Resolution Adopted by the CCAR
World Anti-Semitism
Adopted by the CCAR at the 92nd Annual Convention of
the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Jerusalem, Israel June 23-28, 1981
We have noticed with great alarm, and also experienced first hand, a tremendous upsurge
in world anti-Semitism during the previous year. Hate-filled thoughts which some
people once hesitated to utter are now commonly and brazenly spoken. Hate-filled
actions which some people once hesitated to take are now commonly and brazenly perpetrated.
These words and deeds pose a threat to the Jewish community, to its friends and to
other minority communities, regardless of race or creed.
Both at home and abroad, events are occurring which desecrate the principles of human
decency and mutual understanding. In France, Jewish schools, businesses and synagogues
have become targets of neo-fascist killers and vandals. The response of the French government has been insufficient at best. In the Soviet Union, refusenik emigration
has been cut almost 90% and more Jews, such as Viktor Brailovsky, are being incarcerated.
In Iran, the Jewish community is under increasing threats from the Ayatollah Khomeini and his henchmen. The deplorable execution of a prominent Iranian .Jewish journalist
recently added to the mounting fear. In Argentina, the government continues a policy
of overt libel, detention, and torture. In Ethiopia, Falashan Jewry moves closer
to extinction as its people are killed, dispersed and literally enslaved. In the United
States, the renewed militancy of the Ku Klux Klan has led to the indoctrination of
innocent young people, bloodshed, and murder. Even in our own regions, desecration
of cemeteries, vandalism and arson in synagogues and community centers have become a
mounting concern for Jewish institutions. These examples comprise only a partial
list.
Therefore, be it resolved
that the CCAR calls upon its members and their constituent organizations and synagogues
to respond to this growing problem in several ways.
a) By making both adults and children aware of the current situation and by educating
them on the historical roots of anti-Semitism.
b) By responding to local acts of anti-Semitism appropriately and in consultation
with such Jewish agencies as the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League,
Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation, the American Jewish Congress,
and the Canadian Jewish Congress; and with the support of responsible Jews in all segments
of Jewish society, especially the elderly.
c) By organizing letter-writing campaigns and petition drives that will make the government
and law enforcement officials aware of the situation and prompt them to take immediate
and effective action.
d) By forming coalitions with church organizations and ministerial groups in an ongoing
manner to mobilize the religious community to fight this poisonous trend that threatens
the American way of life.
e) By discouraging vigilante-like action on behalf of the Jewish community as advocated
and practiced by some organizations.