Study Hall: ‘How Can We Stop Localized Islamophobia and Antisemitism?’

Since the current conflict between Israel and Palestine began, there has been an increase in both Islamophobic and antisemitic hate crimes […] Given that we are not personally able to impact the outcome of a war halfway around the world but are able to affect how people locally act, I’d love to see this newsletter focus more on what we ourselves can do to counter both Islamophobia and antisemitism locally.

Since the establishment of the Israeli state 75 years ago, the U.S. has given upwards of $130 billion. It is Israel’s biggest supplier of military aid. An additional $14 billion no-strings-attached assistance package is awaiting a Senate vote after being proposed by President Biden and passed in the House. And this speaks nothing to U.S. companies with financial ties with Israel. 

So, to say that we cannot influence what is occurring “halfway around the world” is a bit disingenuous. 

Now, most, if not all, of the pieces we’ve recently published regarding the crisis in Gaza mentioned ways that you and I can collectively work to end this senseless violence and genocide and hate, including protesting, supporting organizations that are mobilizing folks if demonstrating is not feasible, boycotting and divesting from corporations that profit and fund Israel, calling each of your congress members (every day) to their D.C. and local office to demand a permanent ceasefire in occupied Gaza. The script I’ve been using has been straightforward, but you can make it more personal: 

“Hi, my name is [insert name here], zip code XXXXX. I’m a voter and constituent of [name of Congress person here], and I’m calling on my [representative or senator] to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for them to vote “no” on sending more weapons to Israel.” 

The latest rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism in Western countries—the devaluing of Palestinian lives, anti-semitic hate, the false conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism leading to attacks on anti-Zionist Jews— is fueled by a U.S.-funded and U.S.-directed ongoing genocide.

We might not be able to change the minds of those who operate on hate. But we can transform the systems and institutions that allow such hate and phobia to play out publicly and violently. 

Join a local or national organization challenging such hate, dispelling misinformation and stereotypes about both groups, pushing back against your local representatives who are spewing dehumanizing misinformation and thus legislating in that regard, and uplifting the Muslims and Jews in the community.

And within that work, you’ll find that addressing Islamophobia and antisemitism is not happening in the absence of demanding a permanent ceasefire or drawing attention to what’s happening “halfway around the world.”