Holocaust Organizations, Scholars and Educators Sound Alarm on Surge in Hate Crimes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 5, 2016

For media inquiries contact:
Lisa Safier, Museum of Jewish Heritage
communications@mjhnyc.org
646-437-4336

 

CALL TO ACTION TO LAWMAKERS AND CITIZENS

 

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New York. – In a powerful statement issued by an array of Holocaust institutions, scholars and educators from around the world and spearheaded by the Sousa Mendes Foundation, an alarm is being sounded on the rise of groups that promote intolerance and hate speech. More than 90 Holocaust remembrance organizations and more than 70 Holocaust scholars and educators are calling on lawmakers to condemn white nationalist groups and asking citizens to be vigilant.  The statement is as follows:

 

Recent months have seen a surge in unabashed racism and hate speech – including blatant antisemitism and attacks on Hispanics, Muslims, African-Americans, women, the LGBTQ community, as well as other targeted groups.  Journalists have been threatened.  Places of worship, schools and playgrounds have been defaced with Nazi symbols intended to intimidate and arouse fear.  White supremacist groups have become self-congratulatory and emboldened.

 

As Holocaust scholars, educators and institutions, we are alarmed by these trends.  History teaches us that intolerance, unchecked, leads to persecution and violence.  We denounce racism and the politics of fear that fuels it.  We stand in solidarity with all vulnerable groups.  We take Elie Wiesel’s words to heart: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.”

 

Therefore, we call upon all elected officials as well as all civic and religious leaders to forcefully and explicitly condemn the rise in hate speech and any attacks on our democratic principles.  We call upon all media and social media platforms to refuse to provide a stage for hate groups and thus normalize their agenda.  And we call upon all people of good conscience to be vigilant, to not be afraid, and to speak out.

 

This statement is co-authored by members of the Association of Holocaust Organizations, a network dedicated to the advancement of Holocaust education, remembrance and research, and is affirmed by the following institutions and individuals:

 

ORGANIZATIONAL SIGNERS

Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect

Steven Goldstein, Executive Director

New York, NY

 

Birmingham Holocaust Education Center

Rebecca C. Dobrinski, Executive Director

Birmingham, AL

 

CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center

Kiel Majewski, Executive Director

Terre Haute, IN

 

Center for Holocaust Awareness & Information (CHAI)

Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester

Bonnie Abrams, Director

Rochester, NY

 

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education

College of Saint Elizabeth

Dr. Amy Weiss, Director

Morristown, NJ

 

The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education

Sarah Weiss, Executive Director

Cincinnati, OH

 

Center for Holocaust, Genocide, & Human Rights Studies

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Prof. John Cox, Director

Charlotte, NC

 

Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education (CHHANGE)

Brookdale Community College

Dale Daniels, Executive Director

Lincroft, NJ

 

Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies

Appalachian State University

Prof. Thomas Pegelow Kaplan, Director

Boone, NC

 

The Center for the Study of Anti-Semitism

Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

Abraham H. Foxman, Director

New York, NY

 

Center for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide

Sonoma State University

Prof. Myrna Goodman, Director

Rohnert Park, CA

 

Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Keene State College

Prof. Henry Knight, Director

Keene, NH

 

The Colorado Holocaust Educators

Todd Hennessy, Director

Denver, CO

 

Columbia Holocaust Education Commission

Lilly S. Filler, M.D., Co-Chair

Lyssa Harvey, Co-Chair

Columbia, SC

 

The Council of Holocaust Educators

Colleen Tambuscio, President

Trenton, NJ

 

Darfur and Beyond

Cory Williams, Co-Founder

Phoenix, AZ

 

Dayton Holocaust Resource Center

Dr. Renate Frydman, Director

Dayton, OH

 

El Paso Holocaust Museum & Study Center

Lori Shepherd, Executive Director

El Paso, TX

 

Esther Raab Holocaust Museum & Goodwin Education Center

Helen Kirschbaum, Director

Cherry Hill, NJ

 

Evidence of Holocaust

Yakov Zakon, Director

Chicago, IL

 

Eyes from the Ashes Educational Foundation

Dr. Ann Weiss, Director

Bryn Mawr, PA

 

Facing History and Ourselves

Roger Brooks, President and CEO

Brookline, MA

 

Finnish Holocaust Remembrance Association

Oula Silvennoinen, Chairman

Helsinki, Finland

 

Fundación Memoria Viva

Karen Codner, CEO

Santiago, Chile

 

