Dear Friends,
It grieves us that we are, yet again, in a position to condemn an act of hate committed against the Jewish community.
We are horrified by the recent terror attack in Boulder, where peaceful demonstrators advocating for the release of hostages were targeted with violence. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the Boulder community.
This latest assault follows the tragic antisemitic murders of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington, DC, underscoring a deeply troubling rise in hate-fueled violence targeting the Jewish community. We condemn these hate crimes unequivocally and remain unwavering in our commitment to confront violence and hatred in our community.
These incidents didn’t occur in a vacuum. This violent extremism underscores the impact of dangerous rhetoric and propaganda when it’s allowed to go unchecked. Hate has been normalized. And this should be completely unacceptable in our society.
As we know all too well, the normalization of hate towards one marginalized group allows for the normalization of hate towards all marginalized people. We will not stand by and watch as hate rises.
A Call to Action
Addressing this wave of domestic terror attacks aimed at the Jewish community must be the highest priority for local, statewide and national officials, as well as the media. The following are some of the steps the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans (JFGNO) and ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) are taking in response:
- Law Enforcement Town Hall: Jewish community leaders from the Greater New Orleans area, Northern Louisiana and Baton Rouge will be invited to meet with Law Enforcement Officials for a roundtable conversation discussing the security needs of the Jewish community (both physical institutions and during events).
- Proactive Support: In partnership with Jimmy Stewart, Federation’s Community Director, and the folks at Secure Community Network (SCN), we will be facilitating a virtual community-wide Situational Awareness Training later this month. More to come once a date is secured.
- Tepper Grant: Last year we awarded $100,000 to early education agencies for security. An additional $100,000 has been secured and will be distributed.
- Security for High Profile Events: Private security detail will be hired when appropriate for publicized community events. Please continue to ensure that Jimmy Stewart, Security Community Director, is aware of all Jewish communal gatherings – formal or informal – so he can assist organizations as needed.
We also encourage individuals to respond with the following calls to action:
- Demand Our Elected Leaders Act to Prevent Attacks on the Jewish Community When Jewish families scan for exits at every synagogue service, when college students are scared to wear their Stars of David necklaces on campus, when young children ask why people hate them for being Jewish — America is failing its promise. Join us in demanding elected officials across the country take immediate action to protect Jewish communities from violence and hate.
- Read and share this resource from ADL.
As always, we stand together, strengthened in our resolve.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Robert French
CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans
Lindsay Baach Friedmann
Regional Director, ADL South Central