By Stephanie Goodling
HAKOL Editor

With antisemitism on the rise and the Arab-Israeli conflict in the news, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is partnering with other organizations to bring two separate seminars addressing antisemitism to the community this fall.

On Oct. 17 at 12 p.m., middle and high school teens are invited to join “Antisemitism or Not?” This program will be facilitated by Karen Stiller, Middle East project director at the JCRC of San Francisco, which is co-sponsoring the event with the Community Relations Council of the Lehigh Valley. Students will learn to identify what constitutes an antisemitic encounter in person, at school and/or on social media. 

“This program will allow teens to practice how to react to different scenarios, all in a safe, close environment,” explained Aaron Gorodzinksy, Federation director of campaign and security planning. “It’s very important for those who are going to school to be ready and prepared to stand up for themselves.”

The plan is to meet in a hybrid setting, both at the Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley and over Zoom.
Then, on Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m., Federation is teaming up with the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism to present a virtual opportunity to learn about what organizations in the Jewish community are doing to confront the prevalence of antisemitism on social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

“We’ll hear from an expert who is drafting policy and helping social media companies to not only commit to fighting antisemitism but to implement changes to make that happen,” said Gorodzinsky. 

To sign up for these events, contact Aaron Gorodzinsky at 610-821-5500 or aaron@jflv.org.