Old Dominion University’s Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, along with Jewish Community Relations Council and the Konikoff Center for Learning of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater hosted an online workshop to learn about the hidden history of antisemitism and how to respond to it in the present day.
In this fast moving workshop on the evening of Sunday, October 17, participants heard from speakers representing ODU’s leadership including the Provost and the Chief of Police, as well as Dr. Amy Milligan, Old Dominion University’s Batten Endowed Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Women’s Studies and the director of the Institute of Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, the ADL, FBI, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities. Dr. Craig Wansink, Virginia Wesleyan University’s professor and chair of Religious Studies and Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. director of the Robert Nusbaum Center of Religious Studies, and ODU student Briana Caldwell were also participants in the program.
Best-selling author Dara Horn presented on her new book, People Love Dead Jews, as part of the Simon Family JCC and UJFT’s annual Lee and Bernard Jaffe Family Jewish Book Festival.
Held completely online, participants said the panelists inspired them to reevaluate their role as a bystander when encountering bias, hate, and antisemitism. A toolkit of resources was provided to all participants, which may be obtained by visiting JewishVA.org/AntisemitismToolkit.
For more information about the Jewish Community Relations Council and its programs, visit www.jewishva.org/jcrc or email Elka Mednick, assistant director, Jewish Community Relations Council, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater at EMednick@ujft.org.
–Elka Mednick