Expanding the Reach of Holocaust Education
Greetings!
 
I’m writing today because I would love to give you a brief update on The Mitzvah Project and our new Teaching Artist Program – and ask for your support.  
 
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The Teaching Artists
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Earlier this year, we created The Teaching Artist Program to expand the reach and impact of The Mitzvah Project.

Introducing: Elijah Alexander and Rolf Saxon (bios below), two extraordinarily talented actors with moving family histories who are The Mitzvah Project’s new Teaching Artists!

Both are currently in training and will soon be ready to present The Mitzvah Project at high schools and universities around the country.

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More Teaching Artists Coming
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We are also continuing to seek out and audition more actors so we can reach even more young people. Stay tuned.

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Fundraising: $33,000 To Go 
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Our first year Teaching Artist Program budget is $110,000. 

As of today, our "left to raise" number is $33,000
 
Can you help us raise the remaining $33,000 so we can bring the Mitzvah Project to more young people? 
 
If yes, your tax-deductible contribution of $36, $180, $360, $720 or more will truly make a difference!
 
To make your donation online, please click here.
 
To donate by mail, please send you check payable to PlayGround* (add “The Mitzvah Project” in the memo section) and mail to: PlayGround, 3286 Adeline Street #8, Berkeley, CA 94703-2485. 
 
Thank you!
*The Mitzvah Project is a fiscally sponsored project of PlayGround (Federal ID 94-3336399), a California not-for-profit corporation. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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Meet Elijah Alexander
“As a Mitzvah Project Teaching Artist, I am thrilled to share the story of my Uncle Julius who survived capture by the Gestapo and was responsible for single-handedly bringing my family to the states after the war. Were it not for Julius, I would not be around to tell his story… Now, after more than a quarter century in show business, I have the privilege of not only telling his story but of using my performing and teaching skills to help young people learn the critical lessons of the Holocaust. I hope that in doing so, I can play a part in creating a more hopeful and inclusive future.”

Professional Bio: On stage, Elijah has appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning production of Metamorphoses and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Tantalus, written by John Barton and under the direction of Sir Peter Hall. In regional theater, Elijah has played leading and featured roles at the Guthrie Theatre, Denver Center, Berkeley Rep, Yale Rep and the Old Globe. He was a company member at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 5 seasons and at the CalShakes for 3 seasons. His film & TV credits include “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “JAG,” and Guiding Light among others. He is currently co-starring in “The Chosen,” a biblical epic TV series.


For more on Elijah, click on http://elijahalexander.net/bio

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Meet Rolf Saxon
“When Nancy (Carlin) asked me to join The Mitzvah Project company as a Teaching Artist, I jumped at the chance. I had seen Roger’s performance and presentation online and felt this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’ve always wanted to find a way to use my experience as an actor and teacher to engage young people and play a part in challenging the forces of intolerance, antisemitism, racism and white supremacy. And now, I can also weave my family’s story into my lesson. I am very grateful for this opportunity."
 
“My paternal grandfather’s family came from Zinkov, a shtetl in what is today southwestern Ukraine. In the late 19th century, decades before Hitler and his Holocaust, shtetl after shtetl were being ravaged by pogroms. It was then that my grandfather’s family chose to leave behind the only world he knew. For that reason, I count myself today as one of the lucky ones.”
 
Professional Bio: Rolf has lived and worked in the U.K. for many years during which time he appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company for 3 years, worked in repertory companies throughout Britain as well as in the commercial theatre on London’s West End. Rolf has also been seen on several BBC and ITV series as well as in Hollywood blockbusters “Saving Private Ryan” and “Mission Impossible.” Rolf received his formal acting training at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. 
 
For more on Rolf, click on this link https://rolfsaxon.com/bio/ 
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The School Presentation 
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The Mitzvah, the one-act play and the first part of the three-part, one-hour Mitzvah Project program, dramatically explores the nature of prejudice through the interconnected lives of a Polish-Jewish Auschwitz survivor (Schmuel) and a half-Jewish Wehrmacht officer (Christoph) who cross paths during the darkest days of the Holocaust.
 
The second part of the presentation is a lecture and PowerPoint including:
  • Details of the teaching artist’s family history/Holocaust experience • an exploration of the historical connection between white supremacism, anti-Semitism, and racism in America • an analysis of the role that America’s Jim Crow Laws played in providing a model for the Nazis’ Nuremberg Laws • an examination of how advances in human biology and genetics totally debunk racialist mythology • exposing the roots of intolerance that influenced the failed insurrection of January 6, 2021, etc.
 
The third part of the presentation is a live Q&A with students.
P.S. - To see a recent Mitzvah Project high school presentation, click here.
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The Mitzvah Project-Teaching Artist Program is supported in part by grants from the Posen Foundation and the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.