I
n the pouring rain on April 4, 2017,
Liza Wiemer drove to Oswego, New
York, wearing knit boots totally
unsuited for the conditions. Days earlier,
she had traveled from her hometown of
Milwaukee to the Syracuse area on the
invitation of Wendy Watts Scalfaro, a
library media specialist and an acquain-
tance she knew only virtually.
Scalfaro asked Wiemer to conduct a
workshop for her high school students
about her Young Adult novel, Hello?
With the workshop complete, her next
destination was River’s End Bookstore
for a book signing Watts Scalfaro also
arranged.
Because of the rain, Wiemer left extra
early. In need of caffeine, she stopped at
a grocery store, but the flooded parking
lot prevented her from going inside. She
turned to her phone and Facebook to
pass the time.
That is when she saw an article shared
by her aunt on Facebook. A post that
forever altered Wiemer’s life.
In all capital letters, Wiemer’s aunt
wrote, “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?????
NY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
WERE GIVEN AN ASSIGNMENT
TO ARGUE IN FAVOR OF
EXTERMINATING JEWS!”
The article was titled, Homework? NY
Students Debate Exterminating Jews. This
immediately caught Wiemer’s attention,
and she opened the link to read, “
A
teacher from Oswego County, New York,
in February gave an assignment asking
Liza Wiemer
on Assignment
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY YEVGENIYA GAZMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Young Adult author brings message of
standing up for others around the globe.
Carla Chennault, ADL Michigan director of education, author
Liza Wiemer and Amira Soleimani, Hillel Day School director of
Judaic Studies Curriculum and Instruction.
ARTS&LIFE
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