12 | OCTOBER 31 • 2024 J
N
T
his is a moment in time the
likes of which we’ve never
seen as a Jewish people,”
said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO
and National Director of the Anti-
Defamation League (ADL) at a
presentation titled “Antisemitism in
America: Never Again is Now.”
More than 800 audience
members at Temple Israel listened
raptly as Greenblatt described the
rising threat to Jews in this country
and what can be done to combat
the insidious epidemic.
Greenblatt began with a
staggering statistic to illustrate
the seriousness of this dangerous
scourge. Since the Oct. 7 terrorist
attacks on Israel, 10,000 antisemitic
incidents were reported nationwide,
the highest number recorded since
the ADL began collecting data.
And, because many incidents are
not reported, he believes the actual
number is even higher.
“We’ve faced the threat of
annihilation before, but now the
threat is global,” he said. “It’s not
just in Israel but in Dearborn, Ann
Arbor and Bloomfield.”
On the same night, 400 people
attended a special meeting of
the Bloomfield Township Board
of Trustees to address a board
member who referred to Israeli and
American Zionists as “scum” on
social media.
DISTURBING DATA
Although antisemitism has
skyrocketed since Oct. 7, it began
to rise steadily after the 2016
election, when reported incidents
increased 34%. By spring of 2017,
the number of acts against Jewish
people and institutions spiked
86%. In four of the last five years,
antisemitic attitudes in the U.S.
have more than doubled.
Greenblatt cited ADL
statistics showing a 900% rise in
antisemitism over the previous
decade. For the same time period,
incidents targeting Jews on college
campuses have escalated 477%.
He attributes this exponential
increase and resultant
normalization of antisemitism to
three main causes: the growing
polarization among people around
the world, the radicalization
of our intellectual/educational
institutions, and the continued
emboldening of extremist groups
and individuals. These societal
changes have contributed to the
normalization of antisemitism.
He believes social media
exacerbates the problem by
enabling fanatics to send hateful
messages and false information
while failing to adequately
monitor and remove harmful
posts. In addition, the danger is
compounded by sophisticated
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
technology that makes it difficult
to distinguish trickery from truth.
HEIGHTENED ANTI-ZIONISM
Greenblatt expressed concern that
anti-Zionism is also becoming
normalized, due in part to the
growing number of younger people
who disagree with Israel’s actions
and policies, especially since the
Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
“There doesn’t seem to be the
same sense of attachment to
Israel, that we’re (Israel and the
United States) intertwined,” he
said, adding the importance of
expressing compassion for the
innocent victims in Gaza when
talking to students and young
adults while maintaining moral
clarity. “While our hearts break
ADL CEO Jonathan
ADL CEO Jonathan
Greenblatt addresses
Greenblatt addresses
crowd at Temple Israel.
crowd at Temple Israel.
Update from
the ADL
RONELLE GRIER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
LEFT: Jonathan Greenblatt
updated the audience on the state
of antisemitism in America at a
program at Temple Israel.
PHOTOS: TEMPLE ISRAEL FACEBOOK
Nearly 800 people came to hear Greenblatt speak.