Top Delaware leaders gathered in Wilmington Wednesday afternoon in an effort to raise awareness about the threat anti-semitism poses.
Governor John Carney signed a proclamation as part of the “Shine a Light” campaign calling attention to the growing problem of antisemitism. It’s part of a number of events in Delaware and around the nation designed to highlight the threats that hateful words and actions pose to members of the Jewish community.
“Today, we stand together,” Carney said. He said it’s “extremely troubling” to see hateful acts from public and political leaders, as well as celebrities. “That’s just unacceptable,” Carney said.
“I can’t compete with 27 million followers,” said Rabbi Michael Beals, pointing to the massive followers of Kanye West. West was tossed off the social media platform after making anti-semitic comments. Even with a smaller platform than West, Beals hopes Carney’s proclamation will shine a light for the Jewish community.
According to a recent study by the American Jewish Committee, four out of ten American Jews conceal their identity out of fear, and 90% of those surveyed in the United States said antisemitism is a major problem.
Anti-semitism is a threat to their democracy, said Marcia Bronstein, AJC’s regional director for Philadelphia, South New Jersey, and Delaware. “People are afraid to come out to big community events. They’re afraid to go into Jewish institutions because we’ve had so much violence and shootings and harassment and graffiti and threats,” she said.