An Austin city initiative focused on combating hate hosted a training session on Thursday on recognizing and responding to antisemitism.
The Austin Equity and Inclusion’s “We All Belong – Austin Against Hate” initiative held the session at the Ruiz Branch Library as part of a series of bystander-intervention trainings designed to give residents practical tools to recognize, disrupt and safely respond to identity-based harassment. The training, titled “Stop Jewish Hate,” was led by the Anti-Defamation League and Shalom Austin.
Jackie Nirenberg, regional director of ADL Austin, told JNS that many of the 18 participants “were genuinely surprised by what they learned about the Jewish community.”
“As the ‘aha’ moments registered on the faces of participants, it was clear we were witnessing a shift in perspectives,” she said. “And I realized that this is how change actually happens. Not by countering another’s views with just facts and statistics, but through real-life conversations.”
“It turns out the most powerful weapon in the fight against antisemitism—against all hate—is to share our stories,” Nirenberg said.
According to the ADL, the training covered the demographics of Jewish communities globally, in the United States and in Austin, “exploring the many facets of Jewish identity, what is antisemitism and the tropes and what is Zionism.”
