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The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) hosted a specialized training session in Goshen, New York, on Wednesday attended by more than 80 law enforcement professionals from Orange, Dutchess, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties.
The forum, held at the Orange County Emergency Services Center, focused on teaching police how to recognize and address antisemitism in all its contemporary forms and offered strategies and tools to prevent, respond to, and counter it.
Speakers and presenters during the day-long program included Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, CAM Senior Advisor Joel Eisdorfer, CAM Director of Interfaith Outreach and Engagement EJ Kimball, and Beyond Barriers President and Founder Jeff Schoep.
“We live and work in a distinctive part of America, one that is home to several major religious communities,” Sheriff Arteta noted. “Kiryas Joel is one of the largest Hasidic Jewish communities in the country. Its residents are also among our most visibly Jewish neighbors because of their traditional dress. But Jewish life in our county extends well beyond Kiryas Joel. Jewish people of many backgrounds live and work throughout our communities, including here in the Sheriff’s Office.”
“Today, anti-Jewish hate crimes have reached the highest level ever recorded by the FBI,” he continued. “Antisemitism is often described as the oldest hatred. But it’s also a warning. A society that accepts conspiracy theories and violence against one small minority will eventually accept them against others. That is why this seminar is not solely about protecting Jewish Americans. It is about protecting the rule of law, the safety of our communities, and the principles of the United States itself.”
Eisdorfer said, “It’s now more important than ever to stand with our law enforcement partners and equip them with tools to combat antisemitism. I’m proud of our training today in partnership with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that brought many different law enforcement professionals from counties around New York state together. Thank you to all of our law enforcement partners for participating and to the sheriff and county executive for their remarks.”
In his presentation, Kimball stated, “Antisemitism is no longer seeing a post-October 7th surge. Unfortunately, it has established a new baseline, entrenched at historically-high levels.”
“It is important to recognize the use of coded language,” he said. “‘Zionists’ or ‘Israel’ is a proxy for ‘the Jews.'”
“Recognizing a crime is the easy part,” Kimball added. “Identifying the motivation is the problem. Antisemitism morphs constantly. In today’s environment, it’s supercharged. The pre-10/7 symbols and slogans were easily identifiable through Holocaust education. But the post-10/7 reality requires learning new symbols and slogans.”
CAM works hand-in-hand with law enforcement authorities on a daily basis to secure and nurture Jewish life across the globe.
Similar CAM-organized law enforcement seminars have been conducted over the last two years in New York, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Virginia.
For more information about CAM’s law enforcement training program and to arrange for a session in your state, city, or town, please send an email to: info@combatantisemitism.org
Further reading:
At CAM Law Enforcement Forum in Manhattan, Police Officers Trained to Identify Antisemitic Extremism
More Than 80 Police Officers From Across State of Georgia Join CAM-Led Antisemitism Training Forum
