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In an opinion article recently featured in the East Bay Times and the San Jose Mercury News, Senior Fellow Noam Schimmel discusses how anti-Jewish hate crimes have become more evident and particularly disturbing as they have grown violent. He then offers suggestions for showing solidarity with the Jewish community at this time.
While specifically describing the Bay Area, Noam, a lecturer in international and area studies at UC Berkeley, points out that there have been attacks on both Jewish facilities and individuals. Additionally, hate speech online has increased dramatically and many Jewish students are faced with Antisemitism.
Noam concluded by encouraging the readers to express solidarity, as it would “be of meaningful and real assistance to Jewish people everywhere and [would] be met with our appreciation and a sense of hope.”
The article is publicly available online in East Bay Times and San Jose Mercury News.
Earlier in 2021, Noam reflected on these issues in two pieces of his writing: an opinion piece published by the San Diego Union Tribune and the letter he wrote for the Boston Globe.
“We are experiencing escalating attacks on our bodies, our freedoms, our ability to gather in community, our identity and our heritage,” Noam explained in the San Diego Union Tribune commentary. Despite this, Noam reported there was often a lack of solidarity with and support for Jewish people.
On a similar note, in the letter published in the Boston Globe, Noam pointed out there had been far too much silence and indifference. Therefore, there is a strong need for social justice initiatives to be inclusive of Jews, Noam wrote.