The Cure For Hate: Preventing Violent Extremism in Our Schools and Beyond

Source: The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding

The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding’s BRAVE Schools project will hold a screening and discussion Tuesday, October 3 (7:00-8:30 p.m online) based on the documentary film “The Cure for Hate: Bearing Witness to Auschwitz.” This 2023 film weaves together the history of the Nazis with the life story of a former North American neo-Nazi who is now an anti-hate activist, as he visits the memorial to the million Jews murdered at Auschwitz.

By seeking to understand how so many ordinary people came to support Nazi Germany’s rise to power, this event aims to shed light on the concerning rise of violent extremism in the US today. As schools struggle to balance support for free speech with a responsibility to protect students from identity-based bullying and harassment, we will explore how to respond effectively. This live Zoom discussion will include Tony McAleer, who is the former white supremacist featured in the film; his co-trainer in preventing hate, Robert Orell; Holocaust educator Cara Crandall, who is an English teacher in Longmeadow; and Scott Dredge, an anti-bullying trainer and Assistant Principal at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield.

The event is free and open to all. Register for the Zoom link here.

The Panel
We will screen excerpts of the film followed by a live Zoom discussion with:

• Tony McAleer, who is the narrator and a subject of the film, which focuses on his life story. Tony is the author of The Cure for Hate and an international speaker who strives to educate individuals, families, communities, law enforcement, and governments that are struggling to grapple with white supremacist movements. Drawing upon his own journey of leaving a hate-based movement, Tony co-founded the not-for-profit Life After Hate, which helps other people leave white supremacist movements behind.
  
• Robert Örell, who has more than two decades of experience in the field of disengagement, rehabilitation, and reintegration of violent extremists in Europe and the United States. His recent work focuses on setting up exit programs for people in hate or extremist groups (drawing upon his experience as a former member in his youth), advising on policy guidelines and recommendations, online counseling, and understanding radicalization in online gaming communities.
  
• Cara Crandall, Ed.D, a 30-year educator who has taught about the Holocaust and social justice throughout her career. She teaches English and Language Arts in the Longmeadow, MA public schools and has led seminars for other educators as part of the Holocaust Educators Network.
  
• Scott Dredge, M.Ed, Assistant Principal at Frontier Regional School in South Hadley, MA. His rich background in youth development and education work includes work as a lead teacher and special education department chair, as well as a case worker and program director within a residential home for adjudicated youth. He is also an Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Trainer.
  
  A link to the full feature film (84 min) will be available for viewing before and after the event to those who register, and pre-viewing is not required to attend.
  
  This event is organized by Karuna Center for Peacebuilding as part of the Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism in Schools (BRAVE Schools) program.