Our community’s collective fight against antisemitism can feel overwhelming these days. From antisemitic tropes being spouted by national figures in music, sports and politics to incidents on our area college campuses and in our communities, it seems virtually impossible to escape antisemitism in 2022.
Our work to stand up against antisemitism and hate is a year-round priority for the Baltimore Jewish Council and The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore. Speaking out. Advocating. Educating. Partnering with allies in other communities against hate.
As we conclude 2022 and approach the holiday of Chanukah, we will emphasize our work by participating in the second annual Shine a Light on Antisemitism campaign. Through community programs, policy announcements, public communications and education, we will join with Jewish communities across the nation to come together to call out and combat antisemitism.
The surge in antisemitism, both here in Maryland and across the nation, has been well documented.
The Anti-Defamation League’s annual audit of antisemitism incidents found that antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the United States in 2021, with a total of 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism.
Within the category of hate crimes motivated by a religious bias, the FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics report found that nearly 60 percent of such crimes target Jews — even though Jews represent just two percent of the American population.
The statistics compiled by the Maryland State Police of incidents in our state show similar trends.
While we would prefer to spend the Chanukah holiday focused solely on the joys of family and the celebration of the Miracle of Lights, these statistics — and the stories we hear from across our community — make it more critical than ever that we talk about antisemitism and what we are doing to combat it.
Here’s just a sampling of some of what we have done in the last month or so in our collective work against antisemitism and hate:
