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2024-2025 Impact Report

An Extraordinary First Year for the Bearing Witness Institute

As we celebrate the first year of the Bearing Witness Institute, we are profoundly grateful to our donors, program participants, and all friends who support our mission. Your partnership has allowed us to achieve remarkable impact during our inaugural year despite the challenge of rising interfaith tensions in today's society. Building on this momentum and looking toward continued growth, we hope you will continue to join us in advancing this critically important work.

Together, we are building a future where understanding triumphs over prejudice and where the bonds among faith communities grow ever stronger.

Community Support

557k

Raised during the 2024-2025 fiscal year

100

Donations received

We are grateful to donors whose generosity strengthened the Bearing Witness Institute’s signature programs in 2024–2025: the Antisemitism Lecture Series, Teacher Training, Bearing Witness Trips, and Peace by Piece. Your support is vital to sustain and expand these programs, ensuring a lasting impact in communities nationwide.

Help us continue making an impact

Antisemitism Lectures

 

Brendan Murphy, director of the Bearing Witness Institute, delivered his signature Antisemitism Lecture Series in states across the country, including California, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina.

29

Lectures

1,932

Participants

Teacher Training

 

In partnership with The Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights (TOLI), the Bearing Witness Institute hosted "We Remember: Exploring the Holocaust and Antisemitism," a four-day professional development seminar in New York City. Catholic educators from Georgia, Michigan, California, Minnesota, Delaware, and South Carolina participated in this training, deepening their understanding of the Holocaust and strategies to address antisemitism in their schools.

 

 

21

Middle and high school teachers

12

$1,000 scholarships awarded to offset travel expenses

94%

Reported deepening their understanding of the Holocaust

88%

Noted improved readiness to apply new teaching strategies in their classroom

Bearing Witness Trips

Marist School students who have completed Brendan Murphy's History and the Holocaust course have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Holocaust by visiting historic sites in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland.

2

Student trips

64

Student participants

100%

Noted the trip fostered personal, social, and academic growth

100%

Reported the trip was worth the time and investment

Testimonials

Brendan Murphy at Alliance Theater
Kathe Brown

"As a retired educator and community volunteer, I believe the Bearing Witness Institute’s Antisemitism Lecture Series to be a powerful, superbly documented, and informative tool to combat hate and prejudice through education for people of all religious faiths. These lectures have been praised for igniting meaningful dialogue about faith, history, and social justice. The Antisemitism Lecture Series provides an enduring educational legacy."

Kathe Brown, Antisemitism Lecture Series Attendee

Sarah Kate Shore

“Taking Mr. Murphy’s Holocaust class was one of the most impactful experiences of my life. After those 12 weeks my classmates and I traveled to Prague, Germany, and Poland. These places truly brought history to life. It’s one thing to hear and learn about history, but it's another to stand where it happened. Mr. Murphy teaches us that this journey is not only about sadness, but also about hope. We can grow from history and carry its lessons towards the future. I came home motivated to make a difference in the world.”

Sarah Kate Shore '27, Bearing Witness XVIII Trip Participant

Christian and Mary Anne Nahas

“The Bearing Witness trip has stuck with our daughters through their college years and beyond, bringing them out of their daily experience, expanding their perspective, and fostering their development as global citizens. Having seen the impact on our girls, I have taken Mr. Murphy’s adult course and we’re blessed that our son now has the opportunity to learn these important lessons.”

Christian and Mary Anne Nahas, Parents of Bearing Witness Trip Participants

Duffy and Courtney Jones

"Mr. Murphy’s lectures are powerful and deeply moving. He has a gift for connecting history to the present in a way that challenges each of us to reflect and act with compassion. We are so grateful for the Bearing Witness Institute’s work and the impact it continues to have on students and communities."

Duffy Jones '91 and Courtney Jones, Antisemitism Lecture Attendees

Christie Kurczak

"This seminar has had a profound impact on me both as an educator, as a person who cares deeply about others, and as one who hopes to always stand up for the rights and dignity of the marginalized."

Christie Kurczak, Savannah, GA, Participant in the TOLI Teacher Seminar

Paul Ackerman

"I believe that teaching this information is important for forming future citizens who will act with compassion."

Paul Ackerman, Wilmington, DE, Participant in the TOLI Teacher Seminar

Peace by Piece

 

In the 2024–2025 fiscal year, Peace by Piece, a signature program of the Bearing Witness Institute, united students from Marist School and The Mohammed Schools of Atlanta to foster dialogue and build authentic friendships. Building on 30+ years of work in the Atlanta area, the program is now preparing to expand nationwide and is developing plans to bring its programs to middle schools throughout Atlanta.

 

 

 

 

34

Students

3

Events

In 2025, Barbara Rosenblit joined the Bearing Witness Institute as assistant programming director to support the national expansion of the Institute's flagship interfaith initiative for students, Peace by Piece. She brings deep historical knowledge and visionary leadership along with wisdom, creativity, and a passion for interfaith education.

Community of Conscience

 

As a valued supporter of the Bearing Witness Institute, you’re part of our growing Community of Conscience, a network committed to combating intolerance, fostering understanding, and inspiring future generations to choose a path of peace and solidarity. Members of the Community of Conscience remain engaged through our biannual newsletter and additional opportunities for involvement.

 

 

4,000

Newsletter subscribers...and growing

7

Countries

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Bearing Witness Institute. Through your generosity we can continue our work together to combat hate and prejudice. 

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Upcoming Bearing Witness Institute Events

Latest News

Bearing Witness Institute Receives Generous Funding from Foundations and Individuals
Bearing Witness Institute Receives Generous Funding from Foundations and Individuals

The establishment of the Bearing Witness Institute has been made possible through Marist School's significant commitment, as well as grants from The Marcus Foundation, the Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the Rosenberg Family Foundation, and The Roberts Charitable Foundation, along with generous donations from individuals.