We live in a time of labels and hyperbole and I don’t like it. Too many groups are being defined by labels that are then used to stereotype and marginalize. This tendency has been brought to my attention with two particular groups since my trip to Switzerland. The groups in question are the Poles andContinue reading “An Unnecessary Divide”
Tag Archives: Bigotry
Actions Speak Louder
I went to two Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) events in April and I noticed that different communities handle this important day in different ways. Each has a different tone and audience but essentially accomplishes the same thing. I watched University of New Haven students do a short performance of Pavel Friedmann’s poem Butterfly. IContinue reading “Actions Speak Louder”
It’s Time for a Miracle
This morning when I woke up and heard the news I was disgusted. NPR reports that Donald Trump wants to ban all Muslims from entering the United States (even US born citizens). Really? We actually have a presidential candidate who says ban people of a certain religion from our country. Wasn’t this country founded byContinue reading “It’s Time for a Miracle”
Back to Work
I have to confess that I haven’t been working on “Scraps of Hope” for a while. First there were some family problems that drew my attention away from my book. Then I was sick. I spent two months in bed recovering, and just when I thought I was healthy enough to get back into theContinue reading “Back to Work”
University of Hartford Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies Awards Evening
Monday night I attended the University of Hartford Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies Awards Evening. It was an evening of acknowledgment for hard work, academic rigor, teaching and learning, and appreciation for the donors who made it all possible. Avi Patt and Matthew Rubin presented the Joseph Zola Memorial Holocaust Educator Award to meContinue reading “University of Hartford Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies Awards Evening”
Walking through the “isms”
During my visit to Holland to do research for my book I visited the different places my mother lived in Amsterdam during the war. Each one had a different feel and a different set of circumstances in the 1940’s and also now in 2014. Please come with me for a “walk” from house to house.Continue reading “Walking through the “isms””
Bigotry, Bullies and Brundibar
Yesterday I went to Boston to see the Central Square Theater production of Brundibar & But the Giraffe! The original opera was written in 1938 by a Czech composer, Hans Krasa with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister. Krasa, a Jew, was imprisoned at Theresienstadt and later murdered in Auschwitz. Hoffmeister survived the war, but diedContinue reading “Bigotry, Bullies and Brundibar”
The Nazis Targeted the Disabled Too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8umFV69fNg The Jews were by no means the only victims of the Holocaust during WWII. The Nazis murdered physically handicapped people seeing them as useless and potential threats They were afraid that their genes would weaken the “master race.” Please watch this video. It shows mannequins made to match actual individuals with various physical differences.Continue reading “The Nazis Targeted the Disabled Too”
I Am Not Trayvon Martin
I watched this video yesterday and I knew I had to share it in my blog. I do not know who this young lady is, but I want to thank her for her words of wisdom. I am not Trayvon Martin. I am George Zimmerman. I have privilege and I hold stereotypes. I want theContinue reading “I Am Not Trayvon Martin”
Crossroads Academy Book Review
My readers were 6th, 7th and 8th graders at Crossroads Academy. There were boys and girls, Jews and non-Jews. I gave each student a copy the current draft of my book Tutti & Popje and a red pen. Unfortunately, time did not allow for them to read the entire thing. Most of them got about 20 pages in. Continue reading “Crossroads Academy Book Review”
K Heidi Fishman (Popje and Me) 