Dock C. Bracy Center opposes any form of human oppression which includes antisemitism. Our position is that Jewish people and/or their religion is not the problem, rather it is those who think Jews are the problem.
The demonization of the Jewish people is thought to be the oldest hatred spanning nearly 2,000 years. At times, the persecution of the Jewish people has been ethnic, political, social, racial, and religious. Historically the Jewish people have faced persecution, some examples, excluded from living in Christian areas, driven out of countries, banned from professions, schools, neighborhoods, forced to convert, quotas, caricatures in popular culture, pogrom and other deadly assaults, and the most horrendous the German Holocaust.
Today these various forms of persecution are gathered under the umbrella of the “new antisemitism” however there is nothing new except a new generation of historically uniformed ignorant people, no matter their race, religion, or ethnicity.
This is not just ancient history. 2021 saw a record 2,717 antisemitic incidents across the United States, up 34% from 2020 according to the ADL's annual audit. Most of these were incidents of harassment against Jewish Americans, but assaults and antisemitic vandalism also spiked last year. On October 27, 2018, we witness the deadliest attack ever of the Jewish Community in the United States at the Tree of Life Temple in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The perpetrator of this assault killed eleven people and wounded six.
Think about it, Jewish people represent about 0.2% of the world population and approximately 1.8% in the U.S. and are accused of all sorts of conspiracies, including the great replacement theory. Perhaps you’ve heard the chant “Jews will not replace us.”
The real threat in this country today is white Christian nationalism/white nationalism, with its foundation in white supremacy ideology. We cannot expect to eradicate one form of oppression, racism, without eradicating other forms such as antisemitism, sexism, homophobia, etc. All forms of human oppression have common roots in our thinking.
The Dock C. Bracy Center stands and is ready to support those who want to make their voices heard against antisemitism and for human reconciliation.
Paul S. Bracy Randee Wilding
President Chief Operations Officer