Federal, state and local officials vowed to fight antisemitism and other forms of hatred when they spoke at Friday’s Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington’s annual Legislative Breakfast.
“There was definitely a level of excitement in this room that greeted our new, elected and re-elected officials,” said JCRC Executive Director Ron Halber. “There was a commitment from every single speaker” to stand up and speak out against hate crimes, he said.
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin called the rise of antisemitism “frightening, It’s dangerous. The numbers [of incidents] are off the charts right now. We need to do something about it. We need to act.” While speaking at Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac at the Schmooze & Nosh event, Cardin said, “Leaders need to speak out. Our words mean something.”
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, who received a standing ovation, declared, “We must fight for ourselves with everything we’ve got, and we must fight for others with everything we’ve got.”
Governor-Elect Wes Moore called for the legislators, non-profit leaders, clergy and others gathered “in a roomful of brothers and sisters of faith” to form partnerships to make sure everyone feels safe.
“Antisemitism and racism are the same thing,” he said, adding as governor, he will enforce hate crime laws and ensure that laws are in place “against the heartless.”
Added Maryland’s next comptroller Brooke Lierman, “Right now is our moment to do what we can to make our world more equitable.”
Maryland State Sen. Ben Kramer praised the efforts of his fellow legislators in Annapolis. “These are the people who get the work done,” he said. Antisemitism comes from hatred and ignorance, Kramer said, noting that “half our student population [in Maryland] don’t know the word Auschwitz. That troubles me.”
JCRC listed its 2023 legislative priorities for Montgomery County. They include increasing funding for security grants for faith-based nonprofits, fighting poverty, securing funding for social services agencies, making the criminal justice system more equitable, expanding childcare and supporting educational programs.
Most of the Montgomery County Council attended the legislative breakfast, as did Executive Marc Elrich and many of the state senators and delegates who represent Montgomery County.
Governor Elect Wes Moore tells the Jewish community that everyone has the right to pursue individual faiths, free of harassment and JCRC legislative breakfast @mymcmedia @iamwesmoore pic.twitter.com/SEQcREQ1jJ
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) December 9, 2022
Many thanks to @JCRCgw for hosting it’s Schmooze & Nosh legislative breakfast. Hundreds of us are here to fight against antisemitism and advocate for a more just society. pic.twitter.com/9ZJVXGMU6M
— Evan Glass (@EvanMGlass) December 9, 2022
https://twitter.com/DelegateReznik/status/1601207066013863936?s=20&t=ezV-v–u77vUAGzAXYq5jA
