Source: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images
Learning from the past builds hope on the horizon of a world where differences are respected. Holocaust Remembrance Day is a powerful reminder of that. A 2022 survey on Holocaust knowledge among Americans revealed that only 53% of respondents over the age of 18 answered correctly that approximately six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, while 20% said they were not sure.
While these results are alarming, they are also a wake-up call for our collective responsibility. We must continue to educate ourselves, and those within our communities, about the history of genocidal events such as this one, and others, in order to create a more peaceful present and future.
It can be challenging to remember that behind each number, news headline, and statistic lies our shared experience of being human. We each have the responsibility to create tangible changes by connecting across our differences to grow our understandings of one another. Below is an offering of resources for each of us to dig deeper, learn more about what antisemitism is, how it feels, and how to confront it.
LISTEN
- What Does Antisemitism Sound Like – Dr. Leonard Polonsky One man’s story about his first encounter with antisemitism. It tells us what it sounded like in his youth, and helps us understand what that felt like—and still feels like today.
- ADL Education Facilitator Fights Antisemitism and Hate One Student At a Time From the Frontlines
WATCH
- A Path Forward: Confronting Hate in America Arno Michaelis, a former leader in the skinhead movement and now a peacebuilder, introduces former white supremacist Ken Parker to Tamara Meyer, a Jewish Holocaust Educator, and to race relations expert Daryl Davis.
- Confronting Hate Panel A Conversation examining the history and present-day experiences of antisemitism through religious and ideological world views from Tanenbaum’s founder, Dr. Georgette Bennett, expert in Catholic-Jewish relations, Judith Banki, author of “Behind Islamophobia is a Global Movement of Antisemites,” Dr. Nafeez Ahmed, and former white supremacist leader turned human-rights activist, TM Garret.
READ
- Teaching the Holocaust: Why Education Fosters Empathy | Sojourners This reflection examines alarming findings from the first ever 50-state Holocaust Knowledge survey across millennials and Generation Z to advocate for national, and global, Holocaust education.
- Antisemitism – What, Where and Why? This fact sheet looks at what antisemitism is, how it evolved, and whether it’s unique.
ACT
- Five Ways to Combat Antisemitism NOW! A call-to-action for learning about and combating antisemitism.
- Shine A Light On Antisemitism! Youth Art Contest 2023 Shine a Light
If you engage with any of the above resources and would like to share your thoughts, we are listening. Contribute to Tanenbaum’s 3,000 Conversations for Building Respect Series to share your reflections.