How to fight antisemitism? In Charlotte, this group is focusing on Jewish pride
Last month, Julie Sheffer’s son sat in his elementary school class as a teacher read from “The Elf on the Shelf,” hoping to celebrate the Christmas spirit. It was one of several books of the Christmas tradition read for children.
But Sheffer and her 10-year-old son are Jewish, and he was the only Jewish student in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools class.
“I asked him how that felt and he said ‘lonely,’ ” Sheffer said. “We are still a tiny sliver of this community.”
There are around 15,000 Jewish residents out of 870,000 residents across Charlotte, according to Jewish Heritage North Carolina. This is up from around 4,400 Jewish residents in Charlotte in 1984, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, an online resource for Jewish history and culture.
But as Charlotte’s Jewish community has continued to grow, Sheffer said the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte is not only providing a safe space, but pushing to strengthen Jewish pride amid rising antisemitism. She is a volunteer at the agency.
The federation kicked off its annual fundraising campaign last week at Temple Israel. Over 600 people attended the event and the campaign will run until late June, Sue Worrel, the federation’s CEO, said.
Last year, the organization raised $5 million in its annual campaign to support critical needs for the local Jewish community and abroad, the Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Funds go to global and local organizations that provide activities for Jewish youth, support Jewish people in need, and build Jewish identity, Worrel said.
Now, the organization is refocused is on strengthening Jewish pride. “We’ve witnessed first hand how the uptick in antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred has really escalated in the way that hatred has impacted the local Jewish community,” Worrel said.
In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League’s latest annual audit of antisemitic incidents reported 2,717 incidents of assault, harassment, or discrimination across the country. The results were the highest number of reported incidents against Jewish people since the ADL started tracking it in 1979, according to the organization’s website.
On a local level, the ADL’s annual Antisemitism Audit showed a 131% increase in antisemitic incidents in North Carolina in 2021 from the previous year.
Just last Saturday, an antisemitic sign was spotted, then removed, from a pedestrian walkway to Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord. The sign was hung a week before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is on Friday, Jan. 27.
“When you see this stuff in the news and you see it on social media, what people don’t realize is that it’s localized too,” David Sheffer, Julie’s husband, said.
David, a longtime volunteer with the federation, said as a fourth-generation Charlottean he remembered growing up as the only Jewish kid in his classrooms. The community has steadily grown but the increasing antisemitism is worrisome, he said. He co-chaired the federation’s kickoff event this year alongside his wife.
“It’s definitely heightened,” he said. “There’s definitely been a lot of, I would just say, ignorant remarks.”
The Jewish federation has received calls about children being bullied in school and anitsemitic graffiti being spotted on homes, in school lockers, and on street signs in Charlotte neighborhoods, according to Worrel.
It’s why the organization’s focus on Jewish pride is key, she said. Funds being raised are going to support organizations that empower Jewish people in Charlotte. Supporting local synagogues or the Levine Jewish Community Center helps to create spaces for the budding community, she said.
“It adds an incredible richness to our lives, especially as such a small minority in the larger community,” Worrel said.
It’s important that elementary school kids are able to openly celebrate Shabbat, meet other Jewish kids and recognize the joy in being Jewish, Worrel said. Likewise, Jewish students proudly being able to engage in Jewish experiences at schools fortifies one’s Jewish identity.
“That stays with them,” she said. “That becomes a formative experience.”
Strengthening Jewish pride
Last year, the federation launched its Outshine Hate: Together Against Antisemitism initiative.
As part of this effort the federation invited nonprofit leaders, businesses and city officials to learn about the danger of growing antisemitism, Worrel said. It’s part of the continued effort from the federation to educate non-Jewish people as well.
The organization also supports a number of programs for Jewish Charlotteans.
This includes the federation’s NextGen program, which brings together young Jewish adults in breweries, parks, and other locations uptown to help build community, Worrel said.
The federation’s PJ Library helps provide free age-appropriate books with a wide assortment of Jewish content for Jewish families, Worrel said. The books are delivered to homes and the federation’s monthly programs often coincide with them.
“One of the best ways to combat hate is to be proud of who you are,” Worrel said.
Instilling a sense of self helps to build strength and resilience, she said. Celebrating the growing diversity of the Jewish community is also important.
Juju Chang, an Emmy Award winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline, was the main speaker for the federation’s kick off event last week. She discussed her Korean-Jewish identity and parallels between anti-Asian hate and antisemitism, Worrel said.
Showing this diversity helps Jewish families recognize they’re not alone, she said, and is especially important for children to know there is always a space for them.
This helps to fortify Jewish identity for many, Worrel said.
“So if and when someone out of pure hatred tries to tear down that Jewish identity you’re fortified against it,” she said.
Similarly, Julie Sheffer said education is the route her family takes to combat antisemitism.
It’s led to more discussions with her non-Jewish friends about the worrying trend, she said. She’s invited them to learn more about Jewish traditions and holidays.
Her husband said it’s why the focus on Jewish pride and optimism is important for their family.
“I would say the word embracing is synonymous to how I feel about pride,” he said. “It’s embracing friends, embracing culture and celebrating uniqueness.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 5:55 AM.
