A Holocaust education foundation is substantially increasing its grants to the School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) in response to a national rise in antisemitism.
The group is on track to nearly double its funding to the school district 鈥� providing more programming for students than it ever has before. By bringing in more donations, the group has been able to increase its grant awards to the SDPBC and is on track to allocate about $200,000 by the end of the 2023 fiscal year.
The mission of inSIGHT is to teach kids 鈥渢o be upstanders not bystanders鈥� through lessons learned from genocides around the world. 鈥淲e get asked so many times, 'Why didn't anybody stop the Holocaust? Why didn't anyone do anything?'鈥� said the group鈥檚 co-president Kelly Warsaw.
The programming the group funds aims to help students combat hate of all kinds and understand 鈥渢he power of propaganda and fake news and how important it is to have the courage to do what is right," she added.
InSIGHT got its start in Palm Beach County after state lawmakers back in 1994. Since then, Warsaw says the organization鈥檚 work has grown to extend beyond the state mandate, helping provide professional development for teachers and age-appropriate instruction on diversity, tolerance and acceptance in kindergarten through 12th grade.
鈥淵ou teach them the importance of kindness, and respect and acceptance of all,鈥� Warsaw said. 鈥淭hose are our main tenets. And that is really the reason we do what we're doing.鈥�
The organization arranges for Holocaust survivors to meet with students, purchases library books and teaching materials for classrooms. It also funds trips for students and principals to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
鈥淲hat we do goes far beyond the Holocaust itself,鈥� Warsaw said. 鈥淭he lessons that we teach fight all types of hatred and prejudice.鈥�
InSIGHT鈥檚 co-president Judy Karp says the group has seen an outpouring of support at a time when hate crimes are on the rise. According to the ADL, the number of antisemitic incidents nationwide reached a in 2021.
鈥淎s terrible as it is鈥he awareness of the community has been really triggered that we have to stop it. We've had an enormous amount of people come to us and say, 鈥榃hat can we do? How can we make change?鈥欌�� Karp said. 鈥淎nd we keep saying, we need to educate.鈥�
The 2023 allocation for the Palm Beach County school district is nearly double the group鈥檚 largest annual grant so far, and far greater than the 2022 allocation of about $38,000, according to financial statements provided to WLRN.
鈥淲e know that the work we're doing is our best ability to combat that hate,鈥� Warsaw said. 鈥淥ur goal is to continue to increase that year after year. And we're very fortunate that we have a school district that is so supportive.鈥�
Within the next five years, inSIGHT hopes to expand its programming to reach every student in Palm Beach County.
The organization is also hoping to have an impact beyond the school district. The group is hosting a set inside a replica World War II boxcar at locations across the county next month, as well as a of documentary screenings and lectures on WWII history.
