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The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) publishes a regular feature highlighting “good news” in the fight against the world’s oldest hatred.
Here are five such stories from September 2023:
Chelsea Football Club announced the creation of a new group for its Jewish fans, making it the third major soccer team in the United Kingdom to announce such a group for its supporters.
Chelsea’s Jewish Supporters Group, set up and run by fans of the team, intends to “bring supporters together to celebrate Jewish culture and identity, and work closely with the club on initiatives and campaigns to help ensure Chelsea FC is a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone,” the London-based club said.
This Rosh Hashanah, we’re proud to launch the Chelsea Jewish Supporters Group.
We hope it’ll bring supporters together to celebrate Jewish culture & identity. We’ll work closely with the club on initiatives and campaigns to help ensure @ChelseaFC is inclusive for everyone 💙 pic.twitter.com/pGXsqbo6g9
— Chelsea Jewish Supporters Group (@ChelseaJewishSG) September 15, 2023
American-Israeli Hoopster Jared Armstrong Seeks to Build Black-Jewish Ties Through Sports
On the hardwood, Jared Armstrong is the point guard for a hungry Elizur Ashkelon squad seeking promotion to the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Off the court, the 27-year-old Slippery Rock University graduate who grew up in Maryland before moving to Philadelphia as a teen is looking to leverage sports as a platform to combat antisemitism and racism globally and foster closer ties between the Black and Jewish communities in the United States.
“I’m living a lifelong dream, to play basketball in Israel,” Armstrong told CAM Editor-in-Chief Barney Breen-Portnoy. “So few people make it to the professional level of any sport, so I would say I’m blessed to have the opportunity, and I’m trying to have a positive impact and do my tikkun olam, helping in any way that I can.”
“I’m both Black and Jewish, and American and Israeli. I want people to realize it is possible for communities to come together, I’m living proof of this, and the way I do it is with sports.” – @JaredArmstrong_ https://t.co/uMjBXl533n
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 27, 2023
Police Arrest Florida Man for Participation in Orlando Neo-Nazi Activities
A Florida man was arrested on Sept. 12 for his participation in a neo-Nazi demonstration over the summer, where members of extremist groups hung banners with swastikas and hate messages on an overpass.
Jason James Brown, 48, of Cape Canaveral, Florida, is accused of hanging swastikas and other antisemitic banners along the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge in Orlando on June 10, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). He was charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.
Missouri Governor Proclaims Jewish American Heritage Month, Adopts IHRA Antisemitism Definition
Missouri has become the 33rd U.S. state to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, a move that was warmly welcomed by CAM.
In an official Sept. 8 proclamation, the full text of which can be read here, Missouri Governor Mike Parson also declared September to be Jewish-American Heritage Month (JAHM) in his state, coinciding with the Jewish High Holiday season.
Missouri has taken an important step in fighting Jew-hatred by becoming the 33rd U.S. state to adopt @TheIHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.
“Today and every day, we say hate and discrimination have no home in Missouri,” said @GovParsonMO.https://t.co/H1B4xeP8QF
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 21, 2023
H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, founder of Dubai’s Crossroads of Civilizations Museum, delivered keynote remarks on Sept. 28 at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“For me personally, I was very fortunate that my passion for history turned into a museum,” Mansoori said in a conversation with American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) President Anila Ali. “And in the museum, political hats are left outside. Museums are respected, and in the museum we have artifacts of Jews in the Arab world. Most of the people that get excited about the Jewish items are not the Jews, but our religious Muslims.”
“As religion divides us in the Middle East, it also brings us together,” he noted. “Kinship is important. Jews, like the Arabs, have tribes. The process of antisemitism is the same mentality of Islamophobia. I think we should be more creative in our education.”
We had a great first day with H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, @MishaGalperin and @anilaali at the @EradicateHate_ Global Summit, the most comprehensive anti-hate conference in the world that unites leaders who are dedicated to eradicating all forms of hate-fueled violence. pic.twitter.com/T11HWogEqf
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 27, 2023
