JCRC ASSEMBLY OF ORGANIZATIONS RESPOND TO RISE IN ANTISEMITISM

Published January 15, 2020

We, the undersigned member organizations of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) Assembly, stand united to voice our collective outrage at the alarming rise of antisemitism in Europe and now in the United States.  Since the horrifying attack at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, hundreds of antisemitic incidents and assaults have marked an escalation of hatred against the American Jewish community.

In many communities, antisemitic acts and violence have become the new normal. This cannot and will not be tolerated.

Our Assembly stands together as united Jewish organizations and rabbis in the Palm Beaches. We call for all people in the Jewish and greater communities to join together and reject this surge of hatred in our society.

We will not hide, we will not live in fear and we will not accept this as a new reality.

Combating antisemitism locally and globally is a key priority for all us. Through the generosity, leadership and volunteerism of community members, collectively we:

• Advocate for elected officials to actively speak out against antisemitism, prosecute those who engage in antisemitic acts, and provide funding that supports and protects the Jewish community
• Monitor antisemitic incidents, respond to it and call it out, whenever and by whomever
• Provide safety and security resources to protect Jewish institutions and events
• Ensure high school and college students assert their right to safely participate in campus life as Jews and Zionists
• Protect and defend Israel against anti-Zionism and BDS movements, which gain currency among antisemites
• Educate and inform about the consequences and lessons of the Holocaust
• Create opportunities for children, teens and adults of all ages to strengthen their Jewish identity
• Connect the next generation to the people and state of Israel
• Bring our community together to proudly celebrate Jewish life, holidays and values
• Ensure the continuation of Jewish traditions and teachings
• Create connections in our broader community by leading efforts that benefit all faiths and reflect the core Jewish value of Tikkun Olam (“repair the world”).

This is what we, the undersigned Jewish organizations, are doing. But we cannot fight antisemitism alone.  An attack on Jews is an attack on the very fabric of the United States as a free, pluralistic society.  We call on all Americans, regardless of religion, race or creed, to stand together with the Jewish community in the realization that this is a threat to all and an attack on the soul of our nation.

Together with our friends and united as one Jewish family, we stand firm as we continue to work towards a safe and compassionate 2020.

Signed,

American Jewish Committee (AJC) Palm Beach
ADL – Florida Region
CAMERA: Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America – Florida and Midwest
Chabad Jewish Center of Jupiter
Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service (JFS) and Melvin J. & Claire Levine Jewish Residential & Family Service (JRFS)
Hadassah Florida Atlantic
Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach
inSIGHT Through Education
Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County
Jewish Women’s Foundation (JWF) of the Greater Palm Beaches
Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Palm Beach Section
Palm Beach Synagogue
StandWithUs Southeast
Temple B’nai Jacob
Temple Beth El
Temple Beth Kodesh
Temple Beth Tikvah
Temple Beth Torah
Temple Emanu-El
Temple Israel
Temple Judea
Temple Shaarei Shalom
Zioness South Florida