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students to argue in favor of exterminating 
Jews, generating uproar.”
The article continued, “It seems that only 
two students, both non-Jewish seniors, were 
disturbed by the assignment, Jordan April 
and Archer Shurtliff. April and Shurtliff 
brought their concerns to DeNobile [the 
teacher who gave the assignment], higher 
administrators and the Anti-Defamation 
League (ADL).”
Wiemer was shocked by the assignment 
and the fact that she was in the very town 
where the assignment had been given. She 
was deeply touched by the courage of the 
two students who challenged the assign-
ment and had used their voices to ensure 
that no other students would have to do the 
assignment in the future. Wiemer messaged 
her aunt and writer friends, sharing that 
she really wanted to meet and applaud the 
courageous students, but had no idea how 
to connect with them.
Five hours later, Wiemer took four steps 
into River’s End Bookstore, looked up, and 
immediately recognized Jordan April! 
“Oh, my goodness! It’s the world-famous 
Jordan!” Wiemer declared.
“How do you know who I am?” the girl 
asked.
Wiemer felt charged and inspired by the 
events of the day and wrote about them 
that night at the hotel. When she returned 
to Milwaukee, an author friend said to her, 
“You have to write a novel about this.”
And she did. 

Wiemer’s novel, The Assignment, which 
was inspired by the events in Oswego, has 
won 12 recognitions, nominations and 
awards, including a Sydney Taylor Notable 
and State of Illinois Read for a Lifetime 
Book. The novel has been translated into 
Korean, Russian, Italian and Polish and 
counting. The Assignment has also been 
optioned for film.
Wiemer’s journey with this book has led 
her across the globe, inspiring people to be 
upstanders, not bystanders. 

VISITING MICHIGAN
In late fall, Wiemer partnered with ADL 
Michigan and Carla Chennault, ADL 
Michigan’s education director, to reach live 
audiences across the state to talk about The 
Assignment and how to be an upstander. In 
a week and a half, with the support of the 
ADL Michigan team and community con-
tacts, the two women conducted nearly 30 
presentations and reached more than 4,000 
people. 
One of Wiemer’s stops was Hillel Day 
School in Farmington Hills, a No Place for 
Hate School. “I love having Hillel as a part-
ner school and was thrilled when their lead-
ership made space for their eighth graders 
to hear Liza’s message,” Chennault said.
Amira Soleimani, director of Judaic 
Studies Curriculum and Instruction at 
Hillel Day School, added, “
At Hillel, we 
believe in the power of author visits, where 
students can learn about the creative pro-

cess and the beauty that goes into storytell-
ing. Liza Wiemer’s story behind this book 
was an unbelievable beshert moment of 
hashgacha pratit (Divine providence) that 
inspired all of us.” 
A key lesson from The Assignment and 
the work of ADL is being an upstander 
requires constant dedication and commit-
ment to rebuke hate every single day. There 
is no finish line; we build a better world by 
persistently and intentionally putting in the 
work. Wiemer’s story, along with the mission 
of ADL, challenges each of us to courageous-
ly support those who need allyship and to be 
upstanders in our communities. 

Learn more about Liza Wiemer at www.lizawiemer.com. 

Learn more about ADL’s No Place for Hate program at 

www.noplaceforhate.org.

LEFT: Liza Wiemer speaks with 
students at Hillel Day School. 
 
RIGHT: Liza Wiemer signs copies of 
The Assignment at Hillel Day School.

