Perspective: ExtremismWith anti-Semitism on the Rise Again, There Are Steps Everyone Can Take to Counter It

Keeping track of all the attacks against American Jews these days is just about impossible unless it’s your full-time job. Jamie Levine Daniel, Jodi Benenson, and Rachel Fyall write in The Conversation:

We are professors who teach public administration, a field that prepares students for government and nonprofit jobs. We have all worked in the public and nonprofit sectors, and we also are all Jewish.

We never hid our religious identity before, but we also did not highlight it in our classrooms – until now.

All of us believe we have a responsibility to train our students to work with diverse staff and serve diverse communities. After the mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018 - the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history - and other alarming acts, we sought resources to help us address this tragedy. More broadly, we wanted to better equip our students to address anti-Semitism.

Since we could not find the specific books or scholarly articles in our field that we needed to teach our students to understand anti-Semitism, we wrote our own article that appeared in the Journal of Public Affairs Education, an academic publication.

After discussing the definition of anti-Semitism and the toll both overt and covert anti-Semitism inflicts on its targets, the three professors write:

As we work to train government and nonprofit leaders to address issues like anti-Semitism, we also have identified four simple steps that anyone can take to counter it.

First, before you schedule events, you can check your calendars for the Jewish holidays. This is especially relevant in September and October, and in the springtime. These practices should also encompass holidays other religious minorities celebrate, such as Ramadan for Muslims and Diwali for Hindus.

Second, do not presume that the Jewish person, or anyone else belonging to a minority group, in your workplace will speak up to stave off a schedule conflict related to their holidays. Being a good ally means not placing the burden on them to constantly raise the issue.

Third, when an anti-Semitic incident makes headlines, reach out to your Jewish co-workers, and other people in your circles. Let them know you see them, acknowledge their pain and are thinking of them.

Finally, try to engage in efforts to combat anti-Semitism in your community. This could mean getting involved with your local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League or similar groups. It can also entail participating in interfaith alliances, such as the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council .

The feedback we have gotten in response to our academic article suggests that it’s already helping public and nonprofit leaders learn to talk about anti-Semitism in particular, and inclusion and social equity issues in general. However, we believe that everyone has a responsibility to do something about this problem.