Anti-Defamation League Honors Manhattan University Professor With Its In Concert Against Hate Award
Manhattan University, the 170+ year-old Lasallian Catholic institution, today announced that Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of its Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center, was honored at the 30th Annual ADL In Concert Against Hate on Monday, November 18.
According to its website, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) “fights all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism, and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.” The gala was held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and was hosted by actor/comedian Ben Stiller. ADL In Concert Against Hate began in 1995 as a special event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust and continues that tradition today by ”… honoring heroes and celebrating their extraordinary acts of courage and compassion when confronted by hatred and bigotry.” Dr. Afridi was one of the Kay Family Award honorees at the ceremony.
“We are thrilled to recognize Dr. Afridi with this well-deserved award,” said Meredith R. Weisel, ADL Washington, D.C., Regional Director. “She represents what’s needed in this world, especially today, and that is a willingness to see beyond our differences to advocate for what’s best for everyone. When people of all backgrounds work together against hatred, each of us benefits.”
Frederick Bonato, Ph.D., Interim President of Manhattan University, stated, “The entire Manhattan University community is so proud of Mehnaz and the work that she does on a daily basis through her classroom teaching along with her leadership at our Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center. As a Muslim woman teaching at a Catholic university with a focus on the Holocaust, she embodies the essence of the Lasallian Catholic tradition.”
Said Dr. Afridi, “I am incredibly humbled to receive this honor, particularly during these challenging times. I have made it my life’s work to combat all forms of bigotry and to listen to and learn from people of different faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities.”
At Manhattan University, Dr. Afridi teaches courses on Islam, the Holocaust, Genocide, comparative religion, and Feminism. Her last book Shoah Through Muslim Eyes (Academic Studies Press, 2017) was nominated for the Yad Vashem International Book Prize for Holocaust Research and the Jacob Schnitzer Book Award. She is currently working on a book, The Wounded Muslim, (Bloomsbury Press, forthcoming) and a co-edited book on Global Approaches to the Holocaust (Nebraska University Press, forthcoming). In 2019, she was honored with the Costello Award for teaching excellence in the School of Liberal Arts and the Lasallian Educator (2020) at Manhattan University (then Manhattan College). She is also a U.S. State Department Member on the delegation for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and serves as a member of the Committee of Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. Dr. Afridi obtained her Ph.D. from the University of South Africa and her M.A. and B.A. from Syracuse University.
Also receiving Kay Family Awards this year were Holocaust survivor Rosette Goldstein along with Charles Chavis Jr., a professor at George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.