It has been almost a year since the horrific attack inflicted on Israel October 7th, and the pain and terror of that day continues to weigh heavily on Israel and on many of us here in the US. The aftermath of the horror is still palpable, hostages are still being held captive, and the war is now impacting even more of the country, leaving many displaced from their homes. Many in our local Israel community have family members specifically affected and in harm’s way.
Community Shlicha, Ziv Shemesh, has arrived from Israel and in the coming weeks and months she will continue to meet community members, work with students and young people, and provide educational programs about Israel life and culture. She is working on our community October 7th commemoration service in which we will remember the victims, honor the heroes, and stand in solidarity with Israel. Please register to join us October 7 at 6:30pm for a commemorative experience followed by the formal program at 7pm:
JCRC Update:
- As the school year begins, so have issues related to antisemitism in schools. As was the case last year, some of these incidents are related to the fallout from October 7th. I continue to work with families experiencing these issues at both private and public schools.
- Jason Sparks, Michal Becker and I were invited by Dr. Battle to present to the MNPS Executive Leadership group about the Jewish community and issues facing Jewish families in MNPS schools.
- During the month of September, JCRC coordinated several community educations programs about Israel and antisemitism including David Siegel of ELNET, about the European relationship with Israel, and author Mickey Bergmen who presented on his book, Into the Shadows: The True Story of High Stakes Hostage Negotiations. Mr. Bergman was involved in some of the negotiations related to US citizens taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th.
- Oren Jacobson, Executive Director of Project Shema, presented several learning opportunities, including two different workshops, one for high school students and one for general community members, on developing skills to address antisemitism in personal, school and work settings. His skills workshop provides background on understanding contemporary antisemitism with an emphasis on how anti-Jewish ideas can emerge in discourse about Israel.
- I have been participating with a working group designed to explore what our State Legislators can do in sponsoring legislation to address antisemitism in our state.
- I continue to work closely with Metro Council members on efforts to address antisemitism in our city. There are currently four proposals on the third reading for consideration by the council and I will update the community on those efforts.
If you or someone you know experiences antisemitism locally, please submit our Antisemitism Reporting Form available on our website: www.jewishnashville.org/antisemitismreport
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