Temple Beth Emet is now participating in the Kulanu initiative. Kulanu, Hebrew for “all of us,” is a program through the ADL, dedicated to empowering congregations to address antisemitism and hate in their communities through education, community engagement, and advocacy.
As a Kulanu synagogue, we will learn how to have critical conversations about antisemitism and other forms of bigotry and cultivate the tools to fight them.
If you are interested in joining please email Laura Goodman, laura@templebethemet.org
What is Antisemitism?
Antisemitism can be defined as the marginalization and oppression of people who are Jewish or are perceived to be Jewish based on the belief in stereotypes and myths about Jewish people, Judaism and Israel.
Antisemitism Defined
Parallel to all systems of oppression, antisemitism manifests as the dehumanization or exploitation of, or discrimination or violence against, Jewish people based on stereotypes and disinformation. Central to antisemitism is the myth that Jews are to blame for society’s problems. Historical and contemporary depictions cast Jews as untrustworthy, disloyal, alien and greedy. Throughout history, the scapegoating of Jews and the dissemination of these stereotypes and myths have been used to create collective instability and insecurity in Jewish communities globally. To learn more about how these myths manifest today, visit ADL’s Antisemitism Uncovered
Characteristics of Antisemitism
Antisemitism shares with other forms of oppression certain characteristics such as discrimination and stereotyping. Antisemitism is an amalgamation of formal and informal policies and practices, and misguided beliefs used to justify the persecution of the Jewish people across time.
In recent history, American Jews have faced educational quotas, discrimination in the professional sphere, restriction from residential and recreational communities and continued acts of outright physical violence. To learn more about public attitudes and opinions about Jews across the world today, visit ADL’s Global 100: Index of Antisemitism.
How Antisemitism Manifests
Antisemitism manifests in many forms in our society and is consistently morphing to adapt to new circumstances. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes antisemitic incidents affect people who are not Jewish but are perceived to be Jewish by the perpetrator (e.g., a non-Jewish person is perceived to be Jewish and attacked while entering or leaving a JCC or a kosher grocery store).
To learn more about how antisemitism is manifesting in your community, visit ADL’s Tracker of Antisemitic Incidents and H.E.A.T. (Hate, Extremism, Antisemitism, Terrorism), which provides data on incidents across the United States.
Antisemitism & Democracy
Antisemitism is a major threat to our multiracial democracy and to civic engagement. For example, antisemitic conspiracy theories that claim Jews control the government and that Jews determine all policy sow fear and division in our society. Antisemitism thus weakens trust in our democratic institutions and our elected leadership, and therefore weakens democracy.
Democracy can only thrive if there is broad participation from an informed electorate making rational decisions on the basis of objective, quality information. Since antisemitism distorts reality by substituting conspiracy theories for verifiable fact, it undermines the rational thinking necessary to effectively govern, run a modern economy, or address the issues impacting the society.
About Incident Reporting
Why is it important to report antisemitic incidents to ADL?
Reporting is key to working together to make our communities safe for all.
- We can best address what we can measure. Making incident reporting a priority for you, your synagogue’s leadership and your congregants will help your community in the short and long term. When you report antisemitic incidents to ADL, we are better able to help communities across the country by encouraging appropriate allocation of resources, advocating for stronger protections from incidents and crimes and, perhaps most importantly, assisting targets of bias, bigotry and hate.
- Underreporting continues to be a challenge. In many communities, victims of bias crimes and antisemitic incidents – particularly those in marginalized communities – face significant barriers to reporting hate crimes. We know that there is significant underreporting of hate crimes by law enforcement agencies to the FBI, particularly in locations where doing so remains voluntary. In light of these trends, reporting incidents to ADL remains critically important, as it can help us understand where and how communities are being affected by antisemitism and hate.
- Elected officials and policymakers respond to data, and data drives policy. We use data to educate policymakers and community leaders regarding antisemitism and hate. When we can identify and quantify the effects of antisemitism, it makes it more probable that decision makers will respond with funding and policy initiatives to combat hate.
Guide to Reporting Antisemitic & Bias Incidents
ADL Kulanu Incident Guide
ADL Kulanu Incident Reporting Flyer
Visit the ADL website for more resources: https://www.adl.org