Two weeks ago in this space, I provided an update on antisemitism and the Jewish Agency's definition. I will be revisiting this topic for a couple of reasons.

First, Omaha has seen a number of incidents of flyering across our community - some targeted here at our campus and at Beth El, others in the UNO and Aksarben areas. All are coming from the same organization. I am choosing not to the name that group here.

And second, our local ADL office is experiencing transition. You may not know this, but in the late 1940's Omaha was selected as a regional office for the ADL because Omaha had a history with B'nai B'rith leadership and a willing community. In the 1960's with the work of the JFO's Community Relations Committee on a similar track, bringing the two together was a natural fit. There have been 16 regional directors since the office first opened. Effective August 1, Mary-Beth Muskin has retired as Regional Director of the ADL-CRC Plains States Region. She has been a tremendous force in fighting hate and defamation and securing justice and fair treatment for all. Her hard work, commitment and dedication will be missed and we certainly wish her well.

On a slightly different note, have you seen the new study by the Pew Research Center: Religion in Public Life, 'What Americans Know about Religion"? As with most of the Pew studies, it is fascinating! Annette van de Kamp-Wright's editorial in this week's Jewish Press is also based on the study. I get excited by these findings because I am able to draw many (unscientific) conclusions - mainly, if Jews are so well viewed, why are we seeing an increase in anti-Semitic incidents? It only takes a small number of people to cause the greatest amount of impact when committing an act of hatred.

If you'd like to test your knowledge of other faiths, here is a shorter version of the quiz - U.S. Religious Knowledge Quiz | Pew Research Center.  Email me your score and I will share mine!

Shabbat Shalom,
Alan  

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