As Americans debate whether or not to remove Confederate monuments from the public square, it’s instructive to look to Germany to see how that country has memorialized historical conflicts. This week on State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s radio show and podcast, we’ll speak with a leading activist who is working to ensure that victims of the Holocaust are never forgotten in Europe.

Host Rev. Welton Gaddy will be joined by Terry Swartzberg, an American-born journalist and activist who’s a leader in the Stolperstein (“stumbling block”) movement, which commemorates victims of the Holocaust with small plaques set in the streets of European cities. Swartzberg, who will join us from Munich, will draw upon his many years in Germany to shed light on how Americans can respect their history and heritage without venerating racism or extremism. He’ll also share his experiences living in Europe as a visibly Jewish person in a time of resurgent anti-Semitism.

“Facts” continue to be in short supply at the White House and across the nation, or at the very least, any agreement about what is factual or not. To help you navigate this terrain, we’ll check in again with Stanford University professor Robert Proctor, who coined the term “agnotology” to describe the concept of manufactured ignorance. His research has never been more vital.

Finally, Welton will be joined by Dr. Christopher Stroop, the scholar and expert in religion and politics who started the hashtag #EmptyThePews as a wake-up call to fundamentalist churches that have stood steadfastly by President Trump. His social media campaign calls on evangelical Christians to challenge churches that have sold out to extreme political agendas. We’ll hear how it all began and where it’s headed.

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