Antisemitism. Islamophobia. Freedom of Speech. (April 18 do-over)

[Rachael Kamel]

For the Chavurah's upcoming Havdalah/Potluck on Saturday, April 18, we thought we'd repackage our program from February that was cancelled due to a snowstorm.  

In the post-Passover spirit of liberation, we'll explore what the connections are among antisemitism, Islamophobia, and freedom of speech--and how they relate to the issues of Islamism, terrorism, and counter-terrorism.

How can we understand these intersections--and the implicit assumptions in what we are told about what is in play, in the US and in other Jewish communities around the world?

What values can provide common ground, as we find our way through a world that seems more dangerous all the time?

Is it true that antisemitism is becoming more common--and more acceptable--in Europe and elsewhere? How can we think about our own safety and security, as well as the risks faced by others?

We are sure that you, like us, have seen numerous commentaries lately on all of these issues. Most often, though, they bring one of these problems into focus by ignoring or downplaying another.

We'd like to go beyond that in order to understand how these questions relate to one another--and to understand as a community how we can find our way through the pitfalls they entail. 

Please join us for a structured discussion that will help us bring all these pieces together. The program will be facilitated by two members of the Chavurah's Steering Committee, Susan Landau and Rachael Kamel.

We'll be gathering at 6:00 pm at the home of Rabbi Linda Holtzman, 635 Westview Ave. in Mt. Airy, for a potluck and discussion, followed by havdalah. Please bring a dish to share.

Hope to see you there!

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Background

As background for this discussion we're including a link to a brief article from Jewdas, a progressive Jewish organization in the UK, that touches on some of the intersections and blind spots that we've been wrestling with:
http://jewdas.org/after-the-paris-attacks-against-jews-some-questions-for-the-rest-of-the-left/