Antisemitism Resources
When children gather at Jewish summer camp, it is common for them to feel both a sense of safety and protection within a warm and supportive community as well as a sense of insecurity, fear, or anxiety around the possibility that antisemitic acts might occur against them – when they are traveling as a group and identifiable as Jews on are in predominantly Jewish spaces.
Many summer camps also take time to observe the Jewish holiday of Tisha B’Av as well as the fast on the 17th of Tammuz and three weeks of solemnity between the two. These times of communal reflection and mourning related to the atrocities faced by our people, have significance for learning and action in today’s world.
Resources below for camp counselors and Jewish educators are offered as guides about how to talk to children about hatred in general and antisemitism in particular.
PJ Library’s 2020 Guide to Talking to Kids About Antisemitism, Scary Events, and Violence ADL Family Conversations, with question starters and helpful information Common Sense Media’s How to Talk to Kids about Difficult Subjects.
Dr. Betsy Stone (psychologist: Guidance About Talking to Teens
Rabbi Edyth Held Mencher, LCSW: Responding to Spiritual Questions and Emotional Needs After Tragedies
Common Sense Media’s Information on Online Hate Speech
UJA/NY Teen and Parent Conversation on Israel and Antisemitism 2021 with the Hartman Institute
Shalom Hartman Institute: Podcasts Related to Antisemitism
Antisemitism and White Nationalism, Eric Ward 2017 article “Skin in the game” and January 2021 video
