The Mitzvah Project
“Enlightening Young Minds, Inspiring Compassion, Defeating Holocaust Ignorance.”
The Mitzvah Project brings a high-engagement, Holocaust-themed theatrical-educational program to high school and college students across America...
Designed to foster critical thinking and empathy, the 60-minute presentation, consisting of a one-act solo play, lecture and talkback poses several critical socio-historical questions:
“Who decides the meaning of culture, race and ethnicity?” ... “How is one’s identity determined?” ... “Why do we demonize ‘the other?’”
The Opportunity
Ignorance and lack of understanding are the soil in which hatred, prejudice and discrimination grows.
American teens and young adults need to learn the important lessons of this terrible part of history, to build a world full of human compassion, empathy, equality, and inclusion.
Because limited and passive Holocaust education is the norm, teachers and principals are seeking new and effective ways to educate and engage students.
60%
of Americans under 40 have never heard the word “Holocaust.”
Majority of states do not mandate in-school Holocaust education.
Teachers and principals need new and effective ways to educate and engage students.
Our Reach
Since it was launched in 2014, The Mitzvah Project has reached:
25,000+
Students and Adults
216
High Schools, Colleges and Community Organizations
The Solution
The Mitzvah Project brings a high-engagement, Holocaust-themed theatrical-educational program to high school and college students across America.
Professional actors with “lived experience” of the Holocaust in their families and trained as Teaching Artists, immerse students in a historically accurate and deeply personal on-stage journey.
Teaching Artists also engage students in a “talk back.” Students can openly ask their questions, make connections with today’s issues of prejudice and marginalization, and consider how to be more compassionate and create more equality in their lives and in our world.
The Mitzvah Project is aggressively expanding its reach. Teaching Artists will reach more than 8,000 students in 2025, and 10,000 students in 2026.
The Founder
Roger Grunwald
A playwright, classically-trained actor, community organizer, and educator. Roger’s mother, who survived the Auschwitz death camp, provided detailed eyewitness testimony to the Shoah Foundation. Over many years, she shared her personal story with students in San Francisco Bay Area schools. Roger created The Mitzvah Project to continue her work and that of the tens of thousands of Holocaust survivors who are no longer here to tell their stories.
For any educator interested in bringing awareness about the dangers of oppression, both past and present, The Mitzvah Project is a powerful and impactful presentation.
– Craig Bocks, Assistant Principal, San Ramon Valley HS, CA
Today, when events unfold with terrifying velocity, it’s critically important to remember the past. Just one of the many reasons not to miss Roger Grunwald’s Mitzvah Project.
– William S. Cohen, Former United States Senator/Secretary of Defense
The Mitzvah Project Teaching Artists
Elijah Alexander, Victor Talmadge, and Rolf Saxon are working stage and screen actors. Each has extensive teaching experience at the high school and college level, and each has a story to tell about his family’s Holocaust survival.
ELIJAH ALEXANDER
Broadway:
Royal Shakespeare Co.
TV:
“The Chosen”
VICTOR TALMADGE
Broadway:
“The King and I” and “The Lion King”
ROLF SAXON
London:
Royal Shakespeare Co.
Film:
“Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two” (2024)
How it Works
Schools invite The Mitzvah Project to teach and engage hundreds — sometimes thousands — of their students.
We provide a powerful study guide, developed with a Museum of Jewish Heritage educator, that teachers use in the classroom *before* we show up.
The Teaching Artist then creates a powerful, in-person experience - a one-act solo play, lecture, and talk-back - which electrifies the students and makes the critical lessons of the Holocaust come alive in a way no textbook can.
The Mitzvah Project is offered to all public high schools *free of charge*.
Ongoing and extensive outreach to school district leaders, principals, and teachers across urban, suburban, and rural areas in all 50 states.
More than 500 schools and educators are reached each year.
Our Impact
Student Comments
Come away from The Mitzvah Project experience with a new perspective and understanding of the Holocaust that no textbook or movie can match.
“Something I will never forget.”
— Miranda, Central High School, Omaha“Amazing and inspiring! It lit a spark in me.”
— Carol, Quincy High School, Quincy, CA“I hope The Mitzvah Project reaches as many people as possible and has the same impact it had on me!”
— Abby, Shaker Heights High School, Ohio“As a young woman of color, the diary of Anne Frank now has more meaning.”
— Nayeli, Sonoma State University, CA
“My students were totally overwhelmed (in a good way) after experiencing The Mitzvah Project… we had 45 minutes of solid questions! We need more of this!”
— Sakina Bryant, Writing Center Faculty Director, Sonoma State University“Compelling and thought-provoking.”
— Janice Ross, Superintendent, Brooklyn North High Schools, NY“A great opportunity and experience for our students.”
— Laura Myrah, Superintendent, Arrowhead Union High School District, Hartland, WI
Educator Comments
Have new and powerful resources and think differently about Holocaust education.
Booking Info
To bring The Mitzvah Project to your high school, college or community organization, please fill out the form. We will respond to you within one business day.
Download our presentation deck to share with your team.
