(Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) – January 7, 2025 – inSIGHT Through Education is set to host a powerful and transformative event featuring Arno Michaelis, a former white supremacist, and Dydine Umunyana Anderson, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. The event will center around their journeys from hate to peace, offering a unique opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of overcoming deep-seated ideologies and experiences of violence.
Arno will share his story of growing up in a world of hatred and extremism, detailing his eventual path to redemption and the transformative encounters that led him to reject his former beliefs. Arno’s narrative will explore the importance of understanding, education, and personal accountability in moving away from hate.
Dydine will provide a poignant reflection on the traumatic events of the 1994 genocide, where nearly a million people were killed in a brutal campaign of ethnic violence. Her story will highlight resilience, survival, and the long road to healing, reconciliation, and forgiveness in the aftermath of such unimaginable loss.
By hosting the discussion: The Key is Happiness, inSIGHT Through Education aims to foster dialogue and promote empathy, demonstrating how people can overcome hatred and violence through education, personal growth, and mutual understanding. This event will serve as a powerful reminder of the human capacity for change and the importance of building a peaceful, respectful world.
The Anti-Defamation League’s nationwide 2023 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents tells a troubling story of rising antisemitism throughout our country and here in Florida. There was an alarming increase in antisemitic incidents nationally in 2023, with reported incidents numbering 8,873 — an increase of 140% compared to the 3,717 incidents reported in 2022, which was also a record-setting year. This amounts to a shocking average of 24 incidents per day or one per hour. Here in Florida, we also broke records with 463 incidents, which represented a dramatic 72% increase in antisemitic incidents from 2022. This included 376 incidents of harassment, 82 incidents of vandalism, and, most disturbingly, seven assaults. Florida had the fourth-highest quantity in the nation, behind only California, New York and New Jersey. The top three Florida counties with the most reported incidents were: Palm Beach (84), Miami-Dade (62), and Broward (55). In just the three months following October 7, 2023, Florida saw 245 incidents, exceeding the total number of incidents that occurred in the prior nine months (218) and reaching almost as many incidents as recorded in all of 2022 (269).
The mission of inSIGHT Through Education is to inspire and educate, encouraging kindness, acceptance
and respect for all, using lessons learned from the Holocaust, and genocides worldwide, to recognize and oppose antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry. For this reason, inSIGHT is bringing the powerful presentation, The Key is Happiness with Arno Michaelis and Dydine Umanyana Anderson to the Kravis Center on January 21st.
Thanks to its unwavering supporters, inSIGHT Through Education has awarded more than $1.9 million in program funding since 2010 to Palm Beach County schools and the community for Holocaust, antisemitism, and acceptance education. They continue to expand their impact each year, and over the past three years, they’ve doubled their funding annually, from $100,000 to $800,000.
The Palm Beach Center to Combat Antisemitism and Hatred, The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach Daily News, and Morgan Stanley proudly serve as Presenting Sponsors for the 15th Anniversary season of events for inSIGHT Through Education.
Tickets and more information about this season’s events can be found at insightthrougheducation.org/2024-2025-events.
I·SERIES: Eye-Opening Programming for Community Education
“The Key is Happiness”
Arno Michaelis and Dydine Umunyana Anderson
January 21, 2025
7 p.m.
Rinker Playhouse at The Kravis Center for Performing Arts
Tickets $30
Tickets and more information can be found at insightthrougheducation.org/2024-2025-events.
About inSIGHT Through Education
inSIGHT Through Education is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization with a mission to inspire and educate, encouraging kindness, acceptance, and respect for all, using lessons learned from the Holocaust and genocides worldwide, to recognize and oppose antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry. inSIGHT is the backbone of Holocaust Education in Palm Beach County Schools, which is mandated in Florida, along with the study of antisemitism. inSIGHT knows that education is the key to change and is committed to opening the hearts and minds of young people, our future leaders. Learn more at insightthrougheducation.org.