Jews identify as a people or nation, now and long before there was a religion called Judaism.
We are diverse. Jews are a multiethnic, multiracial people.
As a people or nation, Jews have culture, foods, music, land, language, religion, and much more.
We are a tiny minority. Jews make up only 0.2% of the population globally and 2.4% of the U.S. population.
Lo Ta’amod Al Dam Rey’echa | Do Not Stand Idly By – “In a free society, only some may be guilty but all are responsible.” (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel). Each time we stand up for an ideal, or act to improve the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves, voicing the Jewish community’s concern on critical issues in the public sphere, we demonstrate a commitment to solidarity with others.
Tikkun Olam | Repair of the World – We work to improve the world, one relationship at a time. Many experiences in life threaten to break us. But such experiences also make us more whole as human beings. They expand our range of consciousness and compassion. They enlarge our capacity for inclusion. They make us stronger and help us reach out to others with greater empathy and concern.
Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh La Zeh | All in the House of Israel are Responsible for One Another – We mobilize the community when Jews anywhere are in need of our support. We are many Jewish communities bound together by shared values, history, religion, and culture.
If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me? If I Am Only For Myself, What Am I? And If Not Now, When? – We advocate for Jewish community interests while collaborating with other faith, ethnic, and emerging communities with shared goals.
Many Jews do not feel safe. More antisemitic incidents happened last year than any year since 1979. History has shown us that when violence occurs involving Israel, there are spikes in antisemitism across the globe.
In 2023, almost half of Jews altered their behavior out of fear of anti-Jewish hate. One-in-five college students said they had been excluded from a group or event because they are Jewish. *
Contemporary antisemitism is anti-Jew, not anti-Judaism. Most think that antisemitism is about religion. But Jews are usually attacked for who we are or what we are “responsible for,” not how we pray.
Reach out to leadership in your local Jewish community to ask how you can best be an ally.
Name and publicly condemn acts of antisemitism.
Learn about the Jewish people and antisemitism.
Support policy solutions to combat antisemitism and improve the understanding, prevention of, and response to incidents of antisemitism in schools and other public entities.
Show up for your Jewish community — both in times of joy and tragedy.
Requiring Holocaust and genocide education in public schools, HB 2037/SB 5851
Creating a hate and bias incident hotline, HB 1410/SB 5427
