OUR COMMUNITY

16 | OCTOBER 21 • 2021 

DAVID SACHS

E

arlier this month, Gil 
Ofarim, a Jewish singer 
and musician, says he 
was stopped from checking in 
at a hotel in eastern Germany 
because he was sporting a Star 
of David pendant around his 
neck. He took to social media 
and there was an outpouring 
of support for him, including 
a protest outside the Westin 
Hotel in Leipzig. 
A new U.S. Department 
of Justice report released 
in September 2021 showed 
that from 2015 to 2019, 
59% of violent hate crime 
victimizations reported by 
victims were motivated by bias 
against their race, ethnicity 
and national origin. 
According to Rabbi Asher 
Lopatin, executive director 
of the Jewish 
Community 
Relations Council/
American Jewish 
Committee, fears 
about identifying 
as Jewish (such as 
wearing religious 
symbols), shying 
away from supporting Israel 
because of bullying behavior 
on social media or elsewhere, 
and nervousness about 
attending synagogue or other 
Jewish events, are all too 
common realities for Jews and 
other minorities.
Lopatin will be one of the 
panelists at “Fall Focus 2021 
— Hate Is Hate: We Are All 

at Risk. What Can We Do 
Together?” a free, virtual 
program offered by National 
Council of Jewish Women, 
Michigan (NCJW|MI) on 
Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.
Mina Feldman, who is 
co-chairing Fall Focus 2021 
with Stephanie Keywell, 
said that the program was 
prompted by the ever-present 
threat of racist talk, even 
violence, in recent years, and 
the need to give community 
members from a variety of 
minority groups some tools 
to feel empowered in dealing 
with threats. 
“We want our audience to 
come away with the feeling 
that they are not victims, but 
instead are inspired to take 
action and do something about 
this form of prejudice,” said 
Feldman.

PANEL OF EXPERTS
Fall Focus 2021 offers the 
perspective from four panelists 
who will discuss the effects of 
hate-motivated behavior on 
their communities and will 
provide constructive ways on 
working together to empower 
communities to fight back. 
Alongside Lopatin, 
other panelists 
will include 
Michigan State 
Sen. Stephanie 
Chang (District 
1); Professor Saeed 
Khan, senior 

lecturer in the Departments of 
Near East and Asian Studies 
and Global Studies, Wayne 
State University; and Shirley 
Stancato, principal at SRS 
Advisory Services Member 
LLC, and a member of the 
Wayne State University Board 
of Governors.
Lopatin said there was a 
disconnect between people 
who believe that they are 
“good people” who are not 
racist and the expressions they 
might use in relation to Jews, 
Muslims or other minorities. 
“They might use antisemitic 
tropes or Islamophobic tropes, 
without truly thinking about 
what they are saying. We can’t 
be afraid to call this racism 
out,” he said. 
Lopatin added that where 
the Jewish community was 
concerned, there was a blurred 
line between anti-Israel 
rhetoric and antisemitism and 
that the prejudice was coming 
from both sides, right and left. 
“We are being hit by a wave of 
right-wing conspiracy theories; 
but on college campuses, 
in particular, students are 
attacked by the left-wing 
activists who are against Israel,” 
he said. 
His advice for students is 

to report any uncomfortable 
encounter to Hillel staff, a 
dorm’s RA (resident adviser) 
or any other adviser. If an 
encounter is antisemitic, 
Islamophobic or racist and feels 
like hate speech, reach out to 
the AJC or ADL and report it.
In March 2021, 
Sen. Stephanie 
Chang, the first 
Asian American 
woman elected 
to the Michigan 
State Senate, 
was a sponsor of 
Senate Resolution 
30, a resolution to condemn 
hate crimes, hateful rhetoric 
and hateful acts against 
Asian Americans and to 
encourage Michiganders to 
report hate crimes to the 
proper authorities. She is 
passionate about protecting 
her community and other 
minorities and says that many 
statistics show hate crimes 
against Jewish, Asian, Muslim 
and Black Americans, as well 
as LGBTQ individuals, are on 
the rise.
“It is important for 
community members to speak 
up and not stay silent. Hate 
crimes and discrimination 
are never OK. Perpetrators 

At a June community-wide rally against antisemitism: 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.

DAVID SACHS

NCJW|MI to gather expert panel 
for free community event on how 
to combat antisemitic and racist 
speech and hate crimes.

Hate Is Hate

ALISON SCHWARTZ SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Saeed 
Khan

Rabbi 
Asher 
Lopatin

Sen. 
Stephanie 
Chang

