Filmmakers Launch ‘The Cure for Hate’ Educational and Social Impact Campaign to Combat Rising National Hate Crimes Crisis

Tony McAleer
Tony McAleer in 'The Cure for Hate: Bearing Witness to Auschwitz,' directed by Peter Hutchison

NEW YORK, September 27, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Author and anti-hate activist Tony McAleer and filmmaker Peter Hutchison of Eat the Moon Films are proud to announce the launch of THE CURE FOR HATE, a nationwide educational and social impact campaign designed to combat the rising national hate crimes crisis this fall. 

"Several years in the making — from the U.S. to Poland to Canada — we’re thrilled to begin sharing 'The Cure for Hate' and our social impact program with high schools and communities across America," said Hutchison. "Stories like these are a powerful tool, and can play a crucial role in helping to turn the tide of racism and intolerance."

The program will debut in Pittsburgh on Sept. 27 with Dismantling Conspiracy Theories and Holocaust Denial: a film screening and panel discussion hosted by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. The Cure for Hate team, former neo-Nazi turned anti-hate activist Tony McAleer and filmmaker Peter Hutchison (the upcoming "The Invisible Doctrine. The Secret History of Neoliberalism," “Healing from Hate,” “Requiem for the American Dream”) will also visit area secondary schools to engage with students, screen the film, and deliver the curriculum. THE CURE FOR HATE: BEARING WITNESS TO AUSCHWITZ will screen at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit. The program will also host a Teen Screen event with Film Pittsburgh in late September. 

The engagements in Pittsburgh mark the first stop in an extensive screening tour targeting secondary schools and select communities across the country with stops in Oregon with Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Idaho with the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, Houston with TAPS Academy as part of its Anti-Hate Week, Tennessee with TN Holocaust Commission, and more to be announced shortly.

"I am really excited to share my journey and the history of the Holocaust with young people in a way that teaches important lessons to ensure it never happens again," said McAleer.

In the Jewish tradition, tshuvah means "return" and describes the return to God and our fellow human beings that is made possible through repentance for our wrongs.  

THE CURE FOR HATE: BEARING WITNESS TO AUSCHWITZ follows Tony McAleer, a former Neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier, who went on to become a founding member of the anti-hate activist group Life After Hate. Profoundly aware and deeply ashamed of the lineage of hate he'd once promoted, McAleer had long-contemplated traveling to Auschwitz in the spirit of tshuvah — to bear witness to the inconceivable ravages of the Holocaust and deepen his personal work against the rise of extremist politics. 

This project documents his profoundly personal journey of atonement to Auschwitz/Birkenau — exploring the conditions that allowed for the rise of fascism in 1930s Europe; shedding a unique light upon how men get into, and out of, violent extremist groups; and serving as a cautionary tale for our time that underscores the dangers in allowing hate to be left unchecked.

"The Cure for Hate brings the lessons of Auschwitz into the present, as living history — at this crucial moment, with hate and intolerance on the rise and continuing to dominate the headlines," said Hutchison. "Tony’s journey stands as a remarkable example of what is possible. After all, if a hardened neo-Nazi can find his way back from hate, then what lessons can it hold for the rest of us?"

Thanks to a grant from The Center for Prevention Programs & Partnerships “Targeted Violence & Terrorism Prevention Program,” THE CURE FOR HATE: BEARING WITNESS TO AUSCHWITZ aims to use the film and the lived experiences of author and subject Tony McAleer to counter the rising tide of intolerance and violent extremism. The impact program was created to engage vulnerable youth and select communities and — through the use of experiential learning exercises and the exploration of history — enhance resilience to indoctrination and radicalization.

"In this time of rising anti-Semitism, this film serves as both a memory and a warning of what hate can lead to if left unchecked," said McAleer.