18 | JUNE 10 • 2021
A
bout 200 people united on a very
hot Sunday afternoon to show
solidarity against a rising tide of
antisemitism. The rally took place on June
6 on the west side of Orchard Lake Road
north of 14 Mile in West Bloomfield.
Representatives of a broad spectrum of
the Jewish community led a united front
against anti-Jewish bigotry and violence
that is on the rise as tensions increase in
the Middle East. Groups participating
were the Jewish Community Relations
Council/American Jewish Committee
(JCRC/AJC), the Zionist Organization of
America-Michigan Region (ZOA-MI),
ADL Michigan, Hadassah Greater Detroit
Chapter and the National Council of
Jewish Women-Michigan Region (NCJW-
MI).
“We stand together against antisem-
itism, and we stand together against
hatred,” said Rabbi Asher Lopatin, the
executive director of JCRC/AJC, noting
that although all the sponsoring groups do
not agree on many issues, they are united
in their desire to defend Jews.
“
All the groups here have passions for
Israel and so many other things that are
central to our lives.
“This rally is about stopping Jew hatred,
stopping antisemitism,” Lopatin said.
“Before the Holocaust, there was not
enough protest against antisemitism,” said
Kobi Erez, executive director of ZOA-MI.
“Jews were discriminated against. Their
stores were boycotted. They were attacked
in the streets. People, including some
Jews, thought it would pass if they just
stayed silent.
“In the face of hate, in the face of
antisemitism, the worst thing we can do is
stay silent. We are here. We are proud to
be Jewish. We are proud of our non-Jew-
ish allies who showed up to support us
today.
“We stand up against hate against of any
group, and we are standing up against hate
against the Jewish people,” Erez said.
ZOA-MI President Sheldon Freilich,
added, “Since the 1930s, we have not seen
this kind of hatred, Jews attacked on the
streets and graffiti defacing buildings. I’m
a child of Holocaust survivors, and I’m
scared of what’s going on in our United
States of America. As Americans, we need
to stand up and not accept this.
“Many antisemites today view Israel as
a reason to attack Jews. This is denounced
by the internationally accepted definition
of antisemitism.
“Write to congressional leaders,”
Freilich urged. “Write to the White House.
Write to the media. They need to take
action against antisemitism.”
‘ALL HATRED IS INTOLERABLE’
Seth Gould, president of JCRC/AJC, said,
“We stand together against antisemitism
and hatred of any kind — hatred against
Jews, hatred against Muslims, hatred
against Christians as well. On past occa-
sions, Jews have marched for Black lives.
We have marched and advocated against
Islamophobia. For Asian lives, this year.
All lives matter. All hatred is intolerable.
“It is not OK to violate a Jewish place of
worship or a Jewish-owned restaurant or
a person who wears a kippah or a Jewish
A community-wide rally urges action against hatred.
United Against
ANTISEMITISM
DAVID SACHS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
OUR COMMUNITY
LEFT TO RIGHT: ZOA-MI President Sheldon
Freilich expresses his Jewish pride. JCRC/
AJC President Seth Gould joins in singing
“The Star-Spangled Banner.” Amy Cutler,
president of NCJW-MI, thanks the attendees.