During its Monday, February 13 meeting, the Township Council unanimously passed a resolution adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism in Livingston.
Prior to its passage, Dena Dubofsky- Blum, assistant director of the American Jewish Committee spoke about the importance of doing so. She noted that anti-Semitism is “violent, scary, and sometimes deadly,” and happening in Livingston.
Dubofsky-Blum and Council member Shawn Klein mentioned several instances of anti-Semitism that have occurred in and around Livingston in recent weeks as a reason why passing this resolution is important. Those instances include anti-Semitic drawings found in Livingston schools, a Molotov cocktail that was thrown at a Bloomfield temple, and a man who had journals containing threats against Jews who was hiding out in Livingston before stealing a school bus.
The resolution reads:
“Whereas anti-Semitism, including harassment on the basis of actual or perceived Jewish origin, ancestry, ethnicity, identity, affiliation, or faith, remains a persistent, pervasive, and disturbing problem in American society;
“Whereas, according to new data released by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) anti-Semitic incidents in 2021 rose by 25 percent in New Jersey, reaching 370 total incidents - the highest number ever recorded by ADL in the state and the secondhighest number recorded in any state across the country last year. These 370 incidents in New Jersey constitute 14 percent of the total number of anti-Semitic incidents recorded across the United States last year;
“Whereas, we acknowledge that following the attacks on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the Chabad of Poway in San Diego, a Kosher supermarket in Jersey City and a Chanukah gathering in Monsey, our synagogues felt compelled to reevaluate their own security measures to keep their congregations safe;
“Whereas, most recently an incident in which the suspect in the theft of a Livingston Board of Education school bus was identified as the owner of a j oumal found during the investigation that contained notes about jihad and other language against Jewish people and law enforcement, according to federal officials and where administrators at Livingston Public Schools have also recently reported multiple incidents in which drawings of swastikas and messages containing anti-Semitic language were found at both Living-ston High School and Heritage Middle School, and further, our neighbors in Bloomfield at Temple Ner Tamid had a Molotov cocktail hurled at the doors of their synagogue, all these acts have disturbed our community and must be taken as an opportunity to teach about this issue and seek paths for healing and eliminating such hate;
“Whereas, Livingston officials and institutions have a responsibility to protect citizens from acts of hate and bigotry, including anti-Semitism, and must be given the tools to do so;
“Whereas valid monitoring, informed analysis and investigation, and effective policy-making all benefit from accurate and uniform definitions; “Whereas the International Holocaust RemembranceAlliance (IHRA), by consensus vote of its member states, adopted a Working Definition of Anti-Semitism in May 2016, which has become the internationally recognized, authoritative definition of anti-Semitism for use by governments and international organizations. That definition reads in full:
‘Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.
‘To guide IHRA in its work, the following examples may serve as illustrations: ‘Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic. Anti-Semitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for why things go wrong. It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.
‘Contemporary examples of anti-Semitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to: ‘Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
‘Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective – such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
‘Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
‘Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g., gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust).
‘Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
‘Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
‘Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, (e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor).
‘Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
‘Using the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.
‘Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.
‘Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.
‘Anti-Semitic acts are criminal when they are so defined by law (for example, denial of the Holocaust or distribution of anti-Semitic materials in some countries).
‘Criminal acts are anti-Semitic when the targets of attacks, whether they are people or property – such as buildings, schools, places of worship and cemeteries – are selected because they are, or are perceived to be, Jewish or linked to Jews.
‘Anti-Semitic discrimination is the denial to Jews of opportunities or services available to others and is illegal in many countries.’
The resolution continues, “Whereas, the IHRAWorking Definition has proven to be an essential tool used to help determine contemporary manifestations of anti-Semitism; and
“Whereas, in the United States, the IHRAWorking Definition is utilized by various government agencies, including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, and can be utilized by law enforcement agencies in monitoring, training, and education; and
“Now, therefore, be it resolved by the mayor and the Township Council of the Township of Livingston, County of Essex, State of New Jersey that the Township does and hereby adopts the non-legally binding International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Anti-Semitism in full; and
“Be it further resolved that the clerk of the township will ensure that the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism is available as an educational resource for the Board of Education, the Police Department and other agencies responsible for addressing anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination.”