Galicia Jewish Museum

Jakub Nowakowski, Director

Krakow, Poland

 

Generations of the Shoah International (GSI)

Esther Finder, Member of the Coordinating Council

 

Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education

Dr. Donald Berry, Co-Director

Mobile, AL

 

Haiti Jewish Refugee Legacy Project

Harriet and Bill Mohr, Founders

Menlo Park, CA

 

The Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Center

Queensborough Community College, CUNY

Dr. Dan Leshem, Director

Bayside, NY

 

Herbert and Leonard Littman Families Holocaust Resource Center

Rutgers University

Karen Small, Associate Director

New Brunswick, NJ

 

Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

Millie Jasper, Executive Director

White Plains, NY

 

Holocaust Center for Humanity

Dee Simon, Executive Director

Seattle, WA

 

Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather, Director

Pittsburgh, PA

 

The Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater

Elena Barr Baum, Director

Virginia Beach, VA

 

The Holocaust Council of Greater MetroWest

Barbara Wind, Director

Whippany, NJ

 

Holocaust Education and Programming Center

Wagner College

Prof. Lori R. Weintrob, Director

Staten Island, NY

 

Holocaust Education Resource Council

Barbara Goldstein, Executive Director

Tallahassee, FL

 

Holocaust Educational Foundation

Northwestern University

Sarah Cushman, Director

Evanston, IL

 

Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project

Monroe Community College

Prof. Regina Fabbro, Endowed Chair

Rochester, NY

 

Holocaust Learning and Education Fund, Inc.

Craig R. Weiner, President

Fort Lauderdale, FL

 

Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County

Steven Markowitz, Chair, Board of Directors

Glen Cove, NY

 

Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach

Sharon Horowitz, Executive Director

Miami Beach, FL

 

Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio

Ellen Ollervidez, Director

San Antonio, TX

 

Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida

Pam Kancher, Executive Director

Maitland, FL

 

Holocaust Museum and Learning Center

Jean Cavender, Executive Director

St. Louis, MO

 

Holocaust Museum Houston

Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, CEO

Houston, TX

 

Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo

Mara Koven-Gelman, Executive Director

Buffalo, NY

 

Holocaust Survivors & Friends Education Center

Shelly Z. Shapiro, Director

Albany, NY

 

Holocaust Theater International Initiative

National Jewish Theater Foundation

Arnold Mittelman, President

Coral Gables, FL

 

Human Security Initiative

Dr. Gregory Weeks, Director

Vienna, Austria

 

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

Susan L. Abrams, CEO

Skokie, IL

 

Institute for Holocaust & Genocide Studies

Raritan Valley Community College

Peppy Margolis, Director

Branchburg, NJ

 

Institute for Holocaust Education

Liz Feldstern, Executive Director

Omaha, NE

 

Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston

Jeremy Burton, Executive Director

Boston, MA

 

Jewish Federation of Greater Austin

Beth McDaniel, Director of Genocide Prevention

Austin, TX

 

Jewish Labor Committee

Arieh Lebowitz, Associate Director

New York, NY

 

Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation

Eliott Felson, President

San Francisco, CA

 

The Julius and Dorothy Koppelman Holocaust/Genocide Resource Center

Rider University

Prof. Harvey R. Kornberg, Director

Lawrenceville, NJ

 

The Kindertransport Association

Melissa Hacker, President

New York, NY

 

Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

Beth Kean, Interim Director

Los Angeles, CA

 

The Memorial Library and Art Collection of the Second World War

David A. Field, Vice-President

New York, NY

 

The Memory Project Productions

Laurie Weisman, Executive Director

New York, NY

 

Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

Michael S. Glickman, President & CEO

New York, NY

 

Music of Remembrance

Mina Miller, President & Artistic Director

Seattle, WA

 

Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center

Dr. Shay Pilnik, Executive Director

Milwaukee, WI

 

National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education

Seton Hill University

Prof. Tim Crain, Director

Greensburg, PA

 

New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education

Lawrence M. Glaser, Executive Director

Trenton, NJ

 

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

Judith Margles, Director

Portland, OR

 

Philadelphia Center on the Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights

Dr. Marcia Sachs Littell, President

Philadelphia, PA

 

The Ray Wolpow Institute for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity

Western Washington University

Prof. Sandra Alfers, Founding Director

Prof. Sebastian Sousa Mendes, Department of Art

Bellingham, WA

 

Remember the Women Institute

Dr. Rochelle G. Saidel, Founder and Director

New York, NY

 

Remember Us

Samara Hutman, Director

Santa Monica, CA

 

