Justice

Jews are a tiny percentage of the population, but receive an outsize proportion of hate due to the disease that is antisemitism. Here are a few things you can do to fight back.

Use the Association of Jewish Libraries' solidarity logo above on your social media to show that you are an ally, and to encourage people to read Jewish books to learn about the Jewish community.

Share The Book of Life Podcast for children's books, Nice Jewish Books for adult fiction, and other Jewish podcasts with your friends, including (especially) your gentile friends.

Read and share the Association of Jewish Libraries' statement on antisemitism of December 31, 2019, and AJL's Statement on the Recent Rise in Worldwide Antisemitism of June 1, 2021. Additional statements of support have come from the White House on May 28, 2021 and from SCBWI on June 11, 2021. On December 22, 2022 School Library Journal published a helpful article, "Old Hate, Renewed Response: Resources to curb antisemitism in school, in person, and online."

Read and share the extensive US National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, released May 2023.

Use the booklet "Evaluating Jewish Representation in Children's Literature: A Guide for Libraries" to make sure that the Jewish kidlit on your shelves avoids misrepresentation and antisemitism.

Read and share the Love Your Neighbor lists of Jewish children's books recommended for ALL readers, to counteract hate. For even more titles, check out The Book of Life's Field Guide to Jewish Kidlit.

Read and share children's and YA books from The Book of Life's Antisemitism Bibliography to gain more understanding of the history of this prejudice, and listen to the September 2022 interview with Sarah Darer Littman about Some Kind of Hate.

Listen to the episode "Remembrance" on the Kidlit These Days podcast, in which Matthew Winner interviews Susan Kusel about best practices for teaching children about the Holocaust.

Refer to this list of Antisemitic Stereotypes & Tropes to recognize antisemitism when you encounter it. Thanks to Liza Wiemer and her team for compiling this useful document.

Read and share People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn and listen to the companion podcast Adventures with Dead Jews.

Read and share Jews Don't Count: How Identity Politics Failed One Particular Identity by David Baddiel

Sign and share this petition, Book Community Statement of Solidarity Against Antisemitism.

Implement any of the ideas on this handout from Words to Action, Anti-Semitism: 90 Ways You Can Respond

Read this Tool Kit for Confronting Antisemitism from the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum (scroll down to find the antisemitism toolkit; it's one among many)

If you see something, say something. Report antisemitic or other hate incidents to the Anti-Defamation League.

Reclaim the word "Jew." Don't allow antisemites to attach negative connotations to the word. Read Mark Oppenheimer's opinion piece in the New York Times, Reclaiming 'Jew'

Support the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, and if you are a Jewish or Muslim woman, become a member. Check out their Guide to Responding to Islamophobia and Antisemitism.

For more in-depth resources on teaching students to fight hatred and bigotry, check out Facing History and Ourselves.

Watch Tiffany Shlain's 10-minute video The Making of a Mensch for inspiration, share it with others to showcase the beauty of Jewish values, and check out Tiffany's website for other terrific films about our common humanity at Let It Ripple.

Watch and share this 1-hour webinar "Fighting Antisemitism Using Children's Literature" led by Jewish Canadian middle grade authors Joanne Levy (Book of Life guest October 2020, February 2022) & Tziporah Cohen (Book of Life guest August 2020), and be sure to check out their excellent handout. 

Watch and share another 1-hour webinar "AJL Presents: Stronger Together: Combating Antisemitism Through Positive Jewish Role Models in Kidlit" led by picture book authors Nancy Churnin (Book of Life guest October 2019), Chana Stiefel, and young adult author Liza Wiemer. They also have an excellent handout.

Read and share this poster from  the American Library Association 2022 conference poster session, "A Place for Us: Working Towards Collaborative Inclusion in Librarianship."

Here is a list of top-rated Jewish charities to which you can donate, taken from CharityWatch's 11/29/21 post "Happy Hanukkah! Best Charities to Donate to This Holiday Season."

The following charities receive Top-Rated status from CharityWatch as of 11/29/2021. For the most up-to-date ratings of charities in this category, please visit CharityWatch's Top-Rated Charities page or our complete list of Jewish & Israel charities.

American Jewish Committee - Its mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. WEBSITE

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee - Its mission is to serve the needs of Jews throughout the world, particularly where their lives as Jews are threatened or made more difficult. WEBSITE

American Jewish World Service - Its mission is to work to realize human rights and to end poverty in the developing world, inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice. WEBSITE

Anti-Defamation League & Foundation - Its mission iS to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. WEBSITE

Bend the Arc - A Jewish Partnership for Justice - Its mission is to deeply engage Jews in sustained action that manifests a tradition of working to heal and repair the world, and to create a powerful and widely recognized Jewish voice championing equality and justice for disenfranchised residents of our nation. WEBSITE

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces - Its mission is to offer educational, cultural, recreational, social services, programs, and facilities that provide hope, purpose, and life-changing support for the soldiers that protect Israel and Jews worldwide. WEBSITE

Hadassah - Its mission is to enhance the health and lives of people in Israel, the U.S., and worldwide through education, advocacy, and youth development, and through its support of medical care and research at Hadassah Medical Organization. WEBSITE

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger - Its mission is to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. WEBSITE

New Israel Fund - Its mission is to strengthen Israel's democracy and promote freedom, justice, and equality for all of Israel's citizens. WEBSITE

Simon Wiesenthal Center - Its mission is to confront anti-semitism and hate, promote human dignity, defend democracy and freedom, and teach the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations. WEBSITE

Please leave your comments below with your suggestions for additional ways to fight antisemitism.