by Judy LaPietra The Greenspon Center began the bittersweet work to dismantle the nine-week Seeing Auschwitz exhibit in earnest in late April. The powerful images that were so meticulously recreated and placed for impact were wrapped up with care and remain stored at the Greenspon Center in the hopes that they will educate in the future. The audio guides were packed up and shipped back to Amsterdam. The rented exhibit space at the VAPA Center was restored to its pre-exhibit state, with walls coming down and holes being patched, as if nothing ever took place in that space. But something very po ..read more

by Mary Eshet When Sophie Lange and Chava Rosenberg began planning a conference to share their research on antisemitism on college campuses ten months ago, they could not have imagined the event would fall just a month after war broke out in Israel and during a time when antisemitism on college campuses was making national news daily. Sophie and Chava are Queens University students and the inaugural Greenspon Fellows, a program launched by the Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center in 2023. Through this leadership initiative, sponsored generously by Arlene and Milt Berkma ..read more

By Mary Eshet The new moon for Adar II marks the 13th “new moon” blog, and concludes a year of reflections.  While there are 12 months in the Jewish lunar calendar, in order to align with the solar calendar, an extra Adar is inserted 7 times every 19 years – and this was one such leap year. Over these 13 lunar months, I have appreciated learning more about the traditions and events that fill each month; the ways different cultures and religions count time, months, and years; and anchoring hope in difficult times to the growing light of the moon. Each month, the moon disappears from the sk ..read more

By Queens University Communications On Feb. 9, the Stan Greenspon Center for Holocaust and Social Justice Education at Queens University of Charlotte welcomed its first visitors to the North American debut of “Seeing Auschwitz.” The exhibit, open until Apr. 15, 2024, is on display at the Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery in the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Center in Charlotte. It offers visitors a unique window into one of the darkest chapters in human history. “Although the photos within this exhibit are new to the public, these memories are not new to Holocaust survivo ..read more

by Queens Communications   On Feb. 6, the Stan Greenspon Holocaust and Social Justice Education Center at Queens University of Charlotte presented the 2024 Stan Greenspon Upstander Award to Imam Abdullah Antepli. The award is bestowed upon an individual who has taken great risks and exhibits great courage in responding to hate. Antepli, vice president and provost of community engagement at Duke University, holds dual faculty appointments at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Divinity School as the associate professor of the practice of religion, politics, and interfaith relation ..read more

By Mary Eshet The Jewish month of Adar begins the evening of February 8 and there is much to say about it. For starters, 7 times in every 19 years, there are TWO Adars. Yes, if you’ve sometimes longed for a second chance, a do-over, Adar is the month for you! This year is one of those years when we get a bonus Adar. You may think the one thing you know about Adar is that the holiday of Purim is in that month – but wait! It is actually not in the first Adar, only the second one. So, we will have a second chance to wax eloquently about Purim. Adar seems to be the best month to have two of becaus ..read more

By Mary Eshet January 11 marks the next new moon and the beginning of the Hebrew month of Shvat. It promises to be a full month, not only because it has 30 days and is one of the longer Hebrew months, but also because it is full of important days and events! During Shvat we will observe Martin Luther King Day, kick off the second cohort of the Social Justice and Community Organizing (SJCO) certification program, recognize the 2024 Greenspon Upstander Award recipient, commence the next class in Jewish studies, open the “Seeing Auschwitz” exhibit, and celebrate the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shvat ..read more

Join us for either or both of these engaging programs celebrating the historic and contemporary relationship between the Black and Jewish communities in America. Part One – Join our Charlotte Black/Jewish Alliance for a viewing of  the documentary “Shared Legacies: The African American/Jewish Civil Rights Alliance” Date: Monday, February 12, 2024 Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Location: Johnson C. Smith University The community is invited to join the Greenspon Center, Johnson C. Smith University, and our Charlotte Black/Jewish Alliance for a screening of “Shared Legacies: The African Americ ..read more

Imam Abdullah Antepli will be receiving the 2024 Stan Greenspon Upstander Award which is bestowed upon an individual who has taken great risks and exhibits great courage in responding to hate. His speech that night will be titled, “To Heal Our Broken World: The Role of Interfaith Efforts in Uniting Us.” The program will take place on Tuesday, February 6, 2023 at 7:00 pm at Queens University. Imam Abdullah Antepli is a globally-acknowledged scholar and leader of cross-religious and cross-cultural dialogue in American higher education and in the non-profit world.  His Muslim Leadership Init ..read more

The current lunar month is chock full of significant events – in fact, so full that many of us find ourselves frantically stressed over the abundant traditions, events, demands, and the need to make everything perfect and special. This Jewish month of Tevet includes the last days of Chanukah – when all eight candles and the shamash are lit and the world is just a little brighter.  It includes Christmas, another holiday that brings light into darkness, a holy time for Christians.  Kwanzaa falls in Tevet, another holiday that brings light into this time of the winter solstice. Also in ..read more