Since the massacre at Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, schools and organizations have been looking for ways to combat the kind of anti-Semitic and racial hatred that led to the attack.
A number of schools in the Pittsburgh region have participated in the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate initiative, which provides anti-bias education for students and teachers.
Pittsburgh-based American Eagle Outfitters on Tuesday gave the ADL a $100,000 grant that will help expand the initiative to more schools and reach thousands more students.
“To stop hate, we must change hearts and minds and teach hearts and minds,” James Pasch, the ADL’s regional director, said during a news conference at American Eagle’s South Side office. “And that’s why we believe it is so important to focus on our children.”
The ADL has partnered with more than 1,600 schools nationwide on the No Place for Hate initiative since 1999. But the $100,000 grant — as well as another $100,000 grant American Eagle gave the ADL last year — has helped to double the initiative’s impact in the region since the synagogue shooting.
Stacy Siegal, American Eagle executive vice president and general counsel, said she and others with the company were shaken by the atrocity on Oct. 27, 2018, in which 11 worshippers were killed on the Jewish Sabbath. However, the company representatives were also galvanized to action.
Noting the average age of American Eagle’s 50,000 associates is 22 — similar to the average age of its customers — Ms. Siegal said the company wanted to do something that would support young people trying to change the world. That’s when they found the No Place for Hate initiative.
“We were looking for an organization that could help us help them make a difference,” Ms. Siegal said. “And we came and found the ADL, and I’m so thankful that we partnered with them because we truly believe if we keep giving and keep doing, tragedies like the Tree of Life [shooting] will never happen again.”
The ADL helps provide training and empowers schools to stand against bias and bullying while fostering respect and empathy, but the program is student-driven. Schools earn a No Place for Hate designation from the ADL after completing a year of programming.
The initiative is in 24 schools in Allegheny County, reaching nearly 17,000 students and 1,200 teachers. More than 30 schools could be in the program next school year with the investment from American Eagle.
Dan Zelenski, the assistant principal at Upper St. Clair High School, which started the initiative this school year, said he has already noticed a culture change. After the kickoff event, he said he heard students “use the language” of the No Place for Hate programming, such as respect and inclusivity.
“We’ve had various anti-bullying and anti-hate initiatives” at the school, Mr. Zelenski said. “But we really wanted to bring forth a more comprehensive program that engages everyone, and we found that the No Place for Hate program has allowed us to do that.”
Andrew Goldstein:agoldstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1352.
First Published: February 12, 2020, 4:55 p.m.
