Action Against Antisemitism at Darchei Noam

A congregational working group is forming to help our community respond to rising antisemitism. We are exploring programming to:

• Help congregants recognize, document and report incidents of antisemitism and bias

• Strengthen Jewish identity through cultural and educational initiatives

• Build strategic partnerships with interfaith, civic and government organizations to advocate for our community’s interests

More than 30 congregants responded to our call-to-action and we have already met twice. Our first concrete action was to create a resource guide that brings together information from a range of websites and organizations dedicated to addressing antisemitism. Contents are organized alphabetically and indexed to help readers:

• Understand the issues

• Learn how to respond to experiences of antisemitism

• Understand rights and available legal protections

• Explore government and educational institution policies

• Connect with community organizations and support services

Please use this link to get to the resource guide.

The working group has identified many additional potential initiatives. In a future issue of Ma Chadash we will invite congregants to help prioritize these ideas through a community survey. Your feedback will help guide our next steps and ensure that our efforts reflect the interests and needs of our membership.

In the meantime, we are looking for DN members who would be interested in helping shape and advance this work. If you would like to get involved, please contact Shelley Laskin at laskinstanding@sympatico.ca. We would be grateful to build this effort together.

As we noted in an earlier issue of Ma Chadash, the Board has already taken an important step by joining the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA), a national coalition working through advocacy, legal education and community action. We urge all DN members to sign up for ALCCA’s news and action alerts through the ALCCA website.