Let’s Talk About antisemitism

Over the past six months, the Federation has been working cross departmentally to roll out a multi-year and multi-pronged approach to addressing antisemitism locally. Spurred by the passion of several volunteer leaders and funded by a grant from the Shine A Light Foundation, the Federation hosted a PJ Library event this past December that welcomed 450 Jewish and non-

Jewish young children, and the adults who love them, to celebrate the festival of lights. This was the first in a series of programmatic efforts aimed at addressing antisemitism through raising visibility of the Jewish community, education, and celebrations of joyful Judaism.

This collaborative effort of the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Holocaust Resource Center and LiNK Jewish Buffalo has already led to concrete outcomes including a comprehensive website with information about addressing antisemitism which can be found at buffalojewishfederation.org/ addressing-antisemitism.

The hallmark of this year’s effort is a full day experience entitled, “Let’s Talk About antisemitism” on Sunday, May 7. This educational event is being planned with a wide range of audiences in mind and will focus on how to address and speak about antisemitism. One segment of the day is designed for parents on how to best deal with antisemitic incidents and experiences with their children; another will be for educators on how to teach their students to recognize and confront hateful ideology; one for teens on what tools they can use when they experience antisemitism within their schools; and lastly, a segment will focus on others who may be experiencing antisemitism in their workplace.

Rabbi Julia Appel will facilitate the day. She is an internationally known expert on antisemitism, and Senior Director of Innovation at The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. She has developed and led trainings to address antisemitism for a variety of settings, from universities to private educational organizations. Rabbi Appel's writing has been featured in the Forward, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Jewish News, and The Wisdom Daily. She holds a B.A. from Harvard University, and an M.A. in Jewish Studies and Rabbinic Ordination from Hebrew College. Rabbi Appel has been a congregational rabbi in Montreal, and from 2016-2020 was the Senior Jewish Educator and Campus Rabbi for Hillel at the University of Toronto.

The community is invited to attend from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. There will be a session for community educators from 1:15-3:00 p.m., and a teen program from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. This event is made possible through the generosity of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. There is no cost, but registration is required at bit.ly/LETSTALKABOUTANTISEMITISM.