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OUR PROGRAMS

dance for tolerance

50 STATES OF TOLERACE

50 States of Tolerance tour & educational program for middle and high school students, produced by Grammy Award Winning artist Miri Ben-Ari.

ABOUT: 50 States of Tolerance will visit 50 schools in 50 states during the 2016-2017 academic year to benefit a minimum of 150,000 students on-location with an interactive tour of a live performance, multimedia and educational program.

award for tolerance

Gedenk Award For Tolerance

A highly acclaimed national contest and scholarship program for middle and high school students to promote tolerance.
ABOUT: In partnership with "Scholastic Art & Writing Awards,” we ask students to create original works of art or writing that reflect upon the lessons learned from the Holocaust and other genocides with the intent to raise awareness of the importance of increasing tolerance to safeguard a peaceful society.

Learn more

50 STATES OF TOLERACE

50 States of Tolerance tour & educational program for middle and high school students, produced by Grammy Award Winning artist Miri Ben-Ari.

ABOUT: 50 States of Tolerance will visit 50 schools in 50 states during the 2016-2017 academic year to benefit a minimum of 150,000 students on-location with an interactive tour of a live performance, multimedia and educational program.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

This program offers a creative way to promote tolerance in schools: music has the power to inspire, connect and open people's mind, it makes a message absorbable. students are more likely to respond and take an action when they are being inspired!

BENEFITS AND GOALS:

  • Transforming young students’ attitude towards tolerance with a an unforgettable experience of live performance and class activity.
  • A uniques opportunity to promote tolerance and ethnic understanding in schools across the nation, accept our cultural differences and prevent bullying in schools.
  • Broadening the conversation around tolerance by creating unique content to be shared via social media and in all media outlets.
  • Program to provide Measurable results based on student attendance, schools studies, surveys, online shares, viewers, posts and discussions.

PROGRAM TIMELINE:

Program will run along with the school calendar year.

WHAT WE NEED:

  • A gym or auditorium are ideal.
  • Schools that are committed to promote tolerance.

GEDENK AWARD FOR TOLERANCE

A highly acclaimed national contest and scholarship program for middle and high school students to promote tolerance.

ABOUT: In partnership with "Scholastic Art & Writing Awards,” we ask students to create original works of art or writing that reflect upon the lessons learned from the Holocaust and other genocides with the intent to raise awareness of the importance of increasing tolerance to safeguard a peaceful society.

THE AWARD: Gedenk anonymously chooses six young artists and writers that are selected to win national medals and prizes of $1,000 each. Our national award-winning teens from across the country are awarded with a “dream trip” to New York City in June for a national celebration series of events in their honor, including an award ceremony at Carnegie Hall and a special filmed interview with Gedenk.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Appalled by studies showing that over 50% of high school students in America don't know what the Holocaust is, the “Gedenk Award for Tolerance” promotes tolerance utilizing cultural outlets such as music, art and writing in order to connect to the young generation and show that our past is relevant to our future. Gedenk's founders are second and third generation Holocaust survivors that established Gedenk realizing that there is an urgent need for a different approach to promote tolerance.

BENEFITS AND GOALS:

  • Promoting tolerance and ethnic understanding to prevent bullying in schools and accept our cultural differences
  • Providing equal opportunities to all students in all communities
  • Fighting ignorance by educating about the history of the Jewish Holocaust and other genocides
  • Encouraging artistic self-expression via the arts
  • Celebrating diversity, unique identity and ethnic heritage

PROGRAM TIMELINE:

The Gedenk Award for Tolerance runs for the programmatic cycle of the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, beginning in August 2015 and at the Awards’ National Ceremony in June 2016.

SUCCESSFUL RESULTS: In the past three years we received an unprecedented amount of about 12,000 submissions which showed us that many young people today are passionate about promoting tolerance, diversity and ethnic understanding.

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dance for tolerance

Gedenk Dance For Tolerance

A ballroom dance program in Jersey City public schools to promote tolerance and diversity.

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GEDENK DANCE FOR TOLERANCE


“Gedenk Dance for Tolerance” is a social dance program in Jersey City public schools, promoting tolerance to the youth in a diverse community. The program, designed for second through eighth grade students, utilizes the language of ballroom dance to teach students tolerance, respect and discipline through dance styles and cultures such as Tango, Rumba, Viennese Waltz, Swing, Salsa, etc. along with introductions to their cultural backgrounds, music and costumes. This program is made possible by a unique collaboration between the Gedenk Movement, award-winning dancer and owner of Hudson Dance Studio Jevgeni Davidov, and the city of Jersey City which is committed to serving its diverse community while promoting tolerance.

