Progressive American Rabbis Welcome White House Strategy on Fighting Antisemitism

NEW YORK – In response to the release of the Biden Administration’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization representing over 2,300 rabbis and cantors, welcomed the document. The organization acknowledged the plan as an important step toward eradicating identity-based hate.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:

“T’ruah welcomes this historic national-level plan to fight antisemitism, which demonstrates the commitment of the administration to confronting this serious threat. We appreciate that the strategy was developed after careful consultation with many stakeholders, including T’ruah rabbis and staff.

“The strategy acknowledges that the fight against antisemitism is inextricably linked to the larger fight against white nationalism, violent extremism, rising authoritarianism, and hate in all its forms. Jews must work in coalition with other communities to fight bigotry.

“We are also glad to see the administration recognizes there are multiple definitions of antisemitism and focuses primarily on actions to counter antisemitism, rather than focusing on definitions. Definitions alone do not solve the problem of antisemitism. Codifying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism – or any group’s definition – would have been a hindrance to protecting free speech and actual efforts to respond to antisemitic attacks. We are glad the Biden Administration heard this concern.”

“Documents, plans, and strategies alone will not solve antisemitism, but this action signals that top policy officials are listening to impacted communities and taking steps to protect the dignity of all. We look forward to continuing to work with the White House to fight antisemitism and other forms of bigotry, so people of all backgrounds can live without fear.”

T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.

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"Love your neighbor as yourself."

-Leviticus 19:18

T'ruah is committed to standing against antisemitism in all its manifestations. As antisemitic incidents increase at an alarming rate, rabbis and cantors are often on the front lines, facing antisemitic flyering, graffiti, and vandalism; harassment and threats; and in some cases, violence. Those who wear identifiably Jewish clothing have become targets for antisemitic attacks, and the result is that Jews are increasingly concerned for their safety on the street and in the synagogue.

Education

Our approach to combatting antisemitism begins with education. It is increasingly clear that there are widespread misperceptions about antisemitism, and even about Jews and Judaism. Even among Jews, not everyone agrees on what constitutes antisemitism. Our educational resources and trainings aim to fill that gap, so that both Jews and non-Jews feel confident they can identify, name, and effectively respond to antisemitic incidents.

Fighting antisemitism in public and private

There is no one-size-fits-all response to antisemitism. While public officials must be called out for antisemitic speech, T'ruah also works privately within our coalitions and partnerships to address antisemitism — and other forms of bigotry — through conversation and education.

Valid criticism of Israel or antisemitism?

Our expertise includes defining the sometimes muddy boundary between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, which we explore in depth in our A Very Brief Guide to Antisemitism. While it is certainly true that not all criticism of Israel is antisemitic — we criticize Israel's policies every day — it is also true that criticism of Israel can sometimes devolve into antisemitism. That said, we refuse to allow fear of antisemitism to lead us to become xenophobic or closed-off. Our approach to addressing antisemitism is deeper and broader relationships with other groups that have been marginalized, striving together towards collective liberation.

Our work includes:

Creating educational resources for rabbis and cantors and for the public, such as our A Very Brief Guide to Antisemitism, so that Jews and non-Jews have the tools they need to better understand and recognize antisemitism when it happens.
Delivering staff-led trainings in antisemitism for Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, as well as to elected officials.
Developing a training in "Bystander Intervention to Stop Antisemitism" with Right To Be, so that ordinary people know how to intervene if they witness antisemitic harassment or violence. More than 700 people have completed this training.
Advocating for sound policies that combat antisemitism and against policies that equate fighting antisemitism with suppressing criticism of Israel — policies that only make it harder to identify and stop actual antisemitism. For more on this topic, read about our campaign for Free Speech and the Right to Boycott.
Supporting our rabbis and cantors as they encounter antisemitism in the course of their work, including through Communities of Practice, one-on-one coaching, and by creating opportunities to gain support from others in our network who have experienced similar incidents.

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"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence. Only an emergency can justify repression. Such must be the rule if authority is to be reconciled with freedom."

-Justice Louis Brandeis

T'ruah is committed to fighting against concerted efforts to suppress free speech in the United States, including the right to boycott. Currently, about 35 states have passed or enacted laws or executive orders targeting boycotts of Israel and/or West Bank settlements. T’ruah does not endorse or participate in the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement; at the same time, we maintain committed to our country’s bedrock principle of free speech, including the right to economic boycott. These anti-boycott laws are often passed under the guise of fighting antisemitism, but criticism of Israel — including in the form of a targeted boycott — is not inherently antisemitic. [For more on this, read our Very Brief Guide to Antisemitism.] Anti-BDS laws set a dangerous precedent. Lawmakers in several states have already begun proposing and passing copycat laws restricting the state from doing business with companies that ‘discriminate’ against firearms or ammunition manufacturers or fossil fuel companies. The threat of these laws is only growing, and we are sounding the alarm.

Our work includes:

T’ruah opposes legislation that seeks to prohibit the boycott of Israel and/or settlements. T’ruah – together with J Street and other partners in the Progressive Israel Network – has filed amicus briefs in cases in Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas, in which we affirm that boycotts must remain a protected form of free speech for all of us, and not be restricted by political whims, even when we personally or collectively disagree with the motivations behind those boycotts.
In 2023, T’ruah will release a new resource for the general public laying out the harms of anti-BDS legislation. This brief guide will provide clarity around a contentious and confusing issue. We hope it will help Jewish clergy, elected officials, students, and everyone else in our community engage in critical conversations about our constitutional freedoms and efforts to limit free speech in the United States.
We educate and empower rabbis and cantors to oppose legislation that seeks to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism into domestic law or policy. The core IHRA definition itself is not problematic. However, the full definition includes a series of contemporary examples of antisemitism that wrongly equate what may be legitimate expressions of free speech with antisemitism — with real consequences for Palestinian rights activists, educators, human rights organizations, and others — while making it harder to fight actual antisemitism.As an organization committed to holding Israel accountable for its human rights abuses as well as to stopping antisemitism wherever it occurs, the codification of IHRA and the spread of anti-BDS laws directly endanger our work and that of our partners.

Partners

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Democracy and Voting Rights