May 24, 2021
Did you know that May is Jewish Heritage Month? A congressional resolution and Presidential proclamation in 2006 declared May Jewish American Heritage month. In this month we celebrate and acknowledge the immense contributions of Jewish Americans to America. You can learn more on this site how generation after generation of Jewish Americans have contributed to the United States and the world.
Despite what should be a month of celebration, we find ourselves confronted with ongoing, rising, explicit hate in the United States and across the globe against Jewish people. Unfortunately, “in 2020 and 2021, there were 7,528 incidents of extremism or antisemitism in the United States”? In 2020, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a 10% increase over the prior year of anti-Semitism. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This truth has been amplified in a year where a tiny virus has brought an awareness of just how interconnected we are as a people. While anti-Semitism has been rising the last few years, it has taken an even uglier turn in recent weeks. From verbal abuse, property damage to physical assault, acts of hate against Jews continues to escalate. This horrible behavior is not just targeted at adults but has also been targeted at children, as well as showing up in schools. It is not okay that members of our communities are considering removing their Mezuzzas from their doorposts or feel abandoned. In the last several days I have heard friends say:
- “It feels like we are not safe anywhere.”
- “I just want to lay low because it is a dangerous time.”
- “It feels like the theme of the week is that “Jewish Lives Don’t Matter.””
It is okay if you feel overwhelmed with all the hate and -isms of the last year. It has been a year of a lot of hate and grief and it is okay to be tired. It is okay to not fully understand the depth and breadth of anti-Semitism and why our Jewish colleagues and friends are experiencing this week in the context of history. It is okay to think you do not know the right thing to say. It is okay to weep because there is so much hate and violence around us to those we know and do not know and we may feel helpless. It is okay to not know how to affirm all who are hurting without risking offense. It is okay to not be okay.
Many of you probably are asking (again) what can you do? Here are three things:
- Learn about anti-Semitism and discuss with your family and friends. This short article includes some broad information to understand how anti-Semitism, like all other hate and -isms, show up in the day-to-day lives of people. Similarly, this guide from ADL provides resources for education that can be useful as you speak to loved ones. The ADL has a guide on speaking with family about a variety of difficult topics connected to current events. In the last week I have done a LOT of listening and frankly, learned things I didn’t know.
- A date has not been finalized yet but please sign up for Upstander training when we circulate the information. In the meantime, call out anti-Semitism when you see it or hear it.
- Make space for your colleagues whether they want to talk about how they feel or do not want to engage.
Embracing our differences, making space for pain, and speaking up when groups of us are marginalized are an important component of belonging. We may be tired but we can still speak for each other and stand together against all acts of hate.
I end with this reminder. We have a saying in my culture that one broomstick can easily be broken, but it is hard to break all the broomsticks that make the broom. We are in this together in standing against hate and -isms.
Thank you.
Kori S. Carew