Judy Gold, Comedian

Comedian Judy Gold is known for pushing boundaries with her humor. In her stand-up and her stage show titled "25 Questions for a Jewish Mother," Gold makes jokes about her family and her identity as a Jew and a lesbian. Humor, Gold says, can promote dialogue and be a way to address prejudice, antisemitism, and even terrible tragedy.

Topics: Artists, Fighting prejudice, Popular culture figures

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Charles H. Ramsey, Police Commissioner, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As Chief of Police in Washington D.C., Charles Ramsey developed a training program for law enforcement officers in conjunction with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Anti-Defamation League. Now in its eleventh year, the program examines the history of the Holocaust in order to help officers reflect on their personal and professional responsibilities.

Topics: Government and political figures, Justice and law

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Rabbi Gila Ruskin, Temple Adas Shalom, Havre de Grace, Maryland

At the age of 50, Rabbi Gila Ruskin left her pulpit position to teach Jewish studies at an urban-Baltimore Catholic school with a historically African American student body. The experience led Ruskin to appreciate the many ways that Jews and African Americans can come together through a shared history of oppression and, she says, a commitment to prophetic ideals.

Topics: Fighting prejudice, Identity and religion, Impact of youth, The role of education

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Mazal Aklum, Student, Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, Israel

Mazal "Mali" Aklum has learned well the importance of remembering history. Her parents were among the first wave of Ethiopian Jews to flee their country and settle in Israel in the 1980s. As a member of this little-known minority, whose history is often overlooked, Aklum has a unique perspective on the breadth of Jewish identity and the importance of preserving memory.

Topics: Being an outsider, Identity and religion

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danah boyd, researcher, Microsoft; and fellow, Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University

As a researcher for Microsoft and a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, danah boyd looks at how young people interact with social network sites, like Facebook and MySpace. Her research has led her to develop interesting observations about the nature of hate speech on the internet and tactics for combating it.

Topics: Fighting prejudice, Impact of youth, Propaganda and the media

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Xu Xin, Director, Glazer Institute of Jewish Studies, Nanjing University, China

Professor Xu Xin has spent 40 years at Nanjing University—as an undergrad, a grad student, and currently as director of the Glazer Institute of Jewish Studies. He teaches new generations of Chinese students about Jewish history, culture, and the lessons of the Holocaust.

Topics: Academic perspectives, Identity and religion, The role of education

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Navila Rashid, Student, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Through her participation in a youth program at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Navila Rashid says she became a better Muslim. Rashid believes her encounters at the Museum gave her courage to continue on her own spiritual journey and compassion for people of other faiths.

Topics: Being an outsider, Identity and religion, Impact of youth, The role of education

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John Mann, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom

Although there is not a single Jewish person living in the area British Member of Parliament John Mann represents, he believes it absolutely proper that he serves as chair of the British Parliamentary Committee Against Antisemitism.

Topics: Fighting prejudice, Government and political figures, Identity and religion

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Andrei Codrescu, Poet and commentator

Born in Transylvania just after the Holocaust, Codrescu immigrated to the United States as a teenager and eventually settled in New Orleans. Through the evolution of his now-famous surname, Codrescu reveals something about his own identity as a Jew, a poet, and an immigrant.

Topics: Authors, Identity and religion, Popular culture figures

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Brigitte Zypries, Minister of Justice of the Federal Republic of Germany

As Germany's Justice Minister, Brigitte Zypries is responsible for upholding justice, rights, and democracy in her country. Zypries explains why her government passed a law making Holocaust denial a criminal offense and why that law is important.

Topics: Government and political figures, Holocaust denial, Justice and law

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