Why must we teach history?
04/16/2024
“In my opinion, The Mitzvah Project is one of the most unique and impactful Holocaust education programs in the country.”
— Dr. Michael Berenbaum, Holocaust scholar and historian.
Dr. Berenbaum’s statement — along with the testimonials by dozens of other educators who have hosted The Mitzvah Project — is very meaningful and humbling.
But testimonials can’t stop the spread of Holocaust ignorance or denial; antisemitism, racism, islamophobia or any other forms of hate, whether on high school or college campuses or in our communities.
This month, California Governor Gavin Newsom released the Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism, a comprehensive effort to check the rise of antisemitism in California.
Among the plan’s key elements are calls for expanding antisemitism education programs in schools and colleges and “massively” expanding Holocaust and genocide education.
We applaud the Governor for his timely leadership.
The plan is an important and much needed first step. But its concrete implementation — on the ground — is the all-important and crucial next step.
We are calling on the Governor to make sure that front line organizations — like The Mitzvah Project — are key elements in the implementation of the plan.
And your support will give us the means to continue making the impact that must be made in these challenging times, and going forward.
Thank you,
Roger Grunwald, Founder, The Mitzvah Project
*** P.S. The following story is from one of our recent high school presentations:
In every Mitzvah Project program there’s a Q&A, immediately preceded by a 25-minute solo theatrical performance, i.e. The Mitzvah and a 25-minute lecture. (To view a video of an entire presentation, click here.)
The Q&A is a crucial part of the learning process, giving students the opportunity to ask questions, make comments and interact with our teaching artists.
On March 5th, at his presentation at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, CA, Mitzvah Project Teaching Artist, Victor Talmadge, fielded a question from a student in the audience who wanted to know more about Chiune Sugihara.
***
Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat at his country’s consulate in Lithuania both before and during the Second World War. When the Holocaust came to Lithuania, Sugihara saw that Jews were being targeted by the Nazis for deportation and murder — and decided to take action.
Disobeying direct orders from his superiors and at mortal risk to both himself and his family, Sugihara single handedly saved over 2,000 Jews by issuing transit visas that gave them safe passage out of Lithuania.
***
“My mother, aunt and grandmother [three of whom are pictured in the photo below], who had made their way to Lithuania from Poland in 1941, were three of the Jews saved by Sugihara,” Talmadge told the rapt student audience.
“When Sugihara’s superiors discovered what the diplomat had done, he was summarily fired and sent back to Japan in disgrace.”
Far too belatedly, on the centennial of his birth in 2000, the Japanese government honored Sugihara for his selfless and brave deed.
Today Sugihara is recognized at Yad Vashem as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” — the only Japanese national to be so honored.
***
I am so proud that we can bring Victor’s family survival story — as well as those of our other teaching artists — to young people.
In this moment, so many people — young and old — are struggling to make sense of the proliferation of antisemitism, racism, islamophobia and other forms of hate; the horrific violence visited upon Israel by Hamas on October 7th; the terrible destruction and death from the war in Gaza; the continuing bloodshed in the Ukraine — and the often overwhelming and sensationalistic ways these are presented, in particular, on social media.
It is precisely in this time that we must redouble our efforts to reach and teach as many young people as possible with our “unique and impactful Holocaust education program.”
Your donation — in any amount — is the fuel that will power our efforts, to continue, to grow and to meet the challenges ahead.
Thank you again for your support!
