Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
In the age of instant and constant stimulation, how do you teach the younger generation about the dangers of antisemitism, and racism in general? How do you force uncomfortable conversations that require nuance and critical thinking?
Enter TikTok, and Tova Friedman.
Friedman is a Holocaust survivor who tells stories of her experiences on the controversial social media app that was briefly banned in the United States. While TikTok has been accused of allowing antisemitic conspiracies to spread in the past, Friedman’s work is a light at a time when much of what exists on the internet is dark.
Which is exactly why the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, the American Jewish Committee of Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center decided to team up to bring “TikTok Tova” to Philadelphia at the end of March for a discussion on combating antisemitism and promoting Holocaust education.
Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center director and AJC Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey board member Lise Marlowe said the organizations are aiming to reach a younger demographic.
“That’s what our hope is. She has a big presence, and we knew it would be a great opportunity to bring together college and high school students and the community to talk about this,” she said.
Marlowe said that the work of her organizations has increased in importance in recent years. Since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center director has increased its programming by more than 80%. The museum will host nearly 180 events across 2025 targeted at antsemitism awareness and education.
AJC Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Regional Director Marcia Bronstein said the organization’s own research reinforces this need.
“The majority of Americans say antisemitism has increased a lot in the last five years, and 73% of American Jewish adults say that they feel less secure in America than they did five years ago,” Bronstein said. “So action is needed to protect Jews and to protect our nation. It just makes very good sense for us to partner.”
The event is being held at the Weitzman in Center City on Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m. It’s free; however, those who plan to attend are asked to register before online, the link to which can be accessed on theweitzman.org.
Bronstein said that during a workshop with college students recently, she got feedback that reinforced the appeal of this event.
“We had twenty students from Philadelphia universities here in the AJC office for a workshop on finding their voice when they speak with campus administrators and elected officials,” she said. “We told them that TikTok Tova is going to be here on March 30, and they all knew who she was because she’s on TikTok, and that’s where they live. It’s really important that if you want to educate students, that you do it on their platform.”
Marlowe said that HAMEC’s list of survivors that are able to participate in such events has dwindled. What was once a list of 40 names has shrunk to six. Now, the only survivors left are those who were children during the Holocaust. Soon, only second-generation survivors will be around to tell the story.
“We remind students that they’re the last generation to meet a survivor,” she said. “It’s really an amazing opportunity for them to hear someone who’s still speaking tell their story of what happened to them. It’s very powerful, very meaningful.”
It’s needed now more than ever.
“Some of the language that we hear [right now] is very similar to what our survivors heard back in the ’30s and ’40s. We’re concerned about the rise of antisemitism and the best way to fight it is through education,” Marlowe said. “We believe education is stronger than hate.”
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