Effecting Change in Our Local Community - the Youth & Prejudice: Reducing Hatred Conference of the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding
Muhlenberg College established the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding as an expression of its commitment to interfaith relations. The IJCU uses the resources of the academic community to foster research and dialogue and to build bridges of understanding, focusing on the Jewish and Christian communities and extending beyond them.
One of the key programs of the IJCU is the annual Youth & Prejudice: Reducing Hatred Conference, which serves as a full-day experience for youth from local middle and high schools to visit Muhlenberg and learn how to respond to prejudice and bigotry.
Participants engage in a moderated discussion after watching a one-act play that depicts life in 1930's Nazi Germany. The visiting students then listen to an authentic survival story, usually from the family member of someone who lived that very experience and shared their memories of persecution with their children.
The students are encouraged to share their own experiences with prejudice and hate in conversations led by a community volunteer professional and current Muhlenberg College students. The program concludes with a keynote address designed to reflect on the day’s learning and to inspire students to continue the conversation and respond to prejudice after they leave Muhlenberg’s campus.
