Lexington United Against Antisemitism (LUAA) – formerly the Lexington Interfaith/Intercommunity Working Group on Antisemitism – deplores the dramatic increase in antisemitic speech, harassment, and other incidents in our community. Today we note, with sadness and deep concern, the discovery of a swastika scrawled in pencil on a science lab table at Lexington High School (LHS) last week – the latest of a series of antisemitic incidents that have occurred in the schools over the past couple years. We applaud the swift, decisive, and compassionate response of Andrew Baker, LHS principal, and the willingness of LHS staff to be available to students for conversation and support. We also underscore the need for parents to be actively involved in discussions about antisemitism in their homes, so they can support their own children, and other children, at these fraught times.
We firmly believe that addressing antisemitism cannot be the job of schools or other public institutions alone. LUAA was established in March 2023, “to increase the sense of well-being and safety within the Jewish community of Lexington.” It intends to expand what teens and adults in Lexington know about the incidence and consequences of antisemitism, enhance the sense of solidarity with the Jewish community among residents who are not Jewish, and help develop the interpersonal skills among teens and adults to “stand up” to antisemitic speech and actions. This awareness, and these commitments, will amplify and extend ongoing activity in Lexington to combat racism, anti-LGTBQ behavior, Islamophobia and other forms of religious bigotry, and ableism.
LUAA’s 45-50 participants include congregants and clergy of several faith communities in Lexington, representatives from civic and community organizations, and other residents dedicated to combatting this problem. Current plans include a public lecture series on antisemitism – what it is, how it developed, how other communities have attempted to combat it – training in “upstanding” when bullying is occurring, and community conversations on how to build stronger connections across faiths and cultures. For example, in collaboration with LHS, LUAA is sponsoring a showing of the Not In Our Town film, Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life, combined with a panel discussion and audience participation, at the high school in early 2024. If you are interested in becoming involved with LUAA, please contact one of LUAA’s co-chairs, Fran Jacobs (fayhen@gmail.com) or Steve Van Evera (vanevera@mit.edu).
I’ve always been puzzled that Lexington doesn’t participate in the programs offered by Facing History and Ourselves, whose headquarters are in Brookline but that whose branches have developed throughout the US and the world. Many Boston-area communities benefit from the teaching materials and speakers (of whom I’m one) that this organization brings to middle and high schools. They do fantastic work on the Holocaust and antisemitism, but also on other crises since then.
Excellent suggestions, but I thought the high school might already be doing that. They certainly know about Facing History and Ourselves.
When the State of Israel claims to represent all Jewish people, defenders of Israeli policy redefine antisemitism to include criticism of Israel. Antisemitism is harmful and real in our society. What must also be addressed is how the deployment of false charges of antisemitism or redefining antisemitism can suppress the global progressive fight for justice. There is no one definitive voice on antisemitism and its impact.