Established at the beginning of this year, the mission of StopAntisemitism.org has been to counteract anti-Israel bias and Jew-hatred on college campuses in the United States.
For example, it took part in launching a petition calling on Temple University in Philadelphia to fire Marc Lamont Hill, a professor of media studies and urban education, for inflammatory comments made last month at the United Nations, calling for Israel’s annihilation. (Hill was fired by CNN, where he served as a commentator, though the administration at Temple has stood by Hill.)
Now its calling is greater than stopping anti-Semitism.
Enter the Center for Combating Hate in America (C4CHA). It will serve as an active watchdog group, as well as a resource to fight hatred and violence nationwide.
“Within a short time after we started our activities, it became clear that the challenge of hatred and bigotry in America extend beyond anti-Semitism,” C4CHA director Liora Rez told JNS. “The rise of anti-Semitism is only a symptom of a bigger issue in the U.S. As concerned citizens, we felt it’s important to be proactive in combating the dangers of hatred in America, which threatens our values and way of life. We can no longer be lame ducks waiting for the next attack.”
She added, “Given the challenges that we face, we believe that there is a strong need for a new organization that addresses the threat of hate and violence in America.”
C4CHA released a report earlier this month about the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which was allegedly behind the posting anti-Semitic fliers around Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, where 11 Jewish worshippers were killed during Shabbat-morning services on Oct. 27 at the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue.
The report features a comprehensive background about the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, in addition to the contacts of its key individuals, including their address(es), phone, email, voter registration and associations.
Rez remarked that her organization will “complement” similar watchdog groups fighting hatred from both sides of the ideological spectrum and from religious radicals.
“C4CHA will work to curb the freedom of hate groups and their ideology in America by calling citizens to submit information about such groups, events and campaigns, which will allow C4CHA to research, document and create a database of individuals, organizations and networks associated with radical hate groups, and their influence on American politics, our public schools, universities, think tanks, media and government offices,” she explained.
“The ultimate goal,” she said, “is to expose and alert the appropriate authorities about their activities at the same time that we engage concerned citizens and organizations who are willing to combat them.”
