Elijah Alexander, best known for portraying the Roman soldier Atticus in the hit series *The Chosen*, is channeling his platform into something profoundly personal and urgent: bringing powerful Holocaust education directly into high school and college classrooms across Utah and beyond. Through a unique program called The Mitzvah Project, Alexander and his collaborators are sparking honest conversations among young people about prejudice, empathy, and the dangers of “othering” — turning performance into a tool for real-world understanding in communities that may lack diversity or direct historical connection to these events.
The Mitzvah Project, launched in 2014 by Roger Grunwald (whose mother survived Auschwitz), combines theater with open dialogue to make Holocaust history feel immediate and relevant. It kicks off with a compelling one-act solo play exploring the lives of two German men of partial Jewish ancestry — Mischlinge — during the Nazi era. The performance delves into themes of identity, humanity, and the insidious creep of discrimination. Afterward, presenters like Alexander share their own family ties to the Holocaust, bridge the historical narrative to American experiences, and tackle modern issues like racism, antisemitism, and bullying. The session wraps with a Q&A where students can voice questions, reactions, and personal stories, often leading to raw, transformative exchanges.
For Alexander, this work has become the cornerstone of his life’s purpose. He discovered the project in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic while seeking meaningful ways to connect with young people. Having taught English as a second language in Colorado, he witnessed firsthand how isolated and confused many students felt coming of age during lockdowns. That experience opened his eyes to gaps in Holocaust education across the U.S., making The Mitzvah Project’s blend of storytelling and discussion feel like a perfect fit. He’s now performed it in nearly two dozen schools nationwide, with particularly impactful sessions in Utah at places like Bountiful High School and The Salt Lake Center for Science Education.
Utah’s setting adds a special layer. Alexander, who splits time between Los Angeles, filming *The Chosen* in the state, and his home in southern Utah, describes the area as sacred and welcoming. Yet he notes that the relative lack of diversity in some schools can leave students yearning for broader perspectives. In Q&A sessions there, young people opened up about bullying, harassment, and feeling unseen — conversations that moved Alexander deeply. His goal is simple yet powerful: create space where everyone feels heard, validated, and encouraged to treat one another with empathy. He draws from his uncle’s story — a Holocaust survivor who helped bring Alexander’s father from Israel to America — to stand as a living connection to history.
Grunwald, who has expanded the program to include multiple presenters with personal Holocaust links, emphasizes the power of theater to make abstract lessons stick. With survivors aging and their direct testimonies fading, projects like this carry the torch forward through descendants and dedicated educators. It’s funded entirely by donations, costs schools nothing, and travels light, making it scalable and sustainable. Schools often invite it back after the first visit, turning it into a recurring staple for building understanding.
At its core, The Mitzvah Project isn’t just about remembering the past — it’s about equipping the next generation to shape a kinder future. Alexander encourages students facing cruelty to respond with peaceful dialogue rooted in love and responsibility. He wants kids to share their own stories, celebrate differences, and recognize their power to push back against division. In a time when social media amplifies echo chambers and tensions run high, programs that foster genuine conversation feel more vital than ever.
Alexander’s dual role — bringing biblical stories to screens while confronting history’s darkest chapters in classrooms — creates a compelling synergy. Fans of *The Chosen* often connect with him on a faith level, opening doors for deeper talks about moral responsibility and human dignity. His work in Utah underscores how entertainment figures can leverage influence for education and healing, especially in places hungry for diversity of thought and experience.
As The Mitzvah Project grows, its vision is ambitious yet grounded: become a nationwide cornerstone of Holocaust studies, reaching hundreds of schools annually and inspiring empathy one classroom at a time. For Alexander, every performance and every honest student question reinforces why this matters. In a world still grappling with prejudice and division, initiatives like this remind us that education, storytelling, and human connection remain our strongest tools against repeating history’s mistakes. It’s a mission that blends art, advocacy, and heart — proving that even small acts of mitzvah (good deeds) can ripple outward in powerful ways.
