I can clearly recall the February day a few years ago when a KKK chapter announced it would be hosting a rally in Dayton, Ohio. At the time, I was Dayton’s JCRC director, and suffice to say, Klan rallies were not a regular occurrence for which our city was prepared. However, the “event” was slated for May 25, which meant we had time to plan—so plan we did. Collaborating with partners of diverse backgrounds, we got the community ready. Doing so took considerable energy, but it helped: we got through the rally largely without incident.
As a community organizer, I can personally attest to the protean nature of local antisemitism response. In Cincinnati’s community of ~35,000 Jews, we’ve had two instances of antisemitism that garnered international attention in just the last few months. And, although it’s impossible to be fully ready for such dramatic acts of hate, proper preparation can help.
Sadly, I think our community can confidently expect some trouble coming our way—and it’s time to prepare.
Precedent warns that antisemitism dependably rises at three times: 1) When Israel is in the news; 2) around Jewish holidays; and 3) during election season. Soon, we will likely experience the trifecta, and I worry that many of us are unequipped for what will be a very tough fall.
In the AJC’s 2023 State of Antisemitism in America report, data identified that 94% of American Jews believe antisemitism now is either “a very serious problem” or “somewhat of a problem” in the United States. Granted, this came shortly after October 7; however, there’s no reason to think that antisemitism is about to go away. This is all the more true in light of comments like those of September 19, wherein a major party’s presidential candidate said that Jews would bear blame if he were to lose his election.
One thing we can do to brace ourselves is to learn more about antisemitism. We can explore the phenomenon, focus on a few forms of antisemitic rhetoric we’ll hear as the November election nears, and—as it were—we can “familiarize ourselves with the location of the emergency exits.” In becoming equipped with this knowledge, we can steel ourselves to identify, call out, and rebut the hate that might otherwise soon overwhelm us.
In a series of short pieces, which will run weekly on Tuesdays leading up to election day, I’ll focus on a few top priorities. I’ll explain seven historical varieties of antisemitism and give examples of how they manifest today. I’ll identify which types of antisemitism I think are most likely to appear in election-season rhetoric. Perhaps most importantly, I’ll give five different suggestions for how we can all get involved in advocating for our community.
A note of hope at the start of this exercise: We are not alone in the fight. Per that same AJC report, 92% of Americans agreed with the statement “antisemitism affects society as a whole; everyone is responsible for combating it.” That doesn’t mean that we have no problems—we do. However, if we use the right strategy, I don’t doubt that we can effectively push back against the coming storm of hate.
