The Fragility of Democracy:The Rise of Nazism and its Lessons for Today’s Jewish Community (ZOOM)
Wednesday, October 19⋅8:00 – 9:30pm
Weekly on Wednesday, until Dec 15, 2022
Jan Darsa is again offering her timely and important class on the Fragility of Democracy and we’ve seen just how fragile our democracy really is. There are still a few spots left in the course.
Instructor: Jan Darsa
Dates: 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 2022
Day and Time: Wednesdays, 8-9:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Fee: $168
Partner Organization: TBZ, Lexington Institute of Jewish Studies (LIJS), Hebrew College
Register (<–Click here)
How does a democratic society evolve into a dictatorship? What are the choices individuals make that enable this to happen? In this course we will explore how it was possible that people who were thought to be the moral barometers of society, e.g. doctors, lawyers, and judges became participants in dictatorship and genocide. Just how did the Nazis build such a large and devoted following, and how was propaganda used to create allegiance and promote hatred? The factors of politics and of human behavior that allowed Germany to transform itself from a democracy into a dictatorship will be examined. By looking at decisions people made during the rise and the subsequent takeover of power by the Nazis, we will explore this period of history and how the responsibility for losing or sustaining a democracy belongs to both its leaders and citizens as we investigate how members of a society, with a lens on Jewish values, can work to prevent something like this from happening again.