Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
COVID-19: Fear, Hate, and Antisemitism
During this challenging time of the Coronavirus, the JCRC continues our work of tracking incidents of antisemitism, bias, and hate. We know from history – as well as today – that widespread fear leads to an increase in hateful rhetoric as well as bias-related incidents and crimes. On February 21, the Cincinnati JCRC was proud to sign a letter to the Chinese American community, expressing the Jewish community’s support and partnership in fighting hate against their community. Over the past 6 weeks, we have observed a steady increase in expressions of bigotry, xenophobia, and antisemitism, including conspiracy theories, FBI reports that white supremacists are being encouraged to go into diverse and minority neighborhoods with the virus, and more blatant attacks against the Asian-American community. While the JCRC will continue working with partner organizations to monitor these incidents, each of us can help mitigate the spread of hate, misinformation, and fear. Here are a few things you can do:
- Refer to the virus as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus. Recognize the damaging impact of calling it the “Chinese virus,” which contributes to fear, causes pain, and leads to hate and violence.
- If you see something, say something. If you see a hateful image or rhetoric on social media, report the post to the platform. If you see something locally (an incident, graffiti, etc), please report it to the JCRC (jcongedo@jfedcin.org).
- Peruse the list of curated articles below. JCRC will continue to collect similar articles and reports and then post on our Facebook and Twitter accounts, which also contains public policy action alerts and updates regarding COVID-19.
JCRC-curated list of articles:
- FBI warns white supremacists encouraging members to spread coronavirus to law enforcement, Jews: report, The Hill
- The Rise of Coronavirus Hate Crimes, The New Yorker
- As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Xenophobia and Anti-Asian Racism, Time Magazine
- Will the Coronavirus Lead to Yet Another Spike in Antisemitism in the US, Jerusalem Post
- Extremists Use Coronavirus to Advance Racist Conspiratorial Agendas, ADL
- The Coronavirus Surfaces Fear Stereotypes and Scapegoating, ADL
- Coronavirus Crisis Elevates Antisemitic, Racist Tropes, ADL
- Fighting Hate From Home, ADL
- Cyber Safety Guide, ADL
- US Jewish Groups Express Support Amid Anti-Chinese Sentiments, China Daily
The Jewish Community Relations Council is the non-partisan public affairs arm of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. Their work would not be possible without your support of the annual campaign.
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