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award for tolerance

Gedenk Award For Tolerance

A highly acclaimed national scholarship program in partnership with "Scholastic Art & Writing Awards”
Learn more

GEDENK AWARD FOR TOLERANCE

We partnered with “Scholastic Arts & Writing Award” to present The Gedenk Award for Tolerance. We asked middle and high school students create original works of art or writing that reflect upon the lessons learned from the Holocaust and other genocides, with the intent to raise awareness of the importance of increasing tolerance to safeguard a peaceful society. We received an unprecedented amount of over 2,500 submissions in our first year (2014) and doubled that amount with over 5,000 submissions in only our second year (2015). We choose six young artists and writers from across the country to win medals and prizes of $1,000 each, invite them to attend the award ceremony in Carnegie Hall, New York City in June and participate in a special interview with the Gedenk team. Miri Ben-Ari and Gedenk would like to congratulate our winning teens!

2015 Gedenk Award for Tolerance Winning Works

    • John Legend

      Ella Corwin: “One”,

      Mixed Media. Grade 8, Age 13, Northshore Christian Academy, Everett, WA.

    • Miri Ben-Ari

      Lilianna Harris: “Legs”,

      Photography. Grade 11, Age 16, American Heritage School: Plantation Campus, Plantation, FL.

    • Zoe Saldana

      Jo de Waal: “Let Light In”,

      Personal Essay/Memoir. Grade 10, Age 15, Greenwich Academy, Greenwich, CT.

    • Donna Summer

      Candace Seeger: “Victory.1”,

      Ceramics & Glass. Grade 12, Age 16, Yorktown High School, Arlington, VA.

    • John Legend

      Mya Nunnally: “A House of Leaves Moments Before the Wind”,

      Poetry. Age 16, Grade 11, Red Bank Regional HSl, Little Silver, NJ. Gedenk Award for Tolerance with Honors!

    • Miri Ben-Ari

      Lisa Qian: “Squint”

      Personal Essay/Memoir. Grade 12, Age 17, Home School, Ann Arbor, MI.

    • Learn less

    NEWS AND EVENTS

    MORE NEWS AND EVENTS

    GEDENK AWARD FOR TOLERANCE WINNING WORKS

      • Nasim Dalirifar: “No Girls Allowed”

        Nasim Dalirifar"No girls allowed"
        Age 17
        Hebron High School, Carrollton, TX

      • Suzan kim: “My Single Story”

        Suzan kim"my single story"
        Age 17
        Bergen County Academies, Cresskill NJ

      • Rachel Jibilian: “Silenced”

        Rachel Jibilian"Silenced"
        Age 18
        Emmaus High School, Emmaus PA

      • Christina Lewis: “To Look Like My Mother”

        Christina Lewis"to look like my mother"
        Age 15
        Charleston County School of the Arts, North Charleston SC

      • Anlan Du: “Cherry Pits”

        Anlan Du"cherry pits"
        Age 16
        Phillips Academy Denevr CO

      • Grace Li: “of the same”

        Grace Li"of the same"
        Age 15
        Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School, Midland MI

      • Daniel Wu: “Fear Itself”

        DANIEL WU"Fear Itself"
        Age 10
        Timber Creek High School, Orlando, FL

      • Maribel Alverson: “A Few Screws Loose”

        MARIBEL ALVERSON"A Few Screws Loose"
        Age 15
        St. Stephen's Episcopal School

      • Lauren Wyman: “Refugees”

        LAUREN WYMAN"Refugees"
        Age 17
        Connecticut Art Education Association

      • Aidan Forster: “Summers at the Bottom of the Ocean”

        AIDAN FORSTER"Summers at the Bottom of the Ocean"
        Age 15
        Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC

      • Erin Cho: “African Child, Disease and War”

        ERIN CHO"African Child, Disease and War"
        Age 15
        Connecticut Art Education Association

      • Jasmine Cui: “Passivity is Passé”

        JASMINE CUI"Passivity is Passé"
        Age 12
        Harley School (The), Rochester, NY

      • Jo de Waal: “Let Light In”

        JO DE WAAL"Let Light In"
        Age 15
        Personal Essay/Memoir. Grade 10, Greenwich Academy, Greenwich, CT.

      • Ella Corwin: “One”

        ELLA CORWIN"ONE"
        Age 13
        Mixed Media. Grade 8, Northshore Christian Academy, Everett, WA.

      • Mya Nunnally: “A House of Leaves Moments Before the Wind”

        MYA NUNNALLY"A House of Leaves Moments Before the Wind"
        Age 16
        Poetry, Grade 11, Red Bank Regional HSl, Little Silver, NJ.

