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Nominate a remarkable teacher committed to Holocaust education.

Leo Weiss Courage to Teach Award

February 2025

Welcome to Gesher (‘Bridge’ in Hebrew) – JCRC's monthly impact newsletter to keep you informed on our work and the challenges and opportunities before our community.

How one parent's proactive approach saved a classroom from anti-Israel curriculum

Sami Rahamim

Director of Communications and Community Affairs

When a local parent sat down for parent-teacher conferences with her 8th grader’s global studies teacher, she asked a question she had never asked at conferences before: “Will you be teaching about Israel and the Middle East conflict? And if so, could you share the curriculum you plan to use?” 



That question set into motion a chain of events that not only protected her child from a biased and harmful lesson but also led to a meaningful intervention that will prevent future students from being exposed to a deeply flawed narrative about Israel, Jews, and the Middle East. 

Continue reading on TC Jewfolk

Save the Date: JCRC Annual Event featuring Dr. Mijal Bitton

Sunday, June 8, 5:30-9:00 pm

Dr. Mijal Bitton is a spiritual leader, community builder, and sociologist. She is the co-founder and Rosh Kehilla of The Downtown Minyan in NYC and serves as Scholar in Residence at the Maimonides Fund. Dr. Bitton is also a Visiting Researcher at NYU Wagner, where she leads pioneering research on Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews in the United States.

Purchase tickets

Save the Date: Yom Hashoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration

Wednesday, April 23

Beth El Synagogue

6:00 pm: Zikaron BaSalon

7:00 pm: Main Service

80th Anniversary of Liberation

Register

Open Session: Youth Fellowship for Jewish Identity & Leadership

Israelis and Palestinians: Dual Narratives

Sunday, March 9, 4:00 - 5:30 PM

Barry Family Campus

Open and free to 11th and 12th graders. Registration required to attend.

Register

JRLC: Day on the Hill 2025

Thursday, February 27, 2025, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Central Presbyterian Church and MN Capital Hill

JCRC serves as the representative of the Jewish community in the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC).

Register

Book Club: Never Again Will I Visit Auschwitz

Thursday, March 27, 2025, 1:00-2:15 PM Central Time

Virtual

JCRC and Leo Baeck Institute invite you to a virtual book club with our guest Ari Richter, author of this graphic family memoir of trauma and inheritance.

Register

One Day Trip: US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Washington DC

Spend an immersive day learning about the Holocaust and the dangers of unchecked hatred.

Register



JCRC welcomes U.S. Department of Education antisemitism investigation at the University of Minnesota, appreciates the University’s pledge to fully cooperate

Read statement

JCRC and our partner, Humanus Network, welcome the 27 participants in this year's Holocaust Educator Cohort, meeting for eight online weekly sessions.

These grades 6-12 educators will go on to teach from a curriculum rich in primary sources, bringing stories alive through the words, photos, documents, and artifacts of the individual.

We commend each of our participants for their commitment to teaching history through understanding of both how and why the Holocaust happened with documented truth and evidence, and helping their students learn important skills such as critical thinking and historical inquiry.

Participants gain access to lessons for the classroom, complete with slide decks, student handouts, and worksheets.

Advocacy

Kick off Parent Salon

Our first Parent Salon was offered to the Jewish moms Facebook group Minnesota Mammalehs. With the rise in antisemitism in local K-12 schools, our conversation outlined successful case studies and discussed how parents can be prepared to effectively advocate for the safety and inclusion of Jewish students. Advocacy works best when parents are organized. If you wish to set the groundwork for organized advocacy for your Jewish student/s, learn about hosting a Parent Salon for fellow parents in your child's school by replying to this email or contacting us at info@minndakjcrc.org

Advocacy

Combat antisemitism on social media

We are excited to introduce you to Emissary™, a free mobile application that empowers you to learn more about antisemitism and how to combat it. This app helps you leverage the power of social media to inform and reshape perceptions about Jewish culture and Israel. With Emissary, you gain access to powerful new tools to fight against prejudice and Jewish hate.

Download the app

Education

International Holocaust Remembrance Day at Target Headquarters

We thank Mark Divine for inviting Helen Siegel to share the living testimony of her mother, Claire Heyman, a survivor of Auschwitz, to Target headquarters employees on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 180 employees attended. Mrs. Siegel was Mark's third grade teacher.

Invite a JCRC speaker to your workplace

Education

Defining Antisemitism

With Mount Zion Temple and co-sponsors we hosted an expert panel on the three most recognized – and debated – definitions of antisemitism: IHRA, Nexus, and Jerusalem.

400 participants from across the political spectrum gathered to ask questions about when criticism of Israel becomes antisemitism.

Definitions and recording

Read

That Pain You're Feeling is Peoplehood

Sapir Journal, Mijal Bitton - keynote speaker at our Annual Event this year on Sunday, June 8

Watch

AJC: Antisemitism is Causing US Jews to Alter Their Behavior, Hide Identity

CNN, AJC CEO Ted Deutch

Read the survey results

Listen

Ask Haviv Anything

Haviv Rettig Gur now has a podcast! Haviv was our Annual Event keynote speaker in 2024. We encourage you to join our staff in supporting his invaluable work by becoming a member.

Featured media highlights

Star Tribune: Commit to remembering the horrors of the Holocaust, by Steve Hunegs

Plain Talk podcast: 'Try to have good speech drive out bad speech'

KARE 11: Jewish and Muslim community leaders react to President Trump's comments about the U.S. taking over the Gaza strip

February 4

Star Tribune: University of Minnesota responds to antisemitism investigation by U.S. Department of Education

MPR: Trump administration launches investigation into U of M on antisemitism reports

KARE 11: Jewish community reacts to University of Minnesota being investigated for antisemitism

FOX9: Antisemitism investigation at U of M, other schools by Education Department

TC Jewfolk: Trump Admin Investigating UMN For Antisemitism While DEI, Deportation Threats Loom

January 27

See all coverage

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