originally published: 02/09/2022

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education at Ocean County College will host several events this spring, in keeping with the center’s mission to foster awareness of the Holocaust, genocides, and other crimes against humanity and to advance the ongoing dialogue about bigotry and intolerance. All events are free and open to the public.

My Life After Hate: A Discussion with Author and Former White Supremacist Arno Michaelis - February 23 at 11:00am at the Grunin Center Theater. Author and former white supremacist Arno Michaelis will talk about his journey from co-founder of an international white supremacist group, a reverend of a self-declared “Racial Holy War,” and lead singer of a hate-metal band to becoming an activist for love and compassion. Single parenthood, love for his daughter, and the forgiveness shown by the people he once hated helped Arno find a greater appreciation for all humanity, regardless of race, faith, or sexual orientation. Cutting all ties with his former life and ideologies of hate, Arno spent over a decade as a successful information technology consultant and entrepreneur, and is now an educator, author of My Life After Hate, and co-author of The Gift of Our Wounds. Arno works with Serve2Unite, an organization that fosters inclusive, compassionate, and non-violent environments in schools and communities across the United States.

Roger Grunwald’s The Mitzvah Project (Virtual Presentation) - Wednesday, March 9 at 11 a.m. at go.ocean.edu/MitzvahProject. Actor/playwright Roger Grunwald explores one of the most shocking aspects of the Jewish experience during the Second World War in The Mitzvah Project, a combination play, history lesson and conversation. The one-person play reveals the history of tens of thousands of German men known as "mischlings" — the derogatory term used by Nazis to characterize those descended from one or two Jewish grandparents — who served in Hitler's army. Following the lecture, Grunwald and Dr. Ali Botein-Furrevig will lead a discussion with the audience.

You are the Future: A Musical/Multimedia Program Commemorating the Holocaust - Monday, April 25 at 11:00am at the Grunin Center Theater. Naomi Miller – singer, actress, recording artist and educator – is the child of survivors. Born in a displaced persons camp in Landsberg, Germany, Miller came to the United States when she was two years old with her parents, the sole survivors of their family. She has performed this program in synagogues and churches, elementary and high schools, colleges and community centers, and her program always evokes a wide range of emotions in her audience. There are tears. There is laughter. There is understanding. There is hope. There is a charge to the next generations to “Never Forget.”

For more than 50 years, Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, has provided area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. OCC is an innovative academic leader offering affordable, student-centered, high-quality educational experiences that prepare and empower diverse learners to contribute to and succeed in global societies. OCC invests in and fosters academic, economic, and cultural excellence, and ensures financial strength by generating new revenue streams, engaging in national and international university and corporate partnerships, and cultivating a technologically progressive and entrepreneurial spirit.