Today’s suggested actions:

• Sign our action alert asking your elected officials to support increased funding to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to keep Jewish and other community institutions safe, and to fully fund critical security assistance for Israel in its fight to destroy Hamas.
• Meet with your elected officials face-to-face to communicate the urgency of these measures. Refer to these talking points for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and for aid for Israel.
• Report an antisemitic incident in your community via the Secure Community Network (SCN) Duty Desk.
• Encourage your companies to join #ShineALight as a workplace partner to dispel the darkness of rising antisemitism.
• Read and share the story of 25-year-old Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot. Described as a patriot who loved his country and united everybody around him, Gal strove for excellence in every area of his life. During his regular military service as a combat medic in an elite unit, he treated injured Syrian civilians along Israel’s northern border. His dreams of becoming a doctor and healing the sick were cut short last Thursday during fighting with Hamas terrorists, when a bomb exploded in a tunnel shaft near his position.

Issue:
An uptick of antisemitic incidents continue to plague our communities following the Hamas massacres of October 7th.

Background:

• Last Thursday, a man of Iraqi descent named Mufid Fawaz Alkhadar was arrested after he fired a shotgun in the parking lot of Temple Israel in Albany. According to responding officers, the shooter made the statement “Free Palestine” when he was taken into custody. Jewish Federation of Northeastern NY issued a statement in response to the incident, urging community members not to “succumb to fear and intimidation” and to “remain proud of our Jewish heritage and traditions.”
• Last week, multiple Jewish facilities in Minnesota and the New York City metro area were targets of shooting or bomb threats in a series of swatting incidents.
• Multiple incidents have been reported of vandalized menorahs outside synagogues or other Jewish institutions.
• On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the increase in hate crimes since October 7th, saying in reference to the Jewish community, “When you look at a group that makes up 2.4%, roughly, of the American population, it should be jarring to everyone that that same population accounts for something like 60% of all religious-based hate crimes, and so they need our help.”
• After his 41-minute long address on antisemitism from the Senate floor last month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) requested $1 billion in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in order to protect Jewish and other faith-based communities as hate crimes are rising, representing a drastic increase from the current funding level of $305 million.
• An ADL poll found that antisemitic incidents increased by 316% in the month following the Hamas massacres, compared to the same time period last year. Since October 7th, 70% of Jewish people say they feel less safe than before the war started, according to a Jewish Federations poll.

Community Spotlight

Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass hosted a public Chanukah lighting with the governor and other civic leaders yesterday evening, in celebration of the holiday and to bring attention to rising antisemitism. Speaking at the event, the Federation’s Executive Director Mindy Haas said, “We should denounce all forms of antisemitism and hatred, pushing those who express such sentiments to the fringes of our society. When we come together, America will be a safer place not only for the Jews, but for everyone.”


Submit a community initiative here that you would like to highlight for our system.

Additional Resources

Click here to access Jewish Federations’ toolkit on the War in Israel, which links to the Community Mobilization Resource Hub to help you speak up for Israel.

Click here for guidance on responding to canceled Chanukah lightings in your community over the war in Israel.

The Community Mobilization Center is monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to Israel’s war against Hamas. The Community Mobilization Center will rapidly disseminate resources to help mobilize and support our local communities as they build and sustain civic and political support for Israel in this conflict. The work of the Community Mobilization Center will continue as long as it takes Israel to eradicate the terrorist threat and restore security to the country.

The Community Mobilization Center is at your service. Click here to send us an email.

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