Religious Justice Committee Statement on Antisemitism

SOMA Action is a grassroots, progressive organization comprised of over 2000 members from South Orange, Maplewood, and the surrounding communities in New Jersey.

We are committed to a progressive political agenda that includes social and environmental justice and racial, religious, and LGBTQIA+ equality. Recently, the media and organizations monitoring hate crimes are reporting an increase in verbal and physical antisemitic attacks. These have included violent attacks directed against Jewish people.

SOMA Action and its members stand against antisemitism and antisemitic violence and for the full inclusion of Jews in our community and our nation. Antisemitism, simply put, is a form of prejudice against Jews. More forcefully put, it is a form of ideological hate of certain individuals and communities precisely because of their Jewish identity. However, it also emerges in subtle and unconscious ways when Jews are grouped together in stereotypical ways that promote false narratives about the Jewish community. There are many other permutations of antisemitism, sadly too many to list here.

We recognize that the history of the United States includes antisemitic ideologies, laws, and structures. As a progressive organization, we seek to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and commit to a more just and equitable nation.

We also recognize that today many white supremacist groups continue to gather to perpetuate antisemitism and that antisemitic individuals continue to express hate speech and execute violent acts against Jews living in the United States. We unequivocally condemn these antisemitic actions. We also want to acknowledge that antisemitism is connected to anti-Black racism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate manifested in the white supremacist ideology that undergirds them all. From the website nycagainsthate.org:                                                                                                                                                                                                   

"Hate violence includes but isn’t limited to physical violence. Hate violence can take the form of assaults, sexual violence, slurs, threats, intimidation, verbal harassment, graffiti, other property damage, bullying, and fatal violence directed towards an individual or group because they belong to or are believed to belong to a marginalized group. Hate violence occurs on the street, on public transit, in homes, at workplaces, online, at religious or cultural institutions.”

We encourage all members of our organization, our neighbors, and larger communities to stand up against antisemitic hate, violence and speech in all its forms.