Ruth Fajerman Markowicz Holocaust Resource Center of Greater Toledo Ohio

Hindea Markowicz, Director

Sylvania, OH

 

The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center

May-Ronny Zeidman, Executive Director

Providence, RI

 

Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center

Stockton University

Gail Rosenthal, Director

Galloway, NJ

 

The Selden K. Smith Foundation for Holocaust Education

Minda Miller, Chair

Columbia, SC

 

Sousa Mendes Foundation

Olivia Mattis, Ph.D., President

Huntington, NY

 

The South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation

Richard Freedman, Director

Cape Town, South Africa

 

South Carolina Council on the Holocaust

Eileen Chepenik, Chair

Columbia, SC

 

The Sparks Fly Upward Foundation

Cathy Lesser Mansfield, Executive Director

Des Moines, IA

 

Sperling Kronberg Mack Holocaust Resource Center

Susan Dubin, Librarian

Las Vegas, NV

 

Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice

Queens University of Charlotte

Talli Dippold, Assistant Director

Charlotte, NC

 

The Strochlitz Foundation

Romana Strochlitz Primus, President

New London, CT

 

Suffolk Center on the Holocaust, Diversity and Human Understanding

Steven Schrier, Executive Director

Selden, NY

 

Terezín Music Foundation

Mark D. Ludwig, Executive Director

Boston, MA

 

Tolerance Minnesota

Susie Greenberg, Associate

Minneapolis, MN

 

Virginia Holocaust Museum

Charles Coulomb, Interim Executive Director

Richmond, VA

 

Voices of the Generations

Julie Kohner, CEO

Los Angeles, CA

 

Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education

The Breman Museum

Liliane Kshensky Baxter, Ph.D., Director

Atlanta, GA

 

The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust & Genocide

Ben Barkow, Director

London, United Kingdom

 

World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants

Stefanie Seltzer, President

Burlington, MA

 

World Without Genocide

Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Ellen J. Kennedy, Ph.D., Executive Director

St. Paul, MN

 

INDIVIDUAL SIGNERS

Prof. Mehnaz Afridi, Director

Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center

Manhattan College

Riverdale, NY

 

Prof. Taner Akçam, Chair

Armenian Genocide Studies

Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Clark University

Worcester, MA

 

Ethan Bensinger, Documentary Filmmaker

Bensinger Global Media

Deerfield, IL

 

Prof. Michael Berenbaum, Director

Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust

American Jewish University

Los Angeles, CA

 

Solvej Berlau, Project Manager

Danish Institute for International Studies

Copenhagen, Denmark

 

Prof. Emerita Mira Binford

Department of Communications

Quinnipiac University

Hamden, CT

 

Mitchell Bloomer, Resource Teacher

Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida

Maitland, FL

 

Prof. Emeritus Randolph Braham

Department of Political Science

The Graduate Center, CUNY

New York, NY

 

Dr. Linda Burghardt, Scholar-in-Residence

Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County

Glen Cove, NY

 

Nancy Civin, Holocaust Educator

Baltimore, MD

 

Prof. Richard Clark

Department of Sociology and Criminology

John Carroll University

University Heights, OH

 

Melissa Cohen, Program Coordinator

Martin-Springer Institute

Flagstaff, AZ

 

Beth Dotan, Founding Director

Institute for Holocaust Education

Omaha, NE

 

Susan H. Dubin, Library Consultant

Off the Shelf Library Services

Henderson, NE

 

Prof. Debórah Dwork, Founding Director

Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Clark University

Worcester, MA

 

Matthew Faulkner, Program Coordinator

Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio

San Antonio, TX

 

Dr. Tamara Reps Freeman, President

Holocaust Music LLC

Saddle River, NJ

 

Prof. Jonathan Friedman

Department of History

West Chester University

West Chester, PA

 

Prof. Alan Goldberg

School of Education

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

 

Dr. Henry Greenspan, Faculty Scholar

Mellon Institute on Arts-Academic Integration

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

 

Larry Grimes, Holocaust Educator

Tampa, FL

 

Bonnie Gurewitsch, C.A., Former Archivist/Curator

Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

New York, NY

 

Marco Gutewort, Historian

Castle and Memorial Site Lichtenburg

Bad Schmiedeberg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

 

Marilyn Harran, Ph.D., Director

Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education

Chapman University

Orange, CA

 

Joyce Hess, Board President

Midwest Center for Holocaust Education

Overland Park, KS

 

