It’s no secret that antisemitism has been on the rise over the last several years, and Indianapolis Jewish professionals and law enforcement say that incline turned steep within the past few months.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, antisemitism is often referred to as the oldest hatred, spanning nearly 2,000 years. Hate groups seek to racialize Jewish people and vilify them as manipulative puppet masters
behind an economic, political, and social scheme to undermine white people. Antisemitism also unifies adherents across various extremist ideologies around efforts to subvert and misconstrue the collective suffering of Jewish people in the Holocaust and cast them as conniving opportunists.

Combatting antisemitism is a large part of the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council’s (JCRC) mission.
In addition, the Indianapolis Jewish community, under the sponsorship of the Jewish Federation, has significantly
enhanced security efforts through the Safe Indy Security Initiative in concert with Secure Community Network (SCN).
A strong partnership has developed between Safe Indy, JCRC, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD),
and ADL Midwest to ensure the Jewish community and the community at large is doing everything possible to respond to incidents, create awareness, and stay safe.

“ANTISEMITISM USED TO LURK IN THE SHADOWS BUT NOW IT’S IN THE OPEN.
— JEFF SMULYAN, LONGTIME COMMUNITY MEMBER AND BUSINESS OWNER

Antisemitism On The Rise 

Across Indiana, incidents have included vandalism, antisemitic flyers in residential neighborhoods and antisemitic and bigoted remarks made by politicians and elected officials. According to Suzanne Rothenberg with ADL Midwest, in 2021, ADL saw the highest number of antisemitic incidents since they started tracking in 1979.

“We see an alarming amount of antisemitic violence, vandalism and harassment nationally and world-wide,”
Rothenberg said, noting a continued rise in reported incidents in 2022.

Recent antisemetic incidents throughout Indiana:

• In November 2022, there were flyer drop campaigns in Indianapolis organized by the hate groups Patriot Front and the Goyim Defense League;
• Over Labor Day weekend, September 2022, Patriot Front marched through downtown Indianapolis, spewing hate speech and antisemitic signage;
• In the fall, a Creekside Elementary student performed the Nazi salute to a Jewish student;
• A mezuzah was ripped off and burned from an Indiana University student’s apartment door on Rosh Hashanah;
• Above Time Coffee Roasters opened in the summer of 2022 near Bloomington, utilizing antisemitic language and images in its marketing;
• The Arthur M. Glick Jewish Community Center in Indianapolis received multiple bomb threats throughout 2022, though the threats were deemed non-credible.

There have also been recent incidents of politicians and local legislators publicly making harmful comments regarding the Holocaust. Some question the undeniable evil of the Nazis by suggesting that Nazism should be taught with neutrality. One of the most recent examples includes a Facebook comment made by Dr. Matt Keefer, a Zionsville Community School Board candidate. The poster asked, “Would teaching students ‘all Nazis are bad’ be considered indoctrination?” Keefer responded by saying “All Nazis weren’t ‘bad’ as you specify. They did horrible things. They were in a group frenzy.”

In addition to these incidents, social media continues to be the biggest platform for hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric today, with countless incidents occurring in Indiana in 2022.

Incident Response

Michael Wolley, IMPD North District Commander, discusses the importance of calling the police when an incident
occurs. After a police report is filed, IMPD calls Safe Indy and other partner law enforcement agencies to determine
if there is an immediate threat. Once they can identify the responsible party, they gather evidence and apprehend
individuals suspected of criminal offenses. In addition, police have increased their presence in Jewish community worship areas and neighborhoods.

ADL monitors extremist groups and trends on both national and local levels, working with law enforcement to prevent
potential incidents whenever possible. They triangulate public information to identify a credible threat and work with law enforcement to stop a would-be act of violence or domestic terrorism. ADL responds to incidents when they are
reported by offering support and resources, Rothenberg said.

See Something? Say Something! 

Michael Wolley, IMPD North District Commander, says if you see something suspicious – call the police. Articulate what you see to dispatchers and officers will come check it out. Always look for identifying information and descriptions, and offer video surveillance recordings, which can help locate a person and/or help with an investigation.

Safe Indy Security Initiative strives to identify and assess potential threats to the community. It is extremely important
to report incidents as soon as you witness them. Report an incident at www.jewishindianapolis.org/incidentreporting
or www.adl.org/report-incident.

The Jewish Federation has a Combatting Antisemitism Fund to provide the necessary resources to Jewish agencies
and organizations to offer programs and education. Visit https://jfgi.givingfuel.com/combating-antisemitism-fund to
make a donation.

“WE WANT PEOPLE AND OTHER COMMUNITIES TO AMPLIFY OUR MESSAGE SO IT’S NOT JUST THE JEWISH COMMUNITY STANDING UP FOR OURSELVES BUT OTHER PARTNERS STANDING WITH US.”
— JACOB MARKEY, JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Similarly, Safe Indy responds when acts of antisemitism are reported, coordinating with JCRC, ADL, IMPD, and SCN’s Duty Desk, said Grant Mendenhall, Safe Indy Community Security Director. When appropriate, Safe Indy communicates directly with community representatives in response to acts of antisemitism.

