DL Opinion columns

Instruct and Inspire – by Deborah Levine

Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press

The drive from Chattanooga to the Nashville area is a long haul. I wasn’t looking forward to the more almost 5 hour round trip in the car as I prepared to speak at an Interfaith Conference sponsored by the TN Holocaust Commission. Fortunately, a friend offered to drive and I ended up loving the trip for its incredible beauty. I’ve always felt a spiritual presence in trees and there we were surrounded by plenty of them. It’s always emotionally difficult speaking about my dad, a World War II Liberator, but I could feel his spirit encouraging me. I was reminded that I’d been invited to speak about dad’s legacy for good reason. So by the time we arrived at the conference location in Hermitage, the Emanuel Lutheran Church, I was ready to do my presentation, “Lessons of a Liberator Assigned to Interrogate Nazi POWs”. 

I always write out my presentations like a movie script, practice reading it and then pretty much toss it out when I get up to speak. My “Instruct and Inspire” process brings old stories to the surface, makes them come alive so that I can share them with the audience. The process works well for me, but it’s quite emotional. When I asked my hubby to read the script, looking for needed edits and unwanted repetitions, he did. But he brought it back to me crying and sobbing, “Never ask me to read this Holocaust stuff again!” 

I didn’t want to cry either and was heartened by reading about the church’s Pastor Andrew Abraham. His history includes serving in an Army Reserve unit deployed to the Persian Gulf in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm. Inspired by the life and theological insights of Martin Luther, he was moved to become a Lutheran pastor. Pastor Andrew seemed like the perfect person to read from my script, especially my father’s letter. 

Thank you Pastor Andrew for giving me time to breathe by reading from dad’s letters:  “ … A large part of the population never belonged to the Nazi Part – but 99.9% blame Hitler only for losing the war and suffer no pangs of conscience over the origins of the war of the the ideology of the Party… Years of mal-education kept them ignorant and proud, selfish and egoistic, while claiming that Germany alone suffered, despite her righteousness.”  Dad asserted that complete re-education must happen, or there will be “hell to pay”.  

Dad’s letter is included in both this presentation and my award-winning documentary: Untold, Stories of a World War II Liberator, now available on YouTube. The passionate goal for both is to “Instruct and Inspire”. Whether in a church, a classroom, community venue or at home, I continue my dad’s legacy of education and re-education to avoid reprisals of the hate, violence and denial that marked Naziism. When I was introduced by Alison Vick, she reminded me that we share a good friend who is an icon in the interfaith-education world: The Rev. Dr. John Pawlikowski, a founding member of the U.S. Holocaust Commission. 

Alison is Program Coordinator of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission and leads its interfaith clergy initiative. Alison’s presentation,“What Tennesseans Knew, and Why it Still Matters: Teaching the Holocaust in the Era of Social Media and Generative AI”, was exceptionally relevant, especially when combined with Pastor Andrews’ presentation that highlighted the dangers of today’s internet.

The powerful combination of interfaith dialogue and educational programming is definitely needed to help navigate these treacherous times. We should advocate for the combination in community, universities, and faith groups. Get involved and make such efforts more visible, diverse and impactful. Instruct and Inspire!

Editor-in-Chief
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