Resources – Organizations, Books & Museums

National Jewish Organizations

American Jewish Committee

“No Jew in the U.S. –or anywhere in the world—should feel unsafe expressing their Jewish identity…. Fear of antisemitism is affecting how too many American Jews conduct their daily lives.. whether they feel comfortable publicly identifying as Jewish.. whether they feel safe in their own country. For young Jews, the data paints an even more somber picture.”

— Ted Deutch, AJC Chief Executive Officer

Advocating for the Jewish people and Israel. Defending democratic values for all. With more than 30 offices worldwide, plus partnerships with 37 international Jewish community organizations, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) is making a difference on the issues that matter. The challenges facing the Jewish people are great. They demand a response from an organization with global reach and impact. 

AJC The State of Antisemitism in America 2023

Nine in ten American Jews believed that antisemitism is a problem in the United States. Eight in ten believe it has increased in the past five years. Jews’ concerns align with FBI data, which show increased levels of antisemitism in the United States.

AJC Leadership Program for High School Students

Today’s high school students are tomorrow’s Jewish leaders. Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT), AJC’s education and advocacy program for teens, empowers young Jews to speak up for Israel and the Jewish people.

LFT helps high school students develop a strong Jewish identity and trains them as advocates for Israel and to be voices against antisemitism. LFT gives students the tools to talk about the issues impacting world Jewry today and the confidence to stand up for these issues in college and throughout their lives, no matter how difficult the situation.

AJC’s Translate Hate Glossary can be downloaded online – visit.ajc.org

Anti-Defamation League

In 1985, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) launched a “World of Difference” campaign to be the leading provider of anti-bias education in North America. These resources have been used by schools, universities, corporations, law enforcement agencies, and community organizations.

Here are some basics from the ADL:

What is the difference between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism?

Anti-Zionism is the opposition to Israel as a Jewish state. When criticism of Israel makes use of anti-Semitic stereotypes, blames all Jews for the actions of that country’s government, or uses coded terms like “Zionist” to describe a Jewish person in general, criticism crosses the line into being anti-Zionist.

Is Holocaust denial a form of anti-Semitism?

Holocaust denial is a type of antisemitic propaganda that emerged after World War II and uses pseudo-history to deny the reality of the systematic mass murder of six million Jews by the Nazis and their allies during World War II. Holocaust deniers generally claim that the Holocaust never happened, or that a much smaller number of Jews died but primarily due to diseases like typhus. They also claim that legitimate accounts of the Holocaust are merely propaganda or lies generated by Jews for their own benefit.

“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”

—Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice (of blessed memory)

BBYO

BBYO (formerly B’nai B’rith Youth Organization) is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement, aspiring to involve more Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences. As expressed in its core values, BBYO welcomes Jewish teens of any background, denominational affiliation, gender, race, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status, including those with a range of intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities.

With a network of hundreds of chapters across North America and in 60 countries around the world, BBYO reaches nearly 70,000 teens annually and serves as the Jewish community’s largest and most valuable platform for delivering fun, meaningful, and affordable experiences that inspire a lasting connection to the Jewish people. 

HIAS

HIAS (formerly the Hebrew International Aid Society) provides legal and social services to immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from all over the world. Its slogan is “Welcome the stranger—protect the refugee.”

Israel Forever Foundation

The Israel Forever Foundation is an engagement organization that develops and promotes experiential learning opportunities to celebrate and strengthen the personal connection to Israel as an integral part of Jewish life and identity.

JDC

The JDC (formerly American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) has been a leading Jewish humanitarian organization since 1914.

Jewish Community Public Affairs

Jewish Community Public Affairs (JCPA) is committed to bringing together the organized Jewish community. It brings together Jewish Community Relations Councils and 16 national Jewish organizations to tackle pressing issues of the day, build consensus, and work in common cause with diverse partners in the public square.

