Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) led a meeting of Jewish leaders, elected officials and students on May 13 in an effort to develop plans to counter rising antisemitism.
Kean invited constituents from the state’s 7th Congressional District.
“There is no place in this world for antisemitism,” he said during the conversation, calling it crucial for those gathered to “work together to combat the scourge of antisemitism. I thank everyone who came to join me at this roundtable. I look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure the safety of the Jewish community in New Jersey, across the nation and around the globe.”
Rabbi Ethan Prosnit of Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, N.J., called it “so important to sit down with Congressman Kean, Mrs. Kean and 20 other Jewish leaders and students to have a candid conversation about the rise of antisemitism in our district, state and country.”
He said the group talked about “the need for our government to do more to fight against antisemitism and to make sure Jews feel safe in their own communities.”
The rabbi added that it was “honest and challenging and also productive.”
Others attending the meeting included Rabbi Inna Serebro-Litvak of Temple Shalom in Succasunna; Dov Ben-Shimon, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest; Casey Isser, Westfield High School’s student government president; Robin Freeman Kramer, executive director of the Jewish Federation of West-Central New Jersey; and Rutgers Hillel CEO Lisa Harris Glass.
