For a handful of us, the last Saturday of September was spent setting up tables—and chessboards upon those tables—in the silently picturesque alcove of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Glen Cove.
For the second year in a row, the center’s memorial garden dedicated to the 1.5 million Jewish children killed during the Holocaust would pay host to Checkmate Hate. Simply put, the event is a collaboration between HMTC and CHESSanity, a 501c organization on Long Island dedicated to spreading the love of chess across New York.
I first thought of a chess fund-raiser as an anti-hate campaign nearly two years ago. As an avid chess player and volunteer at CHESSanity, attending one of Dana Arschin’s frequent speeches empowered me. Arschin works as a one-of-a-kind Holocaust storyteller at HMTC, bearing the testimonies of her grandfather, who endured the horrors of the Holocaust firsthand. Her story at her own Jericho High School Hall of Fame induction last year inspired me to unite our community in our will to be tolerant and accepting.
Chess was and is my first-ever passion. For me and many others, chess is not just a board game. On the board, you and your opponent might appear to clash openly, but in reality chess is a powerful tool to bridge the gap of race, ethnicity, gender, and age and increase our understanding of each other.
As for Checkmate Hate, with that notion in mind, I contacted CHESSanity and HMTC. They agreed that an annual fund-raiser in late September would be rebranded to what it is today–a gathering that holds great significance in our renunciation of all the hate and bigotry that exists in the community.
That was the motivation for 40 chess players and their families—totaling over a hundred people in attendance—to brave cold, unpleasant weather to come out to Glen Cove for a good game of chess paired with a tour of the center’s exhibits. Dana Arschin, a former Fox 5 anchor, brought juniors and seniors from several school districts across Long Island from Long Island’s own Witness Program to witness the significance of our initiative in person.
As the afternoon went on, CHESSanity President Thomas Li was also available for some brief remarks.
In the end, $1,000 was raised and donated to HMTC. More importantly, we have ensured that our community has become more informed on matters of hate, bigotry and antisemitism so that we can continue to fight against these unwanted communal afflictions.
Lastly, I thank everyone who made this event possible for the second year. CHESSanity, its volunteers and its president, Thomas Li, were simply invaluable. Dana Arschin, Bernie Furshpan, and Tania Dolan were among a fiercely dedicated group of coordinators at HMTC. Kudos to all for your endless support.
Michael Li is a Jericho High School senior
