28 | MARCH 16 • 2023 

C

an reading teachers 
help prevent 
antisemitism? Two 
Detroit-area children’s book 
authors aim to help teachers 
do just that.
Anita Fitch Pazner and 
Lisa Rose will speak at 
the Michigan Reading 
Association’s 67th annual 
conference, to be held March 
17-20 in Grand Rapids, on 
combatting antisemitism 
using picture books for early 
readers and books aimed at 
middle-grade students and 
young adults.
Their presentation is 
designed to give teachers 
reading lists, study guides 
and other tools that use 
“casual diversity” to fight 
prejudice.
Pazner points to The 

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack 
Keats as one of the first 
examples of casual diversity, 
a term coined by librarian 
Betsy Bird. It’s a story about 
a Black boy experiencing 
the first big snow of the 
year, but it’s not about his 
being Black. The story has 
diverse characters, but it’s 
not about diversity. “This is 
what creates empathy,” said 
Pazner. “Readers realize the 
‘other’ character is just like 
them.”
She and Rose will discuss 
a selection of books in which 
readers can see that Jews are 
“like them.” 
“We all know that 
antisemitic attacks have 
been on the rise,” she 
said. “Hate often occurs 
with the unknown. People 

who live in areas without 
Jewish populations often 
see Jews through a skewed 
lens, whether historical or 
propaganda-based. We have 
chosen books that look 
beyond Chanukah and the 
Holocaust.”
It’s important to include 
Jews in discussions about 
diversity, Rose said.
Many times, when 
someone says the word 
“diversity” it is synonymous 
with people of color, she 
said. She and Pazner believe 
diversity also must include 
diversity in religion and 
physical appearance, as well 
as neurodiversity.
Many teachers would like 
to include books with Jewish 
characters, but they simply 
lack the knowledge and the 

time to research and vet new 
books for their classrooms,” 
Rose said. “Anita and I would 
like to give teachers the tools 
so they can easily use the 
resources in their classrooms 
tomorrow. For example, 
Earth Day is coming up; it 
is the perfect time to read 
Anita’s book The Topsy 
Turvy Bus and learn about 
the Jewish concept of tikkun 
olam (repairing the world).
“Also, what child doesn’t 
like a zombie? So it is always 
a good time to read my 
book A Zombie Vacation and 
learn more about the Dead 
Sea area in Israel.”
Their list includes both 
fiction and nonfiction for all 
ages, from preschool through 
high school. 
In addition to their 

OUR COMMUNITY

Using children’s books to combat antisemitism.
‘Casual Diversity’

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lisa Rose and 
Anita Fitch