Inspired by Jewish values of human dignity and equal justice under the law and an abiding commitment to vibrant and secure Jewish communities here, Israel and throughout the world, JCPA convenes and catalyzes its network to work with public officials and build deep relations and engage in advocacy coalitions based on shared goals with other civic, racial, ethnic and faith-based leaders and communities.

JCPA has been the organized national Jewish community’s convener, intergroup connector, and policy advocate since 1944. Their motto is: educate, advocate, and mobilize.

Jewish World Watch

Jewish World Watch is an expression of Judaism in action, bringing help and healing to survivors of mass atrocities around the globe and seeking to inspire people of all faiths and cultures to join the ongoing fight against genocide.

Simon Wiesenthal Center

The Simon Wiesenthal Center confronts antisemitism and hate, promotes human dignity, defends democracy and freedom, and teaches the lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.

A report written and prepared by its research department through its Digital Terrorism & Hate project, Holocaust Denial and Distortion on Social Media, highlights the rise of Holocaust distortion and denial online. It demonstrates how memes and jokes about the Holocaust are commonplace on social media, with many of them popular with young people, leading to the proliferation of antisemitism and bias online.

Union for Reform Judaism

Amid an alarming rise in antisemitic rhetoric and violence, the Union for Reform Judaism has joined with the ADL in the creation of a multifaceted partnership.

Volunteers for Israel

On your next trip to Israel, consider a few days of giving back and volunteering. Volunteers for Israel adult programs, offered year-round, give an insider’s view of Israel. You will work alongside soldiers, base employees, and other volunteers on an Israel Defense Forces base, performing noncombat civilian support duties such as packing medical supplies, repairing machinery and equipment, building fortifications, and painting and maintaining the base. Lynne’s cousin Barbara did this with her husband; they really enjoyed their experience.

Other organizations

A Tip for Searching for Websites 

Instead of asking you to type in long links, search the words below:

  • “Talking to your kids about antisemitism”
  • “How to talk to your kids about antisemitism”

CALL, the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line, will be staffed by a team of volunteer lawyers and overseen by Hillel International, the Anti-Defamation League, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Students, parents, faculty members and staff can report an incident online or by texting “CALLhelp” to 51555.

Books

  • Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards. This book offers practical guidance to early childhood educators (including parents) for confronting and eliminating barriers of prejudice, misinformation, and bias.
  • Antisemitism: Here and Now by Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
  • Changing the World from the Inside Out—A Jewish Approach to Personal and Social Change by David Jaffe
  • The Empathy Advantage: Coaching Children to be Kind, Respectful, and Successful by Lynne Azarchi with Larry Hanover. Visit empathyadvantagebook.com.
  • Empowering Bystanders in Bullying Prevention by Stan Davis with Julia Davis
  • Fighting Contemporary Antisemitism: From High School Textbooks to the Halls of the Capitol by Rose Clubok
  • I Am Jewish: Personal Reflections Inspired by the Last Words of Daniel Pearl by Ruth Pearl
  • Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People by Ben M. Freeman
  • The Oys and Joys of Parenting by Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D. Elias is a professor in the Psychology Department at Rutgers University, director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, and co-director of the Academy for Social and Emotional Learning in Schools.
  • Youth Voice Project: Student Insights into Bullying and Peer Mistreatment by Stan Davis and Charisse L. Nixon
  • Heroes with Chutzpah by Rabbi Kerry Olitsky heroeswithchutzpah.com/

Museums

An extraordinary exhibition for children aged 9 and up telling the remarkable story of the rescue of the Danish Jews during the Holocaust. Themes of separation, bravery and resilience.

DON’T FORGET THE PITZALAHS

Free preschool and early elementary books, newsletters and resources, please visit pjlibrary.org (Courtesy of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and local Jewish Federations)

U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism

In May 2023, the White House and other organizations developed tools and resources for schools and universities to implement the U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. One of the National Strategy’s objectives is to create a coaching guide for parents and teachers.