Ann Katz Festival: Dismantling Antisemitism

A former neo-Nazi and a second-generation Holocaust survivor engage in conversation. Colleagues and friends of many years, Arno Michaelis and Tamara Meyer share a belief in the value of storytelling as a means of healing and as an antidote to hate. Talking about antisemitism from the perspectives of both victim and perpetrator, their presentation is designed to help respond to antisemitic incidents, understand how antisemitism takes hold in individuals and in society, raise awareness of the Holocaust and how antisemitism repeats itself, empower people to fight antisemitism effectively, and create community cohesion and resilience.

Tamara Meyer is a child of German Jewish Holocaust survivors who has been exploring her family legacy and showcasing the stories of survivors for the past two decades. As a participant in dialogue groups in Berlin that include former Nazis, Holocaust survivors and their descendants, Tamara has experienced first-hand both the extraordinary challenge and reward of engaging with those who at another time would have been her most dangerous enemies.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Arno Michaelis was a neo-Nazi skinhead. Single parenthood, love for his daughter, and the forgiveness shown by people he once hated all helped to turn Arno’s life around, bringing him to embrace diversity and practice gratitude for all life. Arno is now a speaker, filmmaker, author of My Life After Hate, and co-author of The Gift of Our Wounds. Arno also works as an interventionist at Parents 4 Peace, helping to lead people out of hate groups and away from all violent extremist ideologies, and to support their families. Refuge, his latest film project, is now available.

Sponsored by Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis.