blog
January 27, 2022
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Sadly, looking back at the past year, the need for greater tolerance, understanding and respect has only grown. Teaching about the Holocaust is critically important as its events drift further into the past, and the first hand witnesses to the atrocities become fewer among us.
We were so heartened to read the essays and see the projects that were submitted for the first annual "Mira Kimmelman Learning from the Holocaust Contest" that we launched in partnership with the Tennessee Holocaust Commission last Spring. You can see the winning 2021 submissions and read about the 2022 contest here.
Chloe Collins, a 2021 middle school winner from Rockwood, TN, wrote:
"Mira Kimmelman experienced things that are unbelievable to me. She had to say good-bye to the family she loved, she had all of her dignity stripped away, she saw things that no one should ever have to see, she lived in a world of hate, and she felt unwanted in a country that was once her own. While I would like to believe that the Holocaust didn’t happen, I can’t deny the fact that it did. I am thankful for Mira Kimmelman’s message of hope and tolerance that will live on forever."
Emily Salko, a 2021 high school winner from Oak Ridge, TN, wrote:
"Injustice is persistent, as demonstrated with the ongoing discrimination, stereotyping, and racism that we see in today’s world. With bigotry purely based on skin color, religious beliefs, and ethnicity, it’s crucial for us to learn what Mira Kimmelman has taught us; to never group people, and to never hate them for being themselves. Additionally, we must always use the strength and resilience that she has taught us, not only for those facing discrimination, but for those fighting against it. While the end of discrimination is far away, by following Mira Kimmelman’s message, we can take just a step closer."
Soha Sherwani's essay included this call to action:
"We must be the beacons of light that Ms. Kimmelman writes about; the courageous heroes in the midst of a gruesome genocide. We may not be able to directly facilitate the escapes of the Uighurs, but we have something just as important, our voices. The power our voices hold is enough to be categorized as a hero. With our voices, we can protest, spread awareness, and educate others on the injustice happening in our world. Just as we must never forget the Holocaust and the lessons we learned, we must apply those lessons as needed. We must tell others, write, and teach the cruel happenings of China today. As humans, we hold the responsibility to take the lessons we have learned from the tragic reign of Hitler and use them to do whatever we can to stop tyranny once and for all."
Caroline & Gene
April 2, 2021
Honoring Mira's Legacy
Today we are excited to announce the first annual "Mira Kimmelman Learning from the Holocaust Contest" in partnership with the Tennessee Holocaust Commission. Through this contest, we hope middle and high schoolers across Tennessee will learn Mira's story and be inspired to submit projects or essays that reflect on what the Holocaust can teach us about confronting hate and intolerance today.
Mira and Max came to the U.S. after surviving Hitler's atrocities and scratched out a living while trying to rebuild the family and community they had lost. Instead of burying the horrors of the past, Mira was determined to describe her and Max's experiences and bring them to life for all who would listen. She wrote two books and gave hundreds of presentations to students, religious groups and civic organizations, to inform and challenge others. She was particularly committed to educating and inspiring young people.
"There is goodness in every person; all we have to do is seek it out," Mira wrote. "Let us listen to our hearts, fight injustice and discrimination, and remember that hatred is a disease that destroys people. These values we have to live by and teach to the next generation."
The Learning from the Holocaust Contest will help to continue her legacy of teaching the next generation. We are enormously grateful for the contributions of many who made this possible, including Benno and Joy Kimmelman, Ronnie Bogard, Jinx Watson, Julie Kinder, Stephen Reddick, and our friends at the Tennessee Holocaust Commission. You can read about the contest here. The deadline for submissions is June 1.
Especially now, with bigotry and hate turning to violence all around us, we must act on Mira's admonition: "Only by remembering the bitter lesson of Hitler's legacy can we hope it will never be repeated. Teach it, tell it, read it."
Caroline & Gene
January 27, 2021
Introducing tolerance.fund
For most of us, the divisions we see among Americans today are the worst we have seen. The polarization, grievance, mistrust, and hatred feel more threatening than ever, and these destructive trends — fueled by our dysfunctional media ecosystem — appear headed in the wrong direction. Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Facebook is still hosting posts that deny the Holocaust happened.
We created tolerance.fund because our nation must reverse those trends. The description of "tolerance" used in the U.N.'s Declaration of Principles on Tolerance is particularly resonate to us: "Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world's cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human."
Respect. Acceptance. Appreciation. These may seem out of reach right now, but we know from history the costs of ignoring the warning signs flashing at us. There are a lot of unmet needs in society today, but especially as we honor the legacy of Gene's parents, Max and Mira, this seems like the right one for us to take on — in our small way.
There are many wonderful organizations working to promote tolerance. We aim to support them, to deepen our understanding of what works, and to explore new approaches. (You can find a preliminary list here.)
We hope to lift up stories of moral courage and find new ways to use digital tools to reverse hate, tackle disinformation, and promote understanding. We will also seek to continue Mira's work educating young people, particularly in her home state of Tennessee, on the lessons of the Holocaust.
It is still early in our thinking. We humbly invite your feedback, and we welcome your ideas for how to meet this challenge. And follow us on Twitter! @FundTolerance
Caroline & Gene