USC Shoah Foundation Launches “Focal Points” in Response to Current Events

View Focal Points: Anti-Semitism

When news broke last winter of a pamphlet circulating in Donetsk, Ukraine, that ordered Jews to register with the government, USC Shoah Foundation Executive Director Stephen Smith issued a statement on behalf of the Institute condemning the anti-Semitic act. Now, USC Shoah Foundation is taking its engagement with current events a step further with its new online feature “’Focal Points.”

Focal Points are pages on the USC Shoah Foundation website that each focus on a specific theme, such as Anti-Semitism, Immigration, Education, Human Rights and more. These pages will be published and continually updated in response to news from around the world.

Each Focal Points page will include clips of relevant testimony from the Visual History Archive; a blog or essay about the theme or current event written by USC Shoah Foundation staff, colleagues or scholars; relevant IWitness activities and Echoes & Reflections lessons; published news articles about the current event; and a comprehensive list of the scholarly articles and books that use the Visual History Archive to explore the theme.

Focal Points will present USC Shoah Foundation and its Visual History Archive as a very relevant resource for those looking to find a frame of reference for the complex issues facing the world today, to help them develop conviction and a deep understanding of the causes and consequences of hatred and intolerance.  

“The world remains highly challenged by extremist ideologies, violent societies, and genocide, as well as the underlying causes of hatred, such as racism and anti-Semitism.  USC Shoah Foundation Focal Points provide a place to draw on the depth of the Visual History Archive, to give voice to the many witnesses of who speak to these very issues, to challenge our contemporary world and inspire us to action,” Smith said. “We were given this archive for it to speak to our situation on an ongoing basis.  In it we find depth, courage, insight and the challenge to create sustainable change in a violent world.  We hope many people of conscience will participate in these Focal Points and make their own voice heard.”

The first Focal Point, Anti-Semitism, was published today to cover Germany’s rally against anti-Semitism to be held in Berlin on Sunday, Sept. 14, which will be attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress. The Anti-Semitism Focal Point includes an essay written by Lauder for USC Shoah Foundation.