The Anti-Defamation League will for the first time hold a conference focusing on how liberal Jews should deal with anti-Semitism when it comes from within their own progressive ranks.
The idea for the upcoming “Finding Our Voice: The Conference for Progressives Constructively Addressing Anti-Semitism” came about when the ADL began to hear an increasing number of complaints from progressive, politically active Jews who felt alienated from their traditional allies. They either needed to disguise their Jewish identities to stay involved with social justice and civil rights groups, or they had to distance themselves from these activist causes, said Jonathan Bernstein, regional director of the ADL in San Francisco.
“Many are feeling forced to choose one or the other,” he said.
Bernstein said there’s been a rise in anti-Semitic acts and rhetoric in recent years. The new anti-Semitism is complex, he added, in that it comes from the left and is wrapped up in extreme criticism against Israel. This is different than in the past, when most anti-Semitism came from the political right — a group few Jews closely identified with, he said.
“Now, instead of being outside of our organizations, it’s inside organizations we’re a part of,” Bernstein said. “That makes it much more difficult for us to realize it’s happening.”
The daylong affair will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 at Jewish Community High School of the Bay in San Francisco. It is co-sponsored by the ADL and dozens of local Jewish organizations.
Anthony Julius, a renowned English lawyer and academic, will deliver the keynote address. Julius was Princess Diana’s lawyer when she divorced Prince Charles, and successfully defended writer and professor Deborah Lipstadt in a libel suit brought against her by Holocaust denier David Irving.
“It’s a good idea to help develop language that allows Jews to identify what is truly anti-Semitic and have the confidence to describe it as such,” Julius said during a telephone interview from England.
Rick Davis, a Marin community activist, said he’s excited to hear what Julius has to say, especially because it’s a topic he’s thought a lot about lately. Davis will lead a workshop about editorials and editorial cartoons.
“A lot of people are in denial about [the resurgence in anti-Semitism],” he said. “There’s a sensitivity in the Bay Area to these issues and a reluctance to acknowledge something’s wrong.”
Davis said anyone who doesn’t see a resurfacing of anti-Semitism should consider: Mel Gibson’s drunken rant, the recent Iranian Holocaust denier’s conference, doctored Reuters photographs of Beirut from last summer’s war, President Jimmy Carter’s new book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” and the hit movie “Borat.”
“I think what [Sacha Baron Cohen] is doing is amazing — he’s pointing to the issue and saying, ‘This is an issue.'”
Coordinators hope the conference will empower participants to deal with anti-Semitism wherever they encounter it. They say the Bay Area is ahead of the nation in terms of highlighting anti-Semitism in the progressive community and giving people the tools to deal with it in a healthy way.
“I hope this isn’t the end of the discussion,” Bernstein said. “I’m hoping this opens the communication channels enough to talk with about what’s going on and strategize about how to respond.”
Healing anti-Semitism with words
“Finding Our Voice” takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28 at Jewish Community High School of the Bay, 1835 Ellis St., S.F.
There will be four one-hour breakout sessions offering at least five choices during each time slot.
Workshops include: “Opposing the War While Opposing Anti-Semitism,” “Anti-Semitism on College Campuses,” “Human Rights Movements in Israel” and “Breaking Through the Myth of Jewish Whiteness.”
Cost is $45 for adults, $15 for students.
For more information, visit www.events/org/findingourvoice or call (415) 981-3500.