Bridges & Pathways Book Group Zoom Discussion Of Colum McCann’s Apeirogon

Does polarized thinking—”those people,” “us” and them”—lead to greater safety and a world where people can simply raise their families in peace? Or has it led to more anti-Semitism, racism, dead bodies, and genocides?

These issues and others will be discussed in the next Bridges & Pathways Book Group discussion, presented by the South Jersey Holocaust Coalition. It will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, February 24, from 6 to 7:15 p.m. and is free and open to he public. The book discussed will be Apeirogon by Colum McCann.

This 2020 novel is based on two real fathers—one Israeli and one Palestinian—who both lost daughters to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Author Colum McCann who grew up in Ireland and has had his own experience with violent conflict. McCann is a co-founder of the global non-profit Narrative 4, whose vision is “fearless hope through radical empathy” by using global story sharing. This book will be the jumping-off point for a conversation about survival, violence, conscience, the world we live in, and the world we want to live in and “radical empathy.”

The book talk is presented by South Jersey Holocaust Coalition and New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, with funding from One Jewish Community—Jewish Federation of Cumberland, Gloucester & Salem Counties.

Coalition member Shoshana Osofsky will facilitate each of the discussions in this series, for which people should come with an open mind and heart, and be prepared to engage in spirited and civil discussion in which everyone has a right to feel safe in what they say.

Reading of the book under discussion is recommended.

The tentative schedule for future book discussions will be: Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, on March 31; Years of Infamy by Michi Weglyn, on April 28; Perpetrators, Victims, Bystanders by Raul Hilberg, on May 26; Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi, on June 30; and How to be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, on July 28.

Osofsky brings to these discussions a deep and passionate sensitivity and involvement in causes relating to social justice, as well as the fight against anti-Semitism, racism, discrimination, and cultural biases.

The chairperson of Holocaust Coalition is Harry Furman, a former Social Studies teacher who pioneered the first New Jersey high school semester course on the Holocaust and genocide, The Conscience of Man.

Educators, students, and the public are invited to take part. Registration (password protected) is required for each session and will be limited to allow participants to dig deeper. Please register by visiting the Coalition website—www.holocaustcoalition.com

For more information on this and all South Jersey Holocaust Coalition events and activities, please visit the Coalition’s website at www.holocaustcoalition.com Please see their Facebook page at “South Jersey Holocaust Coalition” for interesting articles and information about the Holocaust and related subjects. You may also email holocaustcoalition@gmail.com