A recent survey conducted by the Jewish Federations of North America found that antisemitism has become such a significant problem that nearly half of American Jews (46 percent) are changing their behavior due to fear. They’re avoiding certain places, events, or situations out of concern for their safety or comfort, and they’re not posting material online that would identify them as Jewish.
Yet in the face of this hatred, our Greater MetroWest Jewish community seems to be strengthening our resolve. We have noticed a significant uptick in attendance at all our Federation events – in just the past few weeks we sold out a Women’s Philanthropy program with Noa Tishby, filled the room for our Yom HaZikaron commemoration, sold out our Yom Ha’Atzmaut Block Party, and have a record number of community members signed up to participate in the Israel Day Parade with us in NYC this Sunday.
Clearly, we the Jews of Greater MetroWest NJ are not shying away. In fact, we’re standing stronger and prouder than ever! People are reaching out to join, to be together, and to feel safe, in ways and numbers that we haven’t seen before October 7. And we hope you see Federation at the center, offering solutions and ways to come together in solidarity.
Federation is fighting antisemitism by sharing a message of unity throughout the entire Greater MetroWest area using mass media and social media. You Are Not Alone is the theme of our major marketing campaign to reach the entire Greater MetroWest geographic area through dynamic advertising. Federation’s billboards are posted over local highways and at area train stations, digital displays in malls, social media, print, and digital ads, and streaming audio ads via Sirius XM stations — check it out below:
Hopefully you’ve seen or heard these messages and they’ve sparked in you a new level of community connectivity. Our hope is that we will reach all those in the community who may feel alone – who haven’t yet discovered the strength we can feel when we support one another.
We could really use your help in spreading the word! Please share this Instagram story on your own feed and send this link to at least one group chat asking them to share. If we each tell two friends, and they both tell two friends, the entire Jewish community will hear loud and clear that we’re in this together!
Federation is fighting antisemitism by providing our community members – young and old – with the knowledge and tools they need to confidently claim their Jewish pride. We’ve brought knowledgeable and compelling speakers like Noa Tishy, Jonathan Kessler, Kara Wilson, Blake Flayton, and representatives from Rutgers University, and more to help us better understand and navigate these trying times.
Federation is fighting antisemitism by finding new and compelling ways to share the stories of Holocaust survivors and teach the lessons of the Shoah to both Jewish and non-Jewish schoolchildren, teachers, administrators, and others. We recently launched our ground-breaking Storyfiles, producing 3-D interactive videos of two of our local survivors and making them available to any organization that wants to teach the lessons of the Holocaust through primary sources.
Federation is fighting antisemitism by training our area synagogues and other Jewish organizations in how to ensure that our buildings and all those who enter them are safe and secure. In the 2023 grant cycle, we helped our partners secure more than $4 million in Federal and state funding to harden our infrastructure and train people to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. It is a testament to our security team that so many people feel safe attending all this important programming.
Federation is fighting antisemitism by forging relationships with other faith leaders, elected officials, and school administrators to strengthen our shared commitment to civil society. You will read in a few weeks a conversation about all the ways we are working to develop our interfaith bonds and fight all kinds of hate as a unified force.
Want to do more? Join us, show up, speak out, learn more, donate. Click here to see three ways to take action right now!