Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, Comes to Charlotte to Kick Off Federation's "Outshine Hate" Initiative

Charlotte Jewish News May 2022

On April 7, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte launched its Outshine Hate initiative with guest speaker, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of Anti-Defamation League (ADL). At the event, which was held at Temple Israel and broadcast virtually, Greenblatt warned that antisemitism is gathering momentum in the United State and offered a powerful perspective on how we, as individuals, as organizations, and as a society, can strike back against hate. “It is not too late to stem the tide,” said Greenblatt, “If we all muster the strength right now to stand up and say, ‘never again,’ there’s a good chance that we can turn the tide. The stakes are too high for anything less.”

Our local community was forced to confront this rising tide as the number of antisemitic incidents reported to the Federation office more than tripled in 2021. Nationally, we continue to see proof that antisemitism, which has been called the “oldest hatred,” continues to rear its ugly head and evolve in new ways. According to ADL’s Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, 2019 and 2020 were, respectively, the highest and third-highest years on record for cases of harassment, vandalism, and assault against Jews in the United States since tracking began in 1979. Even more upsetting, a recent American Jewish Committee report found that four in 10 American Jews have changed their behavior out of fear of antisemitism.

As an organization committed to creating, sustaining, and safeguarding a flourishing and vibrant Jewish community, Federation witnesses firsthand how this uptick in antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred impacts the local Charlotte Jewish community. This is why Federation is launching Outshine Hate.

The Outshine Hate initiative was conceived as a multi-year strategic approach to identify and confront the rise of antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred on a community-wide level. “Federation recognizes that there is an unmet need in the Charlotte Jewish community for support, education, and training”, shares

Tair Giudice, chief impact officer at the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, “and we believe that Federation is uniquely positioned to address these gaps, focusing on key audiences like educators, students, parents, and our community’s next generation.”

Together with our partner agencies, Federation will address the challenge by organizing and executing new programming and training in five core focus areas: institutional and communal change, educator training and professional development, community education, security, and Israel travel and exchanges.

Feature photo caption: Jonathan Greenblatt speaks to an April 7 audience to help kick off Federation’s Outshine Hate initiative.