Incomplete picture of events
In his cogent — and mostly impartial — analysis of former Ambassador Michael Oren’s new book about the American-Israeli relationship, Mr. Cohen (“With ‘Ally,’ Michael Oren lifts the veil on U.S.-Israeli relations, June 25, 2015) ignores one cogent fact that is central to understanding Ambassador Oren’s point of view. In his years prior to making aliyah, Michael Oren worked for a political establishment that has spent the last eight years doing nothing but vilifying President Obama and his family. Apparently he carried that perspective with him when he made aliyah, and it pervades his perception of the relationships between the United States and Israel. Indeed, if any additional evidence of this were necessary, one need only read his June 19, 2015, piece in Foreign Policy purporting to explain President Obama’s attitude toward Muslims, an article that has been disavowed and condemned both by multiple Israeli officials and retiring ADL National Director Abe Foxman. In counterpoint to Oren’s invective, we would be well served to listen to the likes of current U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and Secretary of State John Kerry, who it would seem have a much more complete picture of the events than Ambassador Oren describes.
Rabbi Rick Shapiro
Interim Rabbi
Congregation Beth Torah
MCHE facilitates awesome seminar
Along with a good number of secondary public and private school educators outside of our Jewish community, I was recently privileged to take part in a three-day seminar and professional development course entitled “History of the Holocaust.”
The course, designed and facilitated by Jessica Rockhold, MCHE’s director of education, in consultation with Executive Director Jean Zeldin, included a session on gendering, taught by Dr. Shelly Cline, MCHE’s newly-hired public historian. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}Their intent was to enhance educators’ knowledge on major topics about the Holocaust, including anti-Semitism, Nazi ideology, ghettos, the “Final Solution” and resistance. The goal of this course was to give these educators the information and guidance necessary to create a Holocaust curriculum, which would be offered to secondary-education students.
Through visual histories, archival materials, pedagogical expertise in teaching and an impressive knowledge of the subject matter, Ms. Rockhold, provided us with an essential message about a most heinous and tragic episode in our history, that in my opinion, must be communicated to the world at large.
Not only was I immensely impressed with the course and facilitator, but I was also awed by the caliber of educators in the room who felt it important enough to teach this vital information to their communities throughout Kansas and Missouri.
Thank you to the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education for presenting many valued educational opportunities to our populations.
Hedy Shron
Overland Park, Kansas{/mprestriction}