New major nationwide initiative addresses rising antisemitism through education, partnerships, advocacy, and media.
Five local Jewish organizations are joining with a coalition of over 60 North American Jewish and non-Jewish organizations and corporations to launch Shine A Light, an unprecedented effort to illuminate the dangers of antisemitism through education, community partnerships, workplace engagement, and advocacy.
Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Jewish Community Relations Council, Anti-Defamation League’s Heartland chapter, St. Louis chapter of the American Jewish Committee, and the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis chapter are co-sponsors of the effort locally. They are asking community members to join in the campaign by posting pictures of themselves with a candle or flashlight on their social media during Hanukkah, November 28 to December 6, 2021, and using the hashtag #ShineALight.
Amid a widespread rise in antisemitism in North America, Shine A Light seeks to catalyze conversations within and across communities, on school campuses, and in the workplace, so that people will better understand what constitutes antisemitism and take steps to respond.
The local organizations will partner with Jewish organizations around the country as well as an amazing collection of corporate sponsors, including the NBA, NFL, Google, Facebook, Hyatt, NASCAR, H & M, American Eagle, and many more.
The joint effort is taking place in the wake of sobering statistics about the prevalence of antisemitism in our community. Recent studies have shown:
- Antisemitism is on the rise. In fact, in the United States recorded more than 2,100 acts of assault, vandalism, and harassment, an increase of 12 percent over the previous year.
- One in every four American Jews has been targeted by antisemitism over the past year, and nearly four in ten report changing their behavior for fear of being identified as Jewish or for their safety or comfort as Jew.
- And hate crimes in America disproportionately target Jews. In fact, last year 57 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes were against Jews, who make up just 2 percent of the U.S. population.
More information about the Shine the Light campaign is available at shinealighton.com. Social media handles being used in the campaign are:
- Instagram: @ShineALight_On
- Twitter: @ShineALight_On
- TikTok: @shinealighton
- Facebook: @ShineALightOnAntisemitism