Human Rights Institute Recognizes Upstander Mitzvah Project
The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, based in White Plains, recently sponsored a day-long Human Rights Institute for Middle School students in Westchester and surrounding counties.
Held annually, the Human Rights Institute encourages students to become upstanders rather than bystanders. The two main themes of the Institute are Respecting the Individual and How to Be an Upstander.
An upstander is a person who speaks or acts in support of an individual or cause, particularly someone who intervenes on behalf of a person being attacked or bullied.
One of the participants was Talia Katzke, a seventh grader at Solomon Schechter Day School in Hartsdale, who will have her Bat Mitzvah in March 2017. Talia decided to participate in the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center’s Twin with a Survivor Program as part of her Mitzvah project, and is paired with Holocaust Survivor Peter Somogyi.
To extend her Mitzvah project, Talia started a GoFundMe page with the goal of becoming a Legacy Circle member of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, at the $1800 level. She quickly surpassed her goal, and will continue to solicit donations until her Bat Mitzvah in March.