      • Lilianna Harris: “One”

        LILIANNA HARRIS"LEGS"
        Age 16
        Photography. Grade 11, American Heritage School: Plantation Campus, Plantation, FL.

      • Candace Seeger: “Victory.1”

        CANDACE SEEGER"Victory.1"
        Age 16
        Ceramics & Glass. Grade 12, Yorktown High School, Arlington, VA.

      • Lisa Qian: “Squint”

        LISA QIAN"Squint"
        Age 17
        Personal Essay/Memoir. Grade 12, Home School, Ann Arbor, MI.

      • Laura Fennessy: “1942”

        LAURA FENNESSY"1942"
        Age 15
        Special Award (10th grade) – Auburn High School located in Auburn, NY.

      • Elodie Nix: “Dust”

        ELODIE NIX"Dust"
        Age 11
        John Jay Middle School located in Katonah, NY.

      • Lily Gordon: “Reconstruction Wings”

        LILY GORDON"Reconstruction Wings"
        Age 14
        Bard High School Early College located in New York, New York

      • Alissa Damato: “Religious Rifle”

        ALISSA DAMATO"Religious Rifle"
        Age 18
        Centerville High School located in Centerville, Virginia

      • Ross Cardillo: “Value”

        ROSS CARDILLO"Value"
        Age 18
        Palo Alto High School located in Palo Alto, California.

    GEDENK AWARD FOR TOLERANCE WINNING WORKS

      • Nasim Dalirifar: “No Girls Allowed”

        Nasim Dalirifar"No girls allowed"
        Age 17
        Hebron High School, Carrollton, TX

      • Suzan kim: “My Single Story”

        Suzan kim"my single story"
        Age 17
        Bergen County Academies, Cresskill NJ

      • Rachel Jibilian: “Silenced”

        Rachel Jibilian"Silenced"
        Age 18
        Emmaus High School, Emmaus PA

      • Christina Lewis: “To Look Like My Mother”

        Christina Lewis"to look like my mother"
        Age 15
        Charleston County School of the Arts, North Charleston SC

      • Anlan Du: “Cherry Pits”

        Anlan Du"cherry pits"
        Age 16
        Phillips Academy Denevr CO

      • Grace Li: “of the same”

        Grace Li"of the same"
        Age 15
        Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School, Midland MI

      • Daniel Wu: “Fear Itself”

        DANIEL WU"Fear Itself"
        Age 10
        Timber Creek High School, Orlando, FL

      • Maribel Alverson: “A Few Screws Loose”

        MARIBEL ALVERSON"A Few Screws Loose"
        Age 15
        St. Stephen's Episcopal School

      • Lauren Wyman: “Refugees”

        LAUREN WYMAN"Refugees"
        Age 17
        Connecticut Art Education Association

      • Aidan Forster: “Summers at the Bottom of the Ocean”

        AIDAN FORSTER"Summers at the Bottom of the Ocean"
        Age 15
        Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC

      • Erin Cho: “African Child, Disease and War”

        ERIN CHO"African Child, Disease and War"
        Age 15
        Connecticut Art Education Association

      • Jasmine Cui: “Passivity is Passé”

        JASMINE CUI"Passivity is Passé"
        Age 12
        Harley School (The), Rochester, NY

      • Jo de Waal: “Let Light In”

        JO DE WAAL"Let Light In"
        Age 15
        Personal Essay/Memoir. Grade 10, Greenwich Academy, Greenwich, CT.

      • Ella Corwin: “One”

        ELLA CORWIN"ONE"
        Age 13
        Mixed Media. Grade 8, Northshore Christian Academy, Everett, WA.

      • Mya Nunnally: “A House of Leaves Moments Before the Wind”

        MYA NUNNALLY"A House of Leaves Moments Before the Wind"
        Age 16
        Poetry, Grade 11, Red Bank Regional HSl, Little Silver, NJ.

      • Lilianna Harris: “One”

        LILIANNA HARRIS"LEGS"
        Age 16
        Photography. Grade 11, American Heritage School: Plantation Campus, Plantation, FL.

      • Candace Seeger: “Victory.1”

        CANDACE SEEGER"Victory.1"
        Age 16
        Ceramics & Glass. Grade 12, Yorktown High School, Arlington, VA.

      • Lisa Qian: “Squint”

        LISA QIAN"Squint"
        Age 17
        Personal Essay/Memoir. Grade 12, Home School, Ann Arbor, MI.

      • Laura Fennessy: “1942”

        LAURA FENNESSY"1942"
        Age 15
        Special Award (10th grade) – Auburn High School located in Auburn, NY.

      • Elodie Nix: “Dust”

        ELODIE NIX"Dust"
        Age 11
        John Jay Middle School located in Katonah, NY.

