F

rom Oct. 21-22, Dr. Rachel 
Fish of Brandeis University 
will be in Metro Detroit for a 
series of community-wide programs 
titled “Confronting Jew-Hatred in 
the 21st Century: What Do We Do 
About It?”
Fish has devoted over 20 years to 
combating antisemitism. 
She is a co-founder of 
Boundless, a nonprofit 
think-action tank part-
nering with community 
leaders across North 
America to revitalize 
Israel education and take 
bold collective action to combat 
Jew-hatred.
On Oct. 21, she’ll be participat-
ing in a two-part event hosted by 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek (CSZ) 
in Southfield. 
The first part is a free pizza din-
ner and discussion with high school 
and college students, where Fish 
will provide tools and confidence 
to better prepare them for the Jew-
hatred they will face on campuses. 
Interested Jewish and non-Jewish 
students are welcome.
Immediately following that is a 
“Community Conversation with 
Dr. Fish” at 7:30 p.m. Students and 
parents are encouraged to stay. 
Rabbi Yoni Dahlen will engage in a 
conversation with Fish followed by 
Q&A and informal dessert in the 
sukkah.
The conversation will delve into: 
• The ways in which Jew-hatred 
manifests in today’s America 

• Internal Jewish conversations that 
need to be happening for educating 
children about antisemitism 
• The places where Jew-hatred and 
Israel intersect 
• Much more about the challenges 
and opportunities in this moment in 
the American Jewish experience.
Register for the Shaarey Zedek 
events at tinyurl.com/4nvc35a2.
Both events, at no cost, are being 
sponsored by the Kathleen Allessio 
Brown and Dr. Richard Martin 
Brown Educational Fund from 
Shaarey Zedek. 

FEDERATION EVENT
The free Oct. 22 event, sponsored 
by the Jewish Federation of Detroit, 
will see Fish meet with local edu-
cators and clergy, and address the 
importance of enhancing the educa-
tion needed to combat Jew-hatred. 
This program will explore what 
educators need to be thinking about 
when they teach about antisemitism 
and Israel, issues that have emerged 
in classrooms, and sharing parent 
positions and concerns. Educators 
will have the opportunity to ask 
serious questions regarding how to 
teach these subjects. 
Resource links will be shared to 
help educators and religious leaders 
tailor their approach more effec-
tively to their school’s framework, 
which could be crucial in lessening 
the Jew-hatred evident today. After 
registration at jlive.app/events/9153, 
the location will be provided 72 
hours before the event. 

PROVIDING A ‘TOOLBOX’
Rabbi Yoni Dahlen hopes Fish’s 
appearance at CSZ can help students 
and their parents prepare for college 
in an age where being Jewish on 
campus and narratives on campuses 
look different than ever before. 
“A lot of people are good at pre-
senting anecdotes; she’s good at 
presenting the actual facts on the 
ground,” Dahlen says about Fish. 
The rabbi wants the CSZ events 
to be “a toolbox for everyone in our 
community to be able to feel like 
they have the information, the num-
bers, all of the things that are going 
to be able to help them have import-
ant conversations.”
Federation’s David Kurzmann 
describes the Federation-sponsored 
event on Oct. 22 as a workshop for 
educators. 
Kurzmann says they’re intention-
ally reaching out to educational pro-
fessionals, administrators and educa-
tors beyond the Jewish community, 
especially in places where these dif-
ficult issues are not being adequately 
addressed, such as in public schools. 
“We think if we can offer more 

resources and tools for educators who 
may not have training in how to address 
these issues with their students, it can 
be a better educational experience for 
all,
” Kurzmann says. 
“This is a long-term investment, 
and some of this is overdue, frankly, 

in terms of developing better infra-
structure and capacity to educate 
our students.”

EMPOWERING JEWS
Fish has many hopes for these events 
and the people they’re intended for. 
“My hope for the educators and 
clergy is that they have the ability 
to articulate clearly what Jew-
hatred is, and why this is not just a 
Jewish problem, but a problem for 
all American citizens, and some-
thing all American citizens have the 
responsibility to confront and com-
bat and not ignore and minimize,” 
she said. 
“Also, I want community members 
to feel empowered as individuals, 
parents, educators and leaders in 
the community, to have real moral 
clarity on the issues and to exem-
plify and model moral courage for 
a generation of Americans who are 
desperately looking for voices to 
clearly express and articulate what 
Jew-hatred is and be unabashedly 
willing to confront it.” 

Dr. Rachel Fish will be visiting Detroit 
for three community-wide events.

Confronting 
Jew-Hatred in the 
21st Century

DANNY SCHWARTZ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

OUR COMMUNITY

18 | OCTOBER 17 • 2024 J
N

Register for the CSZ events 
at tinyurl.com/4nvc35a2. 
Register for the Federation 
event at jlive.app/events/9153.

Dr. Rachel 
Fish

