family—their history, their beliefs, their culture.

Arpi is Sevan’s mother. She is also an artist. Their family is Armenian, and Arpi tells her daughter about the “terrible time”—evoked by a black-and-white illustration opposite a vibrant, joyous depiction of their multi-generational family. Arpi honors her family’s story and culture through her art.

The power of art to enhance storytelling is as old as recorded history. Think of the Lascaux cave paintings. Consider illuminated manuscripts and haggadahs. How many times have you heard A picture is worth a thousand words? The stories of Lual, Mona, and Arpi show Sevan that she can find her own way to tell her story, to share what she loves. She learns that sharing what you love is a powerful antidote to the shadows of fear, that showing what’s in her heart and her history is a way to connect people. We believe that “Art In My Heart” offers a reservoir of hope, and that its simple wisdom will empower even young children to envision standing proud and being a force for good.

To read “Art in My Heart,” please click here.