'Shining a Light on Antisemitism' Panel Discussion

‘Shining the Light on Antisemitism’ Panel Discussion

Co-sponsored by TBS Antisemitism Initiative, Adult Learning, and Tzedek committees

Tuesday, June 7, 7:30 pm, Temple Beth Shalom and online

If you are alarmed by the rise in antisemitism and want to understand this horrifying situation better, please join us for a panel discussion on ‘Shining the Light on Antisemitism.’ Robert Trestan, New England Anti-Defamation League Director, and Jeremy Burton, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, will lead the discussion, moderated by Rabbi Julie Bressler of Temple Beth Shalom.

What is the status of antisemitism in the Greater Boston area? There was a 48% increase in antisemitic incidents in Massachusetts in 2021 (ADL Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, https://newengland.adl.org/news/antisemitic-incidents-in-the-new-england-region-increase-42-in-2021-according-to-new-adl-report/). In recent years, a rabbi was stabbed, a Chabad center was torched, swastikas were painted at local high schools, and antisemitic behavior was evident during high school athletic contests. How worried are you? According to an American Jewish Committee (AJC) survey (The State of Antisemitism in America 2021, https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2021/AmericanJews), 43% of American Jews surveyed think that over the last 5 years, antisemitism has increased a lot. One in four Jews refrains from displaying items that identify them as Jews. Are we proud to be Jewish or are we afraid?

It is time to learn as much as we can about what is happening. It is time to come together as a group of Jews to discuss and question, to learn and to say “We don’t want to be afraid.” The panelists will give an overview of what is happening now in Massachusetts and discuss security issues, how to deal with antisemitic incidents, and how to report them. There will be an opportunity for questions from the audience.

Click here to read the speakers’ biographies.

Questions? Please contact the TBS Antisemitism Awareness Initiative at ASAI@tbsneedham.org.

This program has concluded. Please click on the image below to watch a recording.