      • Lily Gordon: “Reconstruction Wings”

        LILY GORDON"Reconstruction Wings"
        Age 14
        Bard High School Early College located in New York, New York

      • Alissa Damato: “Religious Rifle”

        ALISSA DAMATO"Religious Rifle"
        Age 18
        Centerville High School located in Centerville, Virginia

      • Ross Cardillo: “Value”

        ROSS CARDILLO"Value"
        Age 18
        Palo Alto High School located in Palo Alto, California.

    Students Testimonials

    • “The Gedenk Award for Tolerance
      makes me have some kind of hope for change.”

      Mya Nunnally, 2015 Gedenk Award for Tolerance Winner

    • “I chose The Gedenk Award for Tolerance because it is a powerful
      organization that has a profound influence through changing
      people’s mindsets and influencing the younger generation.”

      Candace Seeger, 2015 Gedenk Award for Tolerance Winner

    • “The Gedenk Award for Tolerance made me feel
      like I was a part of something bigger than myself.”

      Jo de Waal, 2015 Gedenk Award for Tolerance Winner

    • “The Gedenk Award for Tolerance made me feel like
      I had a voice to share with other people – not just with words,
      but with a picture that can just say so much more.”

      Ella Corwin, 2015 Gedenk Award for Tolerance Winner

    Gallery

    Gallery

    Press

    • I am proud to recognize an organization that dares to use non traditional methods, such as music and dance, to teach youth the importance of remembering our past.

      Tom Lantos, Congress of the United States, House of Representatives

    • Grammy-Award Winning Artist Miri Ben-Ari Enlists Star Power for a good cause..to promote awareness and education about the Jewish Holocaust to young America.

       

      The Hype Wire

    • The Gedenk Movement, founded by Miri Ben-Ari, has a unique struggle on their hands.

       

      ABC12

    • Miri Ben-Ari-who has collaborated with rap artists like Kanye West-plays the violin, but also brings attention to the various causes she champins”

      Jersey City Reporter

    • Ben-Ari founded Gedenk (“Remember” in Yiddish) to combat ignorance of the Holocaust among American youth.

      The Jerusalem Post

    • We (Gedenk) encourage young people to break their silence while using creative outlets as self-expression.

      The Huffington Post

    • We (Gedenk) only need to have enough audacity to make a difference!

      The Huffington Post

    • Gedenk strives to empower young people, giving them the tools to stand up for themselves, their peers and their community against intolerance of all kinds.

      The Jewish Voice

    • Gedenk plans to raise awareness of the Shoah through popular music and media and to reach young people

      The Jewish Daily Forward

    Celebrity Support

      • Zoey Saldana

        Actress

        “By remembering history, we inherit the power of the truth!”

        Google

      • Donna Summer

        Singer/Songwriter

        “The Holocaust shows what happens when the evil, dark, negative side of humanity is allowed to prevail.”

        Google

      • John Legend

        Singer

        “We have a responsibility as a world community to fight against hate and genocide.”

        Google

      • Miri Ben-Ari

        Violinist/Producer/Humanitarian

        “When promoting tolerance to the youth, the seeds that we plant now are the seeds of our future.”

        Google

      • Wyclef Jean

        Singer/Songwriter/Politician

        “Young kids understanding of the past can help build the future.”

        Google

      • Russell Simmons

        Business Magnate

        “Gedenk’s creative moving campaigns make a difference by promoting tolerance to today’s youth.”

        Google

      • Gabrielle Union

        Actress

        “If we do not learn from terrible mistakes, we are destined to repeat them."

        Google

      • Jon Voight

        Actor

        “If we don’t teach about history we are likely to repeat it.”

        Google

    Celebrity Support

      • Zoey Saldana

        Actress

        “By remembering history, we inherit the power of the truth!”

      • Donna Summer

        Singer/Songwriter

        “The Holocaust shows what happens when the evil, dark, negative side of humanity is allowed to prevail.”

      • John Legend

        Singer

        “We have a responsibility as a world community to fight against hate and genocide.”

      • Miri Ben-Ari

        Violinist/Producer/Humanitarian

        “When promoting tolerance to the youth, the seeds that we plant now are the seeds of our future.”

      • Wyclef Jean

        Singer/Songwriter/Politician

        “Young kids understanding of the past can help build the future.”

      • Russell Simmons

        Business Magnate

        “Gedenk’s creative moving campaigns make a difference by promoting tolerance to today’s youth.”

      • Gabrielle Union

        Actress

        “If we do not learn from terrible mistakes, we are destined to repeat them."

      • Jon Voight

        Actor

        “If we don’t teach about history we are likely to repeat it.”