The Holocaust and genocide and fighting myths perpetrated by the media will be the focus of a program presented on Monday, Nov. 19, at the Two River Theater in Red Bank.

The Two River Film Festival, in partnership with Monmouth University, will present two documentaries, Darfur Diaries and Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century: The Resurgence. A screening will take place at 9:30 a.m. for high school and college students, with companion curricular material available, and a workshop for continuing education credits for high school teachers will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the theater. A second showing of the films will be presented at 7 p.m. for the general community as part of the fourth annual festival, "Preserving the Truth for the 21st Century: Combating Internet and Media Myths."

The Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County is among the sponsors of the film presentations and symposia, according to Toby Shylit Mack of Marlboro, chair of both the CRC and the TRFF Holocaust/Genocide Education Program.

A panel discussion featuring Mark Weitzman, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Task Force Against Hate and Terrorism, and Jared Cohen, a U.S. Department of State expert on Africa and author of One Hundred Days of Silence: America and the Rwandan Genocide, is slated to follow the film presentations.

The two panelists will discuss the challenges involved in preserving and disseminating accurate information in a technologically advanced society and will engage in a question-and-answer session with the audience, Shylit Mack said.

"The challenges are connected to an unparalleled communications technology that is available to those who want to perpetuate lies," she said. "These lies travel worldwide to millions and have grossly distorted Holocaust history and the current dire situation in Darfur and other parts of Africa."

As a result, anti-Semitism in the United States and abroad has been exacerbated by "media myths" and has reached new levels of intensity that rival the climate in Europe prior to the Holocaust, Shylit Mack said.

"Holocaust denial and the banning of Holocaust education in some countries are being used to methodically erase the memory of one of the greatest tragedies of the last century," she said. "The ‘final solution" was an attempt that was sanctioned by the Nazi government to exterminate European Jewry and murder six million Jews."

The recent visit to the United States by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has publicly denied that the Holocaust happened, and statements issued by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has maintained that genocide is not taking place in the Darfur region of his country, have fueled anti-Semitism and perpetuated myths among media outlets, Shylit Mack said.

"Sometimes, media coverage of these two men has unwittingly helped spread the myths that they claim are truthful statements," she said. "The Internet, with unbridled abandon, has also helped to spread misinformation.

"Followers of al-Bashir can orchestrate his positions on Darfur that fit the image that he would like the public to see and hear," she continued. "The systematic killing and exiling of hundreds of thousands of Darfurians can be obliterated from public consciousness in a blitz of Internet and media lies."

But film-driven education and related discussion have been effective in combating intolerance and maintaining an accurate historical record, Shylit Mack said.

"Film is a powerful educational tool," she said. "In addition to its focus on Holocaust and genocide studies, this film program will bring value to a multitude of disciplines, such as current events, history, and political science. Holocaust denial dehumanizes society, but preserving the truth will help stop current acts of genocide and ensure that our children will live in peace."

Admission to the films and symposia is free, although advance registration is required. Registration information can be obtained by email or by calling 732-536-8444.

---