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