Submitted by the JCRC
On Thursday, May 25th, the White House released a comprehensive, “whole of society” strategy for combatting antisemitism, with a live stream launch featuring President Biden’s outgoing chief domestic policy adviser Susan Rice and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff.
The strategy comes as antisemitic incidents and crime continue to rise at unprecedented rates, including an alarming 20% increase in antisemitic hate crimes and 36% increase in overall antisemitic incidents in 2022 alone. It also arrives as Jewish American Heritage Month draws to a close.
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) has been a local leader in combatting antisemitism, with ongoing efforts in each of the four pillars the White House has outlined in its plan.
Most recently, JCRC has joined the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign led by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, creating our own yards signs, magnets, and stickers for members of the community to show they are an Ally Against Antisemitism. JCRC was a key partner with AJC Cincinnati to lobby Cincinnati City Council to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, a resolution that passed in a unanimous vote in March. In April, JCRC joined with the Holocaust & Humanity Center and AJC Cincinnati for a half-hour special on antisemitism, produced by WLWT News 5 as part of their Let’s Talk Cincy series. This all comes in the wake of antisemitic flyering in multiple Cincinnati communities and several antisemitic incidents at local schools and universities within the last year. More details on how JCRC has been combatting antisemitism will be shared on June 13 at their 2023 Annual Meeting: Working Across Differences.
“JCRC applauds the White House for crafting a broad plan to address rising antisemitism that embraces many of our policy priorities, including increased funding for nonprofit security that helps houses of worship protect themselves, full funding for the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, and ensuring quality Holocaust education. We look forward to working with the administration to move these initiatives forward in our community,” said Rabbi Ari Ballaban, JCRC Director.
