This past weekend, I received a statement from the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation. A 20-year-old man posted a video on Instagram on July 11th which showed someone shooting a semi-automatic rifle with the caption, “Police identified the Youngstown Jewish Family Community shooter as local white nationalist Seamus O’Rearedon.” Sirens and screams could be heard in the background of the video. The Jewish Community Center of Youngstown was tagged in the post. He has since been arrested. You can read the full story by clicking here.
The investigation involved a number of organizations, including the New Middletown police; Youngstown police; Liberty police; Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigations; the Secure Community Network; the Pittsburgh and Cleveland Jewish communities, and the Cleveland Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Situations like these are understandably alarming and elicit fear. This past year, especially, has taught us that no place is immune to hatred and anti-Semitism.
So what can we as a Jewish community do? We have been asking ourselves this question for a while, especially since the KKK rally this past May. While we may not be able to stop the actions of others, there are several things we can do to help protect our community. This includes re-evaluating our security protocol; educating others about anti-Semitism and tolerance; and connecting with other faiths and organizations within our area.
At this year’s Annual Meeting, we will feature two extraordinary speakers who will discuss the hatred currently plaguing our worldwide Jewish community and what we can do to help combat it. Michael Lieberman, Washington Counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, and James Pasch, Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League in Cleveland will join us on Tuesday, August 20th at 6pm at the CJCE (525 Versailles Drive, Centerville 45459). You can click here to read more about Michael and James, and for more information about the Annual Meeting.
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