An insiders’ briefing, The New Anti-Semitism: Why Here, Why Now? And What It Means for America and its Jews with Dr. Steven Windmueller, Dean Emeritus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, was held for the regional Executive Committee, ADL Second Century Campaign and other longtime, loyal ADL supporters October 24 at the ADL office.
ADL Regional Director Amanda Susskind began the meeting by speaking about the upcoming one-year commemoration of Tree of Life attack in Pittsburgh. For ADL, it is a time to remember and mourn, but also a time for action. She encouraged everyone to honor those lost by joining ADL in the fight against hate. One way is to visit ADL’s website, 11 Actions for 11 Lives, and take action to honor the 11 lives lost in the 2018 shooting.
ADL National Commissioner and Los Angeles Region Executive committee member Nancy Parris Moskowitz gave a heartfelt pitch for people to make planned gifts as she recently did, taking advantage of the ADL Legacy Challenge. Letting ADL know now that a gift to ADL has been included in your will or trust or by beneficiary designation, will activate an immediate donation to the annual campaign of our local region – 10% of the future gift’s value, up to $25,000 – in their name.
In his remarks, Dr. Windmueller examined core assumptions that defined the Jewish Community’s understanding of anti-Semitic behavior and suggested that the community needs to develop new strategies going forward to “defeat” anti-Semitism. He spoke about how our current communal discourse is imperiled by the political divide that exists both within and beyond the Jewish community. He pointed out that whenever the Jewish community is fractured, its political and social well-being is fraught with danger. Therefore, we need to dedicate ourselves to finding “the common ground” and to turn our anger and divisiveness into constructive engagement.
A lively question and answer session with Susskind and Windmueller rounded out the formal part of the program.