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Shine A Light

The Savannah Jewish Federation along with dozens of communities throughout the country are a part of the national “Shine A Light” campaign which asks people to become aware of antisemitism and take action to fight it in all its forms.

  • Antisemitism is on the rise. It is used to justify stereotyping and violence against Jewish people:
  • 57.5% of all religiously-motivated hate crimes in 2020 were against Jews, who make up just 2% of the U.S. population. [AJC, FBI];
  • One in every four American Jews has been exposed to antisemitism over the past year. [AJC, 10/21];
  • 58% of targets of an antisemitic remark or post in the past year did not report it. [AJC, 10/21];
  • One in every three Jewish students on a college campus experienced antisemitism in the past year [ADL, 10/21], and;
  • Nearly 2 out of 3 openly Jewish students felt unsafe on campus this semester. [Brandeis Center, 10/21]

Just some of the places that antisemitism is a part of our everyday lives:

▪ Language: Kike, Jew you down, bloodsuckers [“Jew”]
▪ Hate speech: Kill the Jews, Jews will not replace us
▪ Violence: Attacks on people and communities
▪ Industry stereotypes: Finance, media, lawyers, Hollywood
▪ Israel: Denial of Israel’s right to exist
▪ Tropes: Blood libel, Jews have horns, killed Jesus
 
Antisemitism has existed throughout history and it typically tracks with broader patterns of discrimination, progressions of violence and the fraying of democracy (Does this sound eerily familiar?).
 
Whether it be serial hatred (people who hate Jews rarely hate only Jews), Jew-blaming (in times of instability, Jews are often assigned blame or responsibility), or political unrest (antisemitic symbols and code words have been used for seemingly unrelated political purposes-Charlottesville, Capitol riots), antisemitism roars to the forefront.
 
Be aware.  Very few people are paying attention to antisemitism and it’s growing and is dangerous.

Take action. Just as you reject any other kind of hate, reject antisemitism!  You can do this by speaking up to send a message that antisemitism won’t be tolerated in our community whether it be in the workplace, school(s) online, or in your everyday lives. 

You can read more about the Shine A Light initiative by clicking here.  The Savannah Jewish Federation will be sharing more information and programs over the coming weeks.

In the days leading up to and during Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, it’s time to Shine A Light on antisemitism and fight it in all its forms.

Shabbat Shalom