Exploring Community and Belonging through Film

Join Facing History & Ourselves for food and drinks while we explore methods for developing community and belonging. Film can be a powerful tool for exploring themes of identity and belonging to foster empathy and understanding. We will explore clips from two documentary films, A Stranger at the Gate and Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life. 

A Stranger at the gate charts the surprising change of heart of a PTSD-suffering former U.S. Marine who set out to bomb a mosque but instead converted to Islam

Repairing the World explores Pittsburgh’s powerful community response to hate in the aftermath of the deadliest antisemitic attack in US history, showing what it means to be “stronger than hate.”

Facing History & Ourselves uses the lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. As we witness a renewed rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia across the country, Facing History is helping students gain a deeper understanding of contemporary antisemitism and how they can stand up against it.

Participants will receive access to both films, film guides, and Facing History teaching resources to bring these conversations meaningfully and appropriately into the classroom. 

When & Where

This event is hosted at Nova Kitchen and Bar next door to the Hyatt Regency Orange County where the California Council of Social Studies Conference takes place. This free event is open to both CCSS attendees and non-conference educators! 

Saturday, March 9, 2024
6:30 pm - Doors open for food and drinks
7:00 pm - Program Begins
8:00 pm - Program Ends

Nova Kitchen and Bar 
12361 Chapman Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92840

About the Films

Stranger at the Gate "At a moment when violence across the U.S. seems to be an everyday occurrence, "Stranger at the Gate" shines a light on our shared humanity and delivers a message of hope. It’s a story so relevant to our world today – a world filled with misunderstanding, people taking sides, and seemingly unbridgeable societal gaps – and yet this story shows there is hope."

                                                                            - Joshua Seftel, Director & Producer

 Visit https://www.strangeratthegate.com/ to learn more. 

Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life is a film that documents the powerful community response to hate and antisemitism in the aftermath of the deadly attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The documentary follows survivors, families of the victims, diverse community members, participants, and civic leaders for three years as they examine their vulnerabilities and the impact of rising antisemitism, racism, hate speech, and gun violence. Against the backdrop of a tumultuous period in the country, a local community that has faced violence and trauma works to heal and grapple with what it means to be stronger than hate. Repairing the World is presented by Not In Our Town. Visit repairingtheworldfilm.org to learn more.

About Not In Our Town

Launched by a 1995 PBS film campaign, NIOT produces films and provides support to hundreds of NIOT groups, schools and communities nationwide who work to create connection, bridge differences, foster inclusion and inspire action.

About Facing History

From one classroom in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1976, Facing History & Ourselves has become a global organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of middle and secondary school educators reaching millions of students worldwide.

We help educators prepare students to participate in civic life—using intellect, empathy, ethics, and choice to stand up to bigotry and hate in their own lives, communities, and schools.