09/01/2017
Today all eyes, hands, hearts and pockets are focused on Texas, and the evacuation of Harvey-weary neighborhoods take a toll
But In light of the prevalence of bigotry and Na**sm in Charlottesville, I can’t let sleeping dogs lie. I need to keep the story alive.
Some years back, I had the privilege of working with media giant Dr. Hubert Burda and Steven Spielberg on the Shoah Foundation’s first world-wide educational campaign against bigotry and intolerance.
As a tribute to the power of creative energies, we helped to co-produce, the first interactive educational C D-ROM, aimed at engaging a new generation of students in an examination of racism, hatred, and anti-Semitism in order to promote tolerance. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio and Winona Ryder, the program’s interactive aspect draws students into the action of life in pre- war Europe and Na**sm.
The sometimes brutal archival footage combined with survivors' memories packs quite an emotional wallop. It allows the participants and witnesses of an event to look us in the eye and say, 'This happened to me..
We launched the educational program at a highly publicized and historic two-day event in Berlin, Germany, attended by Stephen Spielberg and 500 global business leaders.
According to Steven Spielberg. "To learn history, you have to look in history's eye”. And one boy who watched the CD-ROM, was at a loss to articulate his feelings. "I was amazed that people could do some of those things and that you could survive them," he shared. "It's really amazing that all happened.
I guess we saw this to see what can happen when people hate."
As I witnessed, the prevalence of bigotry and Na**sm in Charlottesville, I believe we who are in the position to move people and ideas forward must all get together with the intention of empowering others to be a positive influence in the world
I'd love to do more work like this.
