Lappin Foundation’s Teen Antisemitism Task Force recently participated in a dynamic program entitled “Conception and Misconceptions of Zionism, Israel, and the Jews” with Charlotte Korchak, senior educator and director of international student programs for Stand With Us. We learned about common conceptions of Zionism, Israel and the Jews, and how to respond to misconceptions, especially when these views are antisemitic. We are grateful to CJP’s Fighting Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism Task Force for support of this program.
After the program, high school senior Noah Winer of Peabody stated: “I know that Israel is a place that I can feel safe, but I now know how to respond to people who maybe don’t share the same view of Israel.”
Charlotte taught us that the most likely reason for someone to be called an anti-Zionist or antisemitic is because they are not educated about what Zionism is or about why Israel has a right to exist.
Education is key to learn how to respond effectively to antisemitism. The Teen Antisemitism Task Force, founded two years ago, has two main missions: education and action. Charlotte helped to fulfill our mission to educate people about antisemitism.
High school senior Jack Ruderman of Needham reflected on the program by saying that he “learned facts about Israel including their system of government that [he] was not aware of prior” and that the program “gave [him] a chance to reflect on the experiences and memories formed from attending Charlotte’s sessions during the Y2I trip this past summer.”
Charlotte is an amazing speaker and we were fortunate to have her here from Israel. We truly appreciated her taking the time to educate our community about how to best respond to antisemitism and misconceptions about Jews and Israel.
High school teens of all faiths are invited to join the Task Force. We are scheduled to meet on Zoom at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates: Tuesday, Nov.15, 2022; Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022; Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023; Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023; and Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Author Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath will be the guest speaker at the Nov. 15 meeting. Her topic will be “#antisemitism, Coming of Age During the Resurgence of Hate.”
To join the Lappin Foundation’s Teen Antisemitism Task Force, or for more information, email dcoltin@lappinfoundation.org.
Arielle Mogolesko is the co-chair Teen Antisemitism Task Force.
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