Photo antisemitism protesters marching over bridge.

Professional Learning

Harnessing the Power of Literature to Combat Antisemitism

In this webinar, we spoke with two YA authors who used literature to stand up against bigotry, and a fellow who wrote a toolkit for confronting white nationalism in schools.

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Antisemitism Culture & Identity

Literature is fraught with antisemitic tropes and stereotypes. From Shakespeare’s Shylock in The Merchant of Venice to Dickens’ Fagin in Oliver Twist, the long legacy of antisemitism pervades old and new literature. Today, there are a growing number of writers using literature as a means of exposing and combating this age-old hate, particularly within the Young Adult genre. In this webinar, we spoke with two YA authors who used literature to stand up against bigotry, and a fellow who wrote a toolkit for confronting white nationalism in schools.

During the webinar, we will:

Examine the manifestations of antisemitism that show up in YA literature
Explore how literature can be a means to spreading awareness about the pervasive nature of antisemitism, the way it impacts people and how to combat it.
Identify evidence-based strategies to confront and combat the spread of white nationalism and antisemitism among young people

Sarah Darer Littman

Author

Sarah Darer Littman is the critically acclaimed author of 19 middle grade and young adult novels for young people, including Backlash (Winner of the Iowa Teen Book Award and the Grand Canyon Reader Award) and Confessions of a Closet Catholic, winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. As well as writing novels, Sarah teaches in the MFA program at Western CT State University, and the Yale Writers’ Workshop. She is also an award-winning columnist. Sarah lives in Connecticut, in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves.

Liza Wiemer

Educator, Author, Public Speaker

Liza Wiemer is an award-winning educator with over twenty years of teaching experience. Her second novel, The Assignment, was published by Delacorte Press and has received 12 honors, including being named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book. To date, The Assignment has also been translated to Russian, Polish, Italian, and Korean and has been optioned for film. In addition, Liza has had two adult nonfiction books published and several short stories included in the New York Times bestselling Small Miracles series. Since August 2020, she has presented over 500 talks and workshops across the globe. She’s been interviewed by media outlets like NPR, BBC, ABC, and gave a TedXTalk at the UW-Madison. Her debut picture book, Out and About: A Tale of Giving, was published by Kalaniot Books in August 2023. A graduate of UW-Madison, Liza has two married sons and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband, Jim.

Jessica Acee

Educator, Trainer, Program Developer

Certificate of Completion

At the conclusion of viewing the webinar, participants can download a Certificate of Completion for one hour of attendance. Certificates may be submitted for a school’s or district’s approval towards professional development credits. Requirements for professional development credits vary by state. It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure that they are meeting the requirements of their school, organization, and/or state.

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Harnessing the Power of Literature to Combat Antisemitism

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