Antisemitism Awareness Project: learning, developing resources, engaging in dialogue
The Antisemitism Awareness Project, also known as ASAP, is a club that aims to combat antisemitism and create a safe space, in and outside of our school, to educate others about antisemitism and prevent it. “This is a form of hatred and bigotry that is thousands of years old,” said social studies department head Simon Leutz, one of the club’s two advisors.
The club started in 2018 when an ARHS student taped a swastika on the back of Jewish student in a class, an incident they claimed was a joke, but the school took very seriously. A group of students worked with the Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) in town to organize a series of after-school workshops on how to recognize and prevent antisemitism. The club has been official for five years now.
It is advised by librarian Ella Stocker and Leutz, and it has two student presidents, Aidan Martin-Weinbaum and Declan Sullivan-Flynn.
ASAP is home to many dedicated members of different backgrounds. It is a space focused on change-making and care for the safety of Jewish people. “If that’s only happening among Jewish students and Jewish teachers, that’s not going to help the problem,” said Stocker, urging more non-Jewish students to join.
Leutz has been teaching the Holocaust class at ARHS for 20 years. “I knew that there were always undercurrents of antisemitism,” said Leutz “But that’s certainly not the case today, right? But I feel like we’re living in a moment at a time where the forces that promote antisemitism have regained momentum.”
According to CBS News and the Anti-Defamation League, reports of antisemitism have increased by 337% compared to last year. In November of 2023, the Council on American-Islamic Relations also documented an “appalling rise in reported anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias incidents, according to CNN.” Both sets of statistics indicate that the Israel-Hamas war is inflaming unprecedented hatred and discrimination towards both Jews and Muslims, erupting in violence and unrest.
In addition to staying abreast of current news events and engaging in dialogue and educational events, the group also participates in Jewish culture events as well, such as gleaning, a millennia-old Jewish tradition. Members collect excess food from farms and donate it to those in need. They’ve also organized advisory lessons and are aiming to bring speakers in to talk about antisemitism and their personal experiences with it.
The club is full of action.“There’s a lot of sentiment of ‘I wish [a rise in antisemitism] wasn’t happening’ but how do we talk about this in a productive way?” said Stocker. Members brainstorm projects and work on them.
“Recently we’ve just been working on the resources we’re producing and releasing,” said Martin Weinbaum, all about Israel, Hamas, and Palestine in the coming weeks, aimed at educating people without bias and bigotry.
The club meets roughly every week on Fridays and sometimes Tuesdays after school in Leutz’s room or in the library.
This year they’d like to go to an exhibit at UMass that tracks a family’s experience through the Holocaust. “We went to it last year and everyone thought it was powerful. We would love to go back,” said Martin-Weinbaum.
