Philadelphia, PA, October 15, 2024 — In response to the unprecedented surge of antisemitism in the U.S. since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has launched a Center to Combat Antisemitism. This new center will be led by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and focus its efforts on combating antisemitism in Greater Philadelphia through education, litigation, legislation, allyship, and community mobilization. 

The Center’s focus areas include enhancing public awareness of antisemitism and equipping individuals with tools to address it, advocating for justice and protecting rights in cases of antisemitic incidents, advocating for policies to safeguard Jewish communities, building solidarity and promoting mutual understanding through allyship, and convening the local community in the collective fight against antisemitism. 

Pennsylvania currently ranks sixth in the nation for total reported antisemitic events (394) and the fifth for reported harassment incidents in 2023, as reported by the ADL. 

“Through the establishment of the Center to Combat Antisemitism, the Jewish Federation is increasing our capacity to meet the escalating crisis of rising antisemitism through a focused and systematized response,” said Jason Holtzman, Director of the JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. “To effectively address antisemitism, we need to engage all sectors of society to combat the pervasive nature of this hate.” 

Looking ahead, the Center plans to conduct antisemitism awareness training sessions for school faculty, establish a forum for community members to share resources and ideas to counter misinformation, organize an annual symposium on antisemitism, provide rapid legal support by developing a resource database offering legal advice and assistance on antisemitism-related cases, and organize advocacy trips and missions with interfaith leaders to deepen dialogue and connection.

About the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Since 1901, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has served as the hub of the region’s Jewish communities, providing an infrastructure of support for Jewish people and organizations in need. Through grants, emergency funding, restricted gifts, endowments, and our partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools, we invest each fiscal year to care for those in need, combat antisemitism and global crisis, and strengthen Jewish identity. For more information, please visit: https://jewishphilly.org/.