KA CC Archive May 2024

Even without having the data in front of us, we know that antisemitism has increased in the United States and around the world.  According to the American Jewish Committee (AJC), antisemitism spiked almost 400% in the United States since October 7th.  Jewish college students have been attacked and harassed, Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and cemeteries have been defaced, and conspiracies around Jews have become more normalized, thanks to social media.

The AJC recently released its “State of Antisemitism in America” report for 2023 and the ADL and Tel Aviv University released their Annual Report on Antisemitism Worldwide for 2023.  Both reports show a sharp rise in antisemitism even before October 7th, with the ADL report stating that “October 7 helped spread a fire that was already out of control.”

None of this is surprising to us.  It just confirms what the majority of us at Kol Ami has felt happening.  So what do we do about it?  The AJC and ADL have, of course, made suggestions and have plenty of information on their websites, with suggestions of action items for the Executive Branch, Congress, local and state governments, law enforcement, social media companies, and the media, as well as for the private sector, interfaith partners, educational institutions, and influencers.  Unless you are a part of those groups, we don’t have much sway there outside of lobbying and writing to our representatives and reaching out to these groups.  

The part that we can directly look at though is what the Jewish community can do.  What I also felt it would be important to do as I read through the reports and calls for action was to look for trends.  In each section, there is an emphasis placed on education.  Understanding the history of antisemitism, knowing what are the common antisemitic tropes, and knowing what it means when anti-Israel actions become antisemitic rhetoric are important so that we can stop antisemitism.

Below are some resources I have found helpful, direct, and nuanced in understanding antisemitism and how to talk about Judaism to others:

“Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew” by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby:

https://www.amazon.com/Uncomfortable-Conversations-Jew-Emmanuel-Acho/dp/1668057859

Also available at your library in physical and digital form as well as an audiobook on Spotify.

AJC’s Translate Hate Glossary: https://www.ajc.org/translatehateglossary

ADL’s Antisemitism Uncovered: A Guide To Old Myths In A New Era: https://antisemitism.adl.org/

As always, if you want to discuss any of these resources or ideas above, please reach out to me.  If you see antisemitism in action, please report it to local authorities and to the ADL:  https://www.adl.org/report-incident

To read the AJC Call to Action Report: https://www.ajc.org/call-to-action/report

To read the AJC State of Antisemitism in America Report: 
https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/tel-aviv-university-and-anti-defamation-league-publish-annual-report

To read the ADL Antisemitism World Report: 
https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/tel-aviv-university-and-anti-defamation-league-publish-annual-report