JUNE 10 • 2021 | 17

they were screen-capturing 
private conversations and shar-
ing them externally on social 
media. Lograsso-Gaitens said 
the infographic does not repre-
sent the views of MI Core and 
has since been removed. 
Nancy Harf, who has been a 
longtime volunteer and fund-
raiser in the Jewish community, 
said she was troubled that 
many of the small businesses 
in Detroit she likes to patron-
ize came out in support of 
Palestinians without looking at 
the issue with nuance or bal-
ance. In the coming weeks, she 
hopes to make local business 
owners thinking about sup-
porting BDS understand that 
by doing so, they will be sup-
porting Hamas, recognized by 
the United States as a terrorist 
organization. 
“This is antisemitic, fright-
ening and hurtful to the Jewish 
community, and it scares me 
to see how quickly this has 
taken off,
” Harf said. “I think 
what needs to happen is instead 
of the back-and-forth yelling 
online, we have to visit busi-
nesses with information with a 
personal approach and educate 
them, and let them know that 
calling for a boycott of Israel is 
very hurtful language to their 
Jewish clients.
”

REACHING OUT 
TO NEIGHBORS
Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director 
of Detroit’s Jewish Community 

Relations Council/AJC, said 
he has had encouraging meet-
ings with faith leaders who are 
standing in solidarity with their 
Jewish neighbors and are plan-
ning a rally to stop all forms of 
racial and religious hatred in 
the near future. 
The Coalition for Black and 
Jewish Unity, for which Lopatin 
serves as convener, came out 
with a strongly worded state-
ment supporting Israel’s right to 
exist and defend itself “against 
terror organization Hamas, 
which seeks the total destruc-
tion of Israel” and an end to the 
loss of the lives of both Israelis 
and Palestinians. (See last week’s 
JN.)
“We hope that (the upcoming 
anti-hate rally) leads to more of 
a dialogue and learning about 
Israel,
” Lopatin said. “This is not 
about a war between Israel and 
the Palestinian people; it is a 
war between Israel and a terror-
ist organization. When people 
say Free Gaza, I say, ‘Yes, free 
Gaza from Hamas.
” 
Kobi Erez, executive director 
of the Zionist Organization 
of America-Michigan, said 
that in the past it was easier to 
visibly stand up for Israel and 
that there always have been 
undercurrents of antisemitism 
domestically and globally. The 
ZOA blames the silence in the 
media as well as political lead-
ers and fear of “cancel culture” 
for not taking a stronger stand 
against hatred geared toward 

Jews and Israel. 
“Everyone is afraid of being 
canceled,
” Erez said. “What’s 
particularly disheartening is the 
silence among Jewish leaders. 
I chalk this up to them feeling 
torn between the social justice 
groups that they typically sup-
port and their support for Israel. 
The ‘woke’ culture is against 
Israel so, sadly, the Jewish lead-
ership is afraid to speak up for 
it.
” 
To train others on how to 
counter hatred toward Jews and 
Israel, ZOA will be holding a 
virtual educational panel on the 
topic and will also stage a live 
rally later this summer. Details 
for both will be posted on the 
organization’s website at mizoa.
org. 
Erez advises against Jews 
trying to counter-protest at the 
many planned pro-Palestinian 
rallies happening in Dearborn 
and across the region. 
“Though it is our right and 
often our responsibility to 
counter an unfair anti-Israel 
rally, at this time, we cannot, in 
good conscience, put anyone’s 
life at risk,
” Erez said. “Jews 
are being assaulted all over the 
world right now. Hate crimes 
against Jews in London were 
up 500% (according to the 
nonprofit Community Service 
Trust). This is serious and, 
while it pains me to say it, we 
will not be organizing a counter 
rally.
”
Miles Eichenhorn, 22, of 

West Bloomfield said he was 
alarmed at the social discourse 
and distorted and inaccu-
rate information about Jews, 
Zionism and Israel in the 
form of memes 
and infographics 
appearing on his 
social media feeds. 
In a heartfelt 
Instagram video 
post, he expressed 
his feelings not 
to sway people 
one way or another about their 
opinions on the most current 
conflict, but instead to be 
very careful and to think and 
research things before people 
hastily share them on social 
media. 
“Jews, who have our own 
conflicted feelings about the 
conflict, don’t owe others a pref-
aced opinion nor should we be 
asked to condemn something 
before you respect us as human 
beings,” said Eichenhorn, a 
senior at New York University.
“It is not wrong to want to 
wish for an improvement in 
the lives of Palestinians and 
recognize that the actions of 
the Israeli government may be 
wrong. But the idea that you 
saw a post that delegitimizes or 
demonizes the Jewish connec-
tion to the Land of Israel — you 
don’t know the source of that 
post, you have not done your 
own research on the history and 
you share it widely as fact, this 
is inappropriate.
” 

Miles 
Eichenhorn

governments that support 
Hamas. 
“StandWithUs immediate-
ly mobilized our ‘Situation 
Room,’ which is based at 
our education center in 
Jerusalem,” Rothstein said. 
“Volunteers work around the 
clock with our social media 
team to counter misinforma-
tion propagated by anti-Israel 
groups as well as mistakes in 

media reports. The Situation 
Room contains fact sheets, 
including important infor-
mation about the contested 
Sheikh Jarrah Jerusalem 
neighborhood and Hamas, 
as well as informative videos 
and briefings.”
Rothstein added that 
SWU’s college campus and 
high school directors are 
empowering students with 

techniques on how to engage 
in difficult conversations with 
peers and family members. 
They are holding workshops 
on a variety of issues, includ-
ing responding to the anti- 
Israel rhetoric and antisemi-
tism encountered online and 
at school.
To report a hate crime, 
either one witnessed or expe-
rienced online or live, contact 

the ADL. It takes minutes 
to fill out an online anony-
mous complaint at www.adl.
org. With data collected, the 
ADL states it has been able 
to help communities across 
the country by reporting on 
trends, educating lawmakers 
and law enforcement, and 
advocating for stronger pro-
tections from incidents and 
crimes. 

