“I think I experienced antisemitism today.”
This is not something I expected to hear when I asked my fifth-grader how his school day was.
My son went on to say that his classmates began asking each other what religion they followed. When my son shared that he is Jewish, he was met with disgust from one classmate. “Eww,” the student frowned, “You’re a Jew?”
As a mom, I was shocked and devastated for my child, but as the director of the Anti-Defamation League of Nevada, this unfortunately did not surprise me. Once again, I was faced with the pervasiveness of antisemitism.
It’s in our schools, in the halls of Congress and on the nightly news. We hear it on the far right with QAnon’s antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish elites. It comes from our own Capitol — not just from insurrectionists but from members of Congress, particularly with the recent flood of elected officials’ comparisons between the Holocaust and vaccine and mask mandates.
Antisemitism knows no partisan boundaries. We also see it on the far left with fierce anti-Zionism and anti-Israel rhetoric that turns anti-Semitic with the promotion of boycotts and condemning the support of defense measures like the Iron Dome. The Jewish community is being attacked on the streets and held responsible for the actions of a country in which they do not live.
Antisemitism comes from elected officials who camouflage themselves as patriots and from those who camouflage themselves as civil rights advocates.
And last week, my son experienced it on an elementary school playground. Worse, he is not alone.
Reports are emerging on a regular basis of students around the state experiencing hate in school. There are days when experiences like this exhaust me to my core. I’m bombarded with statistics like the fact that while Jews make up only 2% of the population, they are victim to nearly 60% of religious hate crimes in the United States. Or that 59% of American Jews feel more fearful than they did a decade ago, and 49% are afraid of a violent attack.
My son’s experience has only further galvanized the need to continue the fight against hatred, antisemitism and bigotry of all kinds.
This year, ADL Nevada placed big bets and rolled out a statewide digital anti-Semitism prevention course for high school students known as Building Insights to Navigate Antisemitism & Hate (BINAH).
This effort was a priority for us because at ADL, we know that one of the best antidotes to hate and bigotry is education.
Binah, the Hebrew word for understanding, is critical in changing how our society looks at, engages with and builds upon a foundation of acceptance and respect.
BINAH is designed to empower Nevada students to better address antisemitism when they see it and to serve as informed allies who can speak up when they see hate of all kinds.
While education is a proactive step in preventing hate, the fight against bigotry requires a multipronged approach. One of the most important ways to combat antisemitism is to stand together and advocate as one community — regardless of our politics. For this reason, we are so proud of and grateful for our experience this year in creating Nevada Against Antisemitism.
This coalition of advocates, announced in September, brings together leaders from across Nevada and leaders within the state’s Jewish community including ADL, Israeli-American Civic Action Network, Jewish Nevada and IAC united along with over 250 other leaders and organizations (and counting), such as the NAACP of Nevada, to combat antisemitism. These signees commit to learn about the Jewish people and antisemitism, condemn acts of antisemitism, advocate for policy to prevent and combat hate, and urge the government to fund initiatives to fight antisemitism.
With the same clarion call of unity in mind, ADL Nevada recently hosted our fifth annual Walk Against Hate at the Las Vegas Ballpark. Hundreds of people representing multiple communities joined to take over a million steps against hate.
All proceeds from the walk benefit ADL’s award-winning anti-bias education programs, which are becoming increasingly needed with the rise of antisemitism, racism and bigotry. In fact, recent studies show that a majority of young Americans lack even the most basic facts about the Holocaust.
By combining our three-step approach of education, advocacy and community, we can confidently call out antisemitism on both sides of the aisle. Combating hatred is and must continue to be a bipartisan effort to have the greatest impact. In uniting these community leaders and organizations — and by ensuring fair, representative education — we can take a sweeping approach to combating hatred with one strong voice of condemnation that also pushes for meaningful action and progress.
And maybe one day, my son will come home with a story of a student who stood up for him when others balked at his faith.
Jolie Brislin is the regional director of ADL Nevada.