By Richard Friedman, Executive Director

Having grown up in Bergen County, New Jersey, and having family and friends who still live there, I am deeply troubled by the nationally-publicized outbreak of anti-Semitic acts that has taken place in this heavily-Jewish county close to New York City. Swastikas have been painted and fires have been set at Jewish institutions including the home of a rabbi while he and his family were sleeping. (See below link.) Friends and family I have communicated with are deeply concerned.

Here in Birmingham, as Update readers know, The Birmingham Jewish Federation has been dealing with the aftermath of a swastika being painted outside of the home of a Jewish family in Vestavia Hills. Swastikas, which were the symbol of Adolph Hitler's Nazi regime, are used to harass, intimidate and instill fear in Jewish people and Jewish institutions.

"The Bergen County incidents are frightening," wrote one New Jersey friend in an email. "I hate to be of the 'scratch the surface' attitude (meaning a fear that anti-Semitism lurks beneath the surface of society). I have so many confusing feelings." This friend also told me that when her daughter was in junior high school someone painted a swastika on her locker.

Another friend, who has lived his whole life in Bergen County, was troubled as well. He even worried that maybe the outbreak is due to the historical pattern over the centuries of Jews being blamed as scapegoats during bad economic times.

Jews are not the only ones concerned. A Bergen County friend, who isn't Jewish, added this on Facebook in response to our posting about the latest developments in the Vestavia Hills incident: "What is wrong with people? Don't know if you saw the news from NJ, but this is also happening here."

WHERE THE JEWS ARE

I told one of the people mentioned above how surprised I was that this was going on in Bergen County, which has a large, well-organized Jewish population. And then, as I was saying it, I remembered that legend has it that when Willie Sutton was asked why he robs banks, he answered, "Because that is where the money is." I guess areas such as Bergen County are where the anti-Semites go when they mean business.

What led me to reflect on how heavily Jewish Bergen County is, is the fact that down here, in Birmingham, where there are so few Jews, such anti-Semitic acts are relatively rare. In fact, prior to the swastika incident that took place in Vestavia Hills a few weeks ago, such incidents in our area have been been few and far between. Part of the reason could be that there are so few Jews here, and even though we are influential and visible, statistically speaking we are small in number.

What Birmingham and northern New Jersey do have in common right now is that the Anti-Defamation League, a well-known and effective national agency that monitors and combats anti-Semitism, is involved in both situations. ADL has helped us in the aftermath of the swastika incident here and ADL is heavily involved with the Jewish community in Bergen County.

STRONG COMMUNITIES

ADL is one of the 32 agencies and programs funded by The Birmingham Jewish Federation Annual Campaign and we have worked closely with ADL's Atlanta-based Southeast office over the years. The Vestavia Hills and New Jersey situations, though vastly different, reflect the importance of having strong organized Jewish communities, including strong Jewish Federations, that can help Jews wherever they are in times of need.

"An attack on a Jewish synagogue is an attack on the entire community," said Etzion Neuer, acting ADL New Jersey Director. "We are urging law enforcement to increase patrols and security near synagogues and Jewish community buildings in northern New Jersey to help prevent this from happening again." According to its website, ADL is offering a $7,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for "this spate of increasingly violent hate crimes in Bergen County."

Hopefully, as painful as the situation is right now in New Jersey, these incidents ultimately will lead to deeper understanding among all people in that area, heighten their collective determination to fight all kinds of bigotry and hate, and, as has been the case here in the wake of the Vestavia Hills incident, open the door to people and groups working together in new ways to help build a better future for all.

Photo is from ADL website.

Operation Grassroots continues to generate instantaneous and remarkable results -- with people responding immediately and pledging even more than we asked them to consider.

We sent an email to a couple who contributed $2000 last year, for example.

"As you may know, as part of the 2012 Birmingham Jewish Federation Campaign, we have launched Operation Grassroots. This is an unprecedented BJF effort to raise 1000 increases and new gifts of at least $100 to receive a $100,000 challenge gift," we explained. "Last year, you pledged $2000 to the 2011 campaign. Please, if possible, consider increasing it by at least $100 for this year's 2012 campaign. We also have funds from The Birmingham Jewish Foundation to match increases beyond $100, so any amount you increase will be matched."

Within minutes, yes minutes, a wonderful response came back: "It will be our pleasure to pledge $2,500 for 2012. Keep doing all the wonderful things that you do."

Operation Grassroots is an unprecedented BJF effort to raise ONE THOUSAND new gifts and increases of at least $100 to receive a $100,000 challenge gift. So far, we've received 98 Operation Grassroots gifts, including the one highlighted here. Only 902 to go!

Click to make an Operation Grassroots payment.

Click to make an Operation Grassroots pledge and be billed.