Ben Stern survived two ghettos, nine concentration camps and two death marches, only to face Nazis a second time, 30 years later in Skokie, Illinois in 1977-1978. When the Nazis announced their plan to demonstrate in Skokie, Stern helped spark a fierce public battle opposing the Nazis. The Town of Skokie responded by passing several ordinances that in effect banned the Nazis' planned demonstration, and went to court to obtain an injunction based on those ordinances. The ACLU responded by going into court to oppose, on First Amendment grounds, the Town's effort to ban the demonstration. Stern refused to follow Chicago Jewish leadership’s admonition to stay home and close the shades, and instead built a national following of more than 750,000 people who signed petitions protesting the Nazis' right to demonstrate. When the Court affirmed the Nazis right to demonstrate in Skokie, more than 60,000 people pledged to show up and counter-demonstrate.  Only then, did the Nazis cancel their plans to come to Skokie.  Ben Stern is the subject of the award-winning documentary film, “Near Normal Man.” Ira Glasser played a significant role for the ACLU during the Skokie events, and later served for nearly a quarter century as the executive director of the ACLU and a leading national defender of the First Amendment. 

Stern and Glasser, joined by Charlene Stern, producer/director of “Near Normal Man,” will meet in conversation to discuss hate speech in our world today.

For more information on Ben Stern, watch “Near Normal Man” here  http://Vimeo.com/169362600
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or visit http://www.nearnormalman.org.

Lunch will be provided. This event is free and open to the public, but seating may be limited.