Anti-Semitism has been on the rise worldwide in the last few years, but hate crimes have increased since the Coronavirus outbreak and risen even further since the murder of George Floyd and the civil unrest that has taken over American cities in its wake, including Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust is partnering with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center of Holocaust Education and the Jewish History Museum of Tucson to present an online talk on this timelier-than-ever topic on June 10. Featuring Holocaust scholars Michael Berenbaum and Steven Wasserstrom in conversation, “Antisemitism in the Time of Coronavirus” will take place at 12 p.m. via Zoom.
According to Berenbaum, the recent surge in antisemitism and the nature of contemporary antisemitism must be understood in context – the context of an increased permissiveness in the expression of hatred, the context of political polarization and the context of the battle over Israel and Zionism. Yet the overwhelming context has been a time of relative prosperity. But what happens in a in a period of high unemployment, fear over one’s future and over the economic future of the world as we have known it – in the US and globally? These and other questions will be addressed in the talk. Register here.
Two upcoming Zoom events feature Holocaust subjects. In Nazi-occupied Poland, two Catholic girls rescued 13 Jews by hiding them in an attic for nearly two years, at considerable risk to their lives. Stefania and Helena Podgórska were named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 1979, and Stefania spoke at the dedication of the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum in 1993. The sisters’ story became the subject of a 1996 TV movie, “Hidden in Silence,” and a 2020 novel, “The Light in Hidden Places.” Stefania’s children Ed Burzminski and Krystyna Diamant will participate in a conversation on June 4 at 11 a.m. Register here.
Jerry Weiser will relate how he survived the Holocaust, thanks to a mother who smuggled him out of the Bratislava Ghetto as an infant and gave him to a priest who found a safe home for him with a farmer’s family in a talk that will stream on Facebook Live on June 9 at 11 a.m. Register here.
Lastly, on June 8 at 12 p.m., LAMOTH will present “Building Bridges: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue About Confronting Racism,” featuring leaders from the Hispanic- African-American, Asian, and Jewish communities talking about the challenges we’re facing in a very divided America. Michael Lawson, of Los Angeles Urban League; Helen Torres of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality; Charlie Woo of Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment; and moderator Dan Schnur, a professor at USC’s Annenberg School of Communications and LAMOTH board member, will discuss solutions and a path forward.
“The fabric of our society is threatened in a moment when so many of our communities, who make up this country, are in pain,” LAMOTH board chair Michele Gold said in a statement. “We must show up for humankind during these challenging times. There are great injustices impacting our brothers and sisters and we are working vigorously to be part of the solution. As we have since 1961, we will continue to foster dialogue amongst ostracized groups and individuals who can shed a light and create opportunity to alleviate these burdens.”
Register here.
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