An American Bar Association (ABA) Task Force to Combat Antisemitism? Some may be thinking, “Why? Is this really a pervasive issue? Does this really warrant an ABA task force focusing solely on this issue?”
The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice understood that it does and brought Resolution 514 to the ABA House of Delegates in February 2023 (months before the Hamas attack on Israel). The House of Delegates responded by resolving that the ABA should act and urge others to act to condemn antisemitism and address it as a profession.
The first step is to increase awareness. If a problem isn’t recognized, it won’t be mitigated. Antisemitism is an epidemic that, to many, is invisible. It doesn’t affect 98 percent of the population; news outlets frequently don’t recognize or report occurrences. The other 2 percent certainly know—Jews are increasingly afraid to publicly acknowledge their Judaism—to wear their kippahs (religious head coverings) in public or display a Star of David.
We in post-war generations have lived in what has been referred to as a “Golden Age” for American Jewry, where antisemitism has been kept under the surface. This is reminiscent of Germany and Poland of the 1930s when Jewish families felt well-integrated into society—as tradespeople, store owners, doctors, and lawyers—until their standing, rights, and lives were abruptly lost.
When documenting my family history during that time, I asked my mother-in-law, a Holocaust survivor, when and how she first understood that something terrible was coming. She reported, “I was 16 years old, in secular school. I remember one day walking into school and hanging up my coat, and this guy said to me, ‘Take away your filthy Jewish coat.’ That’s how it started for me. That’s when I knew.” Many survivors have told similar stories, as the antisemitism always simmering in Germany spilled over into oppression.
The current Golden Age may similarly be coming to an end. Too many Americans no longer feel the need to suppress their hate speech. Proudly antisemitic groups have formed, gathering in synagogues and public places across the country, Jewish community centers, and other Jewish institutions, shouting things like “the Jews will not replace us.”
My hometown of Nashville is a particularly attractive gathering spot for such groups—taking over Council meetings, marching, and shouting on downtown streets. Recently at my synagogue, the “Goyim Defense League” raised a virulently antisemitic banner and broadcast hateful statements into nearby neighborhoods. This occurred about a year after I was driving home past my synagogue one day and saw police there—shots had been fired through the windows.
As Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has said, “We know that when antisemitic attitudes are expressed in public discourse without condemnation, especially from our leaders, it gives a green light to those on the fringe to keep spouting it—and acting on it.” However, leaders must be aware and listen for it before they can react.
The Task Force to Combat Antisemitism is working to create that awareness, ensuring that the public—including civic leaders, legislators, and law enforcement—recognize and acknowledge the enormity of the issue, condemn it when it occurs, and take appropriate action. That’s a big assignment, and we are working with other ABA entities, as well as state, local, affinity, and other national bars, as allies and advocates. We look to America’s lawyers to assist in this endeavor. The task force can help empower lawyers not to be bystanders in the fight against antisemitism.
Please note: The views expressed herein have not been approved by the House of Delegates, the Board of Governors, the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice or the Human Rights Editorial Board of the American Bar Association and, accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association. They are the views of the individual authors themselves in their personal capacities.
