Anti-Semitism Archives - Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk: The Magazines for New and North Castle

With reports surfacing that the President plans to de-fund the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, more than 100 Holocaust institutions, scholars, and educators from around the world are calling on government officials not to cut, but to maintain and strengthen the office. These institutions and individuals cite the recent examples of hatred, xenophobia, and racism spreading across the nation and ask the public to call Congressional and Senate offices.

The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center is among the 100 who have have signed the statement which follows:

The undersigned Holocaust remembrance organizations, educators, and historians asking you to speak out and take action against hatred.

We are alarmed by reports that the President plans to defund the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, an office that tracks and counteracts anti-Semitism abroad. Ira Forman, the most recent Special Envoy in charge of that office, was our voice to a world in the throes of xenophobia and racism. He recently wrote, “Anti-Semitism is not only a Jewish problem; Jew-hatred — like other forms of religious and ethnic prejudice — is a threat to the very foundations of liberal democracies.”

We urge the US government to maintain and strengthen the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism and to create a new office to address this urgent issue domestically. The need becomes clearer by the day as hatred, like a tidal wave, sweeps across the nation.  Cemeteries, synagogues, churches and mosques are being desecrated. Jewish Community Centers and schools are targets of bomb threats and shootings. Swastikas and white supremacist threats appear on walls and on social media. Now is the time to increase vigilance, not roll it back.

ACT NOW. Call Your Representatives in Congress and the Senate.
Ask them to preserve the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism and to create such an office to fight domestic anti-Semitism as well.
Senate: goo.gl/u9SBbX     Congress:  goo.gl/paBNA Download the Statement in Word

Additional Actions You Can Take
Call your state representatives and ask them to fund educational programs designed to stop hatred and bullying — programs that build character and promote civics. Get involved with your school boards and interfaith groups. Talk to your neighbors. Rally in your town to promote tolerance and support victims of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, sexism and discrimination in all its forms.

This statement is co-authored by members of the Association of Holocaust Organizations, a network dedicated to the advancement of Holocaust education, remembrance and research, and is affirmed by the following institutions and individuals.

With Anti-Defamation League Regional Director at Congregation B’nai Yisrael

ARMONK, NY –Congregation B’nai Yisrael (CBY) will be hosting an evening discussion “The Rise of Anti-Semitism and Hate Pre and Post-Election” featuring Evan Bernstein from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The event will take place on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 7:30 pm at CBY in Armonk, New York. The event is free of charge, but registration is required. Participants can register at: www.cbyarmonk.org/the-rise-of-anti-semitism.

Evan Bernstein, who is the New York Regional Director at the Anti-Defamation League, will host an interactive discussion about the current rise of anti-Semitism and the spread of hate in all forms, both locally and globally. Bernstein will share details about the ADL’s many projects and initiatives to combat hate, educate students about the value diversity and respect for all, and address anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias on college campuses.

The number of violent anti-Semitic assaults taking place in the U.S. rose dramatically in 2015, contributing to a three percent rise in the total number of anti-Jewish incidents worldwide, according to ADL’s recently published report Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents.

“We are disturbed that violent anti-Semitic incidents are rising,” Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, stated in a press release. “And we know that for every incident reported, there’s likely another that goes unreported. So even as the total incidents have remained statistically steady from year to year, the trend toward anti-Semitic violence is very concerning.”

As the New York Regional Director at the Anti-Defamation League, Evan Bernstein is responsible for all initiatives across New York state. He is regularly quoted in prominent local and national news sources about issues related to civil rights and Boycott Divestment Sanction against Israel and anti-Semitism.

“I, like many in our community and across the country, am alarmed by and concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism in this country and abroad,” says Ross Honig, President of CBY. “By having open and interactive discussions with groups like the ADL, we can all learn how to combat hateful speech and actions, and to teach our children appropriate methods to combat anti-Semitism.”