…we remember what happens when evil spreads and becomes the norm. We also affirm “Never Again” and that memory is tied to commitment and action to prevent the kind of horror represented by the Holocaust from repeating itself.
 
It is hard to witness the events playing out today – in attacks on Israel, on college campuses, on social media – and to not get chills. 
Not everything we see and find scary is antisemitism. There are voices expressing real concern about human life and the price of violence. But, far too often these days, the voices coming to the fore are those that pick a side to favor – or, perhaps more accurately and often, to disfavor…i.e., Jews. 

There is no balance or fairness or appreciation of complexity or recognition that those that began this tragedy on October 7 are out for the destruction of a Jewish state, regardless of innocents killed on both sides – and they would do it again. 

To hear college students (and their agitators) cry “From the River to the Sea” and call for the elimination of one homeland in favor of another – which never actually existed, even if one believes it should – highlights the dangers of mob mentality and raises questions about what one is actually taught in schools these days. 

Sadly, schools and universities themselves seem to have lost sight of their purpose and value. Rutgers, the state’s flagship university, has caved into the demands of this mob and agreed, among other things, that Israel is committing genocide. You can learn more about the agreement here: https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/rutgers-administration-agrees-to-eight-demands-put-forth-by-encampment-protests/

This cheapens the meaning of genocide, enabling one people or group to demean, disenfranchise, and “cancel” another. 

This is why the Jewish community has championed the rights and well-being of other groups in society – and precisely why we must stand up for ourselves at this time. We are committed to fighting injustice, not just for ourselves, but because what happens to us reflects and signals future directions for other groups as well.

Our Jewish Federation is committed to countering hate in Ocean County and around the world. We are steadfast in our support for the legitimacy of Israel and the importance of its fight against those who would cancel the world’s only Jewish state. And we believe in the value of our small, particular people and the important role we have to play in the world. 

We are stronger when we stand together. We applaud the hundreds who turned out last night for our community’s Yom HaShoah program. And we thank all of you for your ongoing support and partnership.

B’shalom,

Keith Krivitzky, Managing Director



What you can do to Make a Difference RIGHT NOW:

  • Send letters to the leaders of the NJ State Senate and Assembly and local legislators calling for an investigation into the dangerous agreement to end the protests at Rutgers: https://votervoice.net/JFNJ/campaigns/115325/respond
  • Send letters to the leadership of Rutgers calling on them to disavow the agreement or resign: https://votervoice.net/JFNJ/campaigns/115324/respond
  • Send letters to our state representatives to support legislation on antisemitism up for a vote on May 16: https://www.votervoice.net/JFNJ/Campaigns/113728/Respond
  • If you are interested in visiting Trenton on May 16, the NJ State Senate is considering two bills to adopt the internationally recognized International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and deny state funds to organizations that don’t comply with that definition – including Rutgers.
 
Statehouse Annex in Trenton, 131-137 W State St, Trenton, NJ.
 
Can’t join us in Trenton? Here’s how you can take action:

1.     Call Senate State Government Committee Chairman Senator James 
Beach or email your support for IHRA at (856) 429-1572 or 
senbeach@njleg.org and let his office know you’re calling to support 
Senate Bills 1292 and 2397. It takes less than one minute.
2.     Contact your state senators by clicking here. You are allowed to click once per day.

What You Need to Know:

NJ Senate Bill 1292 will accomplish the following:

  • Create a clear definition of antisemitism in New Jersey based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition.
  • Call on the State of New Jersey to use this definition of antisemitism to determine whether an alleged act was motivated by antisemitism.
  • Call on the Office of the Attorney General to establish a public funded awareness campaign that promotes bias crime reporting in New Jersey.

NJ Senate Bill S2937 will accomplish the following:

  • Require definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia be included in New Jersey’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and belonging policies, and any such policy for recipients of state’s funds.