Monday was the first full day of Hanukkah, and a Jewish group is
using the occasion to launch a statewide effort to fight hate.
Security is always tight at the Jewish
Community Center in Woodbridge and the
Anti-Defamation League says this year,
it is seeing an upswing in hate speech.
Shine A Light is a new campaign to
highlight antisemitism. The ADL says many people may not even know they're
saying something offensive or recognize hate speech when they hear it.
"Antisemitism
is manifesting in the U.S. and around the world to a degree we have not witnessed
since World War II," said David Warren, president of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Hartford.
Shine A Light includes a website to
Translate Hate with commonly used phrases.
The ADL says social media has made hate speech much
more common and accepted.
"Social
media, 'Zoom bombing,' has been very prevalent, and it has not decreased,"
said Interim Director of ADL
Leah Kagan.
Critics say the problem starts in the
classroom.
"We are seeing a large uptick over
the last few years of incidents taking place online, so that is a trend that
we're monitoring closely," said Kagan.
A
2018 law requires Connecticut schools to teach about the Holocaust and other
genocides, but it doesn't define the scope or content of those lessons.
"One
thing that we are realizing is that the state Department of Education does need
more support," said state Rep. Mary Welander.
The
Jewish Federation of Connecticut found 87% of teachers
already include the
Holocaust, but many said they don't have enough guidance, and many struggle
with the graphic subject matter.
"Some
teachers are still intimidated by the subject and need some support on
that," said Michael Bloom, the executive director
of the Jewish Federation Association.
During
the Jewish Festival of Lights, this group hopes to shine a light on a subject
still shrouded in darkness.