At the Forefront of Fighting Antisemitism in Michigan

By: Ruth Bergman, Director of Education – 

Do you shudder when you hear about today’s increase in antisemitism and then wonder how you can improve this terrible situation? You already are making a huge difference, through your support of the HMC. Your generosity makes it possible to fight the scourge of antisemitism from the ground up: by making sure every student in Michigan learns about the Holocaust and its lessons for today.

The rise of Nazism and the causes of the Holocaust have their roots in suspicion, fear and uncertainty.

HMC Education Specialist Aliza Tick (standing) leads a seminar, training educators from Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Jackson and St. Clair counties. (Photo: Jerry Zolynsky)

People look for simple answers to complex questions, and they need a scapegoat for all their problems. Hate mongers stoke that fear with the very powerful tool of propaganda.   But you have a powerful tool, too—education.

Thanks to your support, the HMC has set an ambitious goal and we are meeting it: to train all Michigan social studies and literature teachers from Marquette to Muskegon. The pandemic isn’t stopping us; if we can’t train these teachers in person, we will give them webinars and online resources.

With your help, we are giving Michigan’s teachers the tools to educate their students to think critically and recognize propaganda and hate speech. Their students are learning that unchecked hatred can lead to terrible atrocities, but that they have the power to stand up against it. Most importantly, they are developing compassion for people different from themselves. Thanks to you, they are becoming our allies in the fight against antisemitism.