Kent Hirschfelder, Past Chair

Holocaust Museum & Learning Center

St. Louis, MO

 

Amanda J. Hornberger, Coordinator

Lakin Holocaust Library & Resource Center

Reading, PA

 

Prof. Sara R. Horowitz

Department of Humanities

York University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Prof. Paul B. Jaskot, Chair

Faculty Academic Council

Holocaust Education Foundation

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

 

Marcia Reines Josephy

Josephy Exhibitions

Los Angeles, CA

 

Prof. Emeritus Marty J. Kalb

Department of Fine Arts

Ohio Wesleyan University

Delaware, OH

 

Prof. Joshua Kavaloski, Director

Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study

Drew University

Madison, NJ

 

Rositta E. Kenigsberg, 2nd Generation

Golden Isles, FL

 

Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff, Holocaust Author and Educator

Miami Beach,  FL

 

Prof. David S. Koffman

Department of History

York University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Prof. Patricia A. Kress

Department of Psychology

Monroe Community College

Rochester, NY

 

Prof. Bjorn Krondorfer, Director

Martin-Springer Institute

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ

 

Ilana Krygier Lapides, Director

Holocaust & Human Rights Education

Calgary Jewish Federation

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

 

Sonia Marie Leikam, Holocaust Educator and Anti-Genocide Activist

Portland, OR

 

Prof. Laura Levitt

Department of Religion

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

 

Prof. Emeritus Kevin Lewis

Department of Religious Studies

University of South Carolina

Columbia, SC

 

Margaret Lincoln, Ph.D., Librarian

Lakeview School District

Battle Creek, MI

 

Holly Mandelkern, Holocaust Educator and Author

Winter Park, FL

 

Mel Mann, Executive Director

Friends of the March of the Living

Miami,  FL

 

Prof. David A. Meola

Department of History

University of South Alabama

Mobile, AL

 

Jeffrey Allen Miller, Immediate Past President

Holocaust Memorial Resources and Education Center of Florida

Orlando, FL

 

Stephen Naron, Director

Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies

Yale University

New Haven, CT

 

Jud Newborn, Ph.D., Holocaust Historian, Author, Lecturer

The White Rose Resistance Project for the Advancement of Civil Courage

New York, NY

 

Nancy Powell, Benefactor

The Powell Heller Holocaust Education Conference

Gig Harbor, WA

 

Prof. Dan J. Puckett

Department of History

Troy University

Montgomery, AL

 

Mary Jane Rein, Ph.D., Executive Director

Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Clark University

Worcester, MA

 

Dr. Michael A. Riff, Director

The Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Mahwah, NJ

 

Prof. Ann L. Saltzman, Director Emerita

Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study

Drew University

Madison, NJ

 

Dr. Carl R. Schulkin, Holocaust Educator

Laguna Niguel, CA

 

Prof. Emerita Harriet Sepinwall

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education

College of Saint Elizabeth

Morristown, NJ

 

Aley Sheer, Manager

Leo Martin March of the Living

Miami, FL

 

Prof. Emeritus Arthur Shostak

Department of Sociology

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

 

Dr. William L. Shulman, President

Association of Holocaust Organizations

New York, NY

 

Prof. Angelique Stevens

Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project

Monroe Community College

Rochester, NY

 

Marsha Tishler, Holocaust Educator and Survivor

Rockville, MD

 

Prof. Emeritus Samuel Totten

School of Education

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Fayetteville, AR

 

Prof. Steven Wasserstrom

Department of Judaic Studies

Reed College

Portland, OR

 

Dr. Ronald Weisberger, Director

Holocaust Center

Bristol Community College

Fall River, MA

 

Dr. Leon Weissberg, Holocaust Educator

LTW Educational Consultants

Hollywood, FL

 

Prof. Lenore J. Weitzman

Vice-President, Jewish Book Council

Visiting Scholar, NYU Department of History

New York, NY

 

Mark Weitzman, Director of Governmental Affairs

Simon Wiesenthal Center

New York, NY

 

Prof. Daniel Wildeson, Director

Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education

St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud, MN

 

Jamie L. Wraight, Ph.D., Director

The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

University of Michigan-Dearborn

Dearborn, MI

 

Dr. Bill Younglove, Ed.D., Holocaust Educator

Lakewood, CA

 

Jean Zeldin, Executive Director

Midwest Center for Holocaust Education

Overland Park, KS

 

Gail G. Ziegler, LISW-S, Senior Manager

Jewish Family Service Center for Holocaust Survivors

Cincinnati, OH