JCRC also responds to incidents of antisemitism through relationship-building, political advocacy, and education.
JCRC Executive Director Jacob Markey says JCRC works with government officials, religious, educational and cultural leaders to make sure they are also aware of what happens and to respond and keep the community safe. JCRC also speaks to the media, helping the wider community to understand what is happening and how hate has no place in society.

Katiera Winfrey, Multicultural News Reporter at WISH-TV8, was hired a few years ago to give specific attention to
minority communities like the Jewish community. Her role has “opened up doors and allowed us to talk about those types of stories happening in our community that are either underreported or not talked about as often as they could or should,” she said.

Winfrey says her storytelling is vital because more stories on diverse communities create a more inclusive and well-represented community.

“My role is to spread the news,” she said. “I don’t go looking for specific attacks or stories, but when an incident occurs, it’s important to tell the public. We see a lot happening and we need to get the word out.”

The Strength of Community and Partnerships 

While the tireless work of Jewish organizations and law enforcement is ongoing, Dr. Marc Swatez, Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis CEO, says the fight against antisemitism is too big of an issue for any one
organization. Rather, “it is an issue for the entire community and it’s about being strong as a community.”

Markey adds, “It’s the teacher who knows how toreact, the parent who knows how to talk to their kids, the person who knows how to talk about it with peers and coworkers in the workplace.”

Batya Frank-Messenger is a local Jewish mother who founded the group Hoosiers Against Antisemitism because she and her kids have experienced antisemitism. She, like Jewish community professionals, also believes this
is an issue for the entire community.

“We need people to speak up for us and there needs to be an effort in every space,” she said. “We don’t have
a lot of people speaking up for us – speak up with us.”

Frank-Messenger added that everyone in the community needs to have some training on how to address antisemitism. She advises everyone to become knowledgeable and trained with the skills to not only explain antisemitism but to speak out and advocate for yourself and others. As she put it, “we need to shape our community to be the best supportive community for our children and the future generations.”

Longtime community member and business owner Jeff Smulyan says the rise in antisemitism is deeply troubling,
and that “Jews should not live in fear.”

“Antisemitism used to lurk in the shadows but now it’s in the open,” he said. “It has been given a degree of
legitimacy and a platform that I haven’t seen in my lifetime.” He believes the community needs to be vigilant
about antisemitism and be a force for dialogue and unity.

Dr. Alvin H. Rosenfeld, the Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and a professor at Indiana University, also believes Jews are living in a threatening time and echoes Smulyan’s thoughts.

“We want to lead normal lives and do what we want to do but can’t afford to ignore an accelerating rise in
Jew-hatred,” he said. “We have to take steps to protect ourselves and educate people about it.We are a small
community, and we can’t do this on our own. Those who recognize antisemitism is a problem should have zero tolerance for it.”

“Jewish communities enter into interreligious, interfaith and interethnic relations which helps us retain allies,” he said.

Many colleges and universities across Indiana have shown support for the Jewish communities, even as incidents
occur. At Indiana University (IU), Dr. Rosenfeld said Provost Rahul Shrivastav created an antisemitism advisory
committee to make sure IU can respond to incidents and speak out against them. The committee is made up of educators, professionals, campus organizations and representatives from the Jewish student population.

Ongoing Work To Combat Antisemitism 

Much of the work done by JCRC, the Jewish Federation, Safe Indy, law enforcement and ADL includes taking a
proactive approach to combatting antisemitism through partnerships, community building, and education.

Nationally, ADL partners with groups like The Urban League, League of United Latin American Citizens, Hillel, BBYO, and the National Council of Synagogues, while also offering programming like “Words to Action,” “No Place for Hate,” “A World of Difference,” and “Hate/Uncycled.” These programs help educators, families, and students of all ages better understand antisemitism, bias and bullying and share strategies to counter these types of hate in everyday life.

Locally, JCRC serves as a resource and partner to schools, employers, and Jewish families. They distribute a 5-year calendar of major Jewish holidays to help raise awareness and minimize conflicts while also promoting accurate education about Jews, Judaism, Jewish history, and Israel. They coordinate an annual State of Indiana Holocaust Remembrance Program and a Jewish community Yom HaShoah program, and run the Holocaust Speakers Bureau, which reaches thousands of students.

JCRC is also proactively combatting antisemitism through many of their own programs. “Stand Up! Speak Out!” is a series of programs designed to reduce bigotry against, and ignorance of, Jews and the Jewish community. Twelve students participated in the 2021-22 program and 14 are signed up for the 2022-23 program. Their Israel Engagement Fellowship program prepares students on how to talk about Israel and antisemitism.

“It’s important to have conversations in the community,” Markey said. “We want people and other communities to amplify our message so it’s not just the Jewish community standing up for ourselves but other partners standing with us.”

Safe Indy partners with 16 Jewish community organizations, including Jewish fraternities, synagogues, and agencies. Since the initiative’s inception, it has conducted 54 facility walkthroughs and formal security assessments along with almost 300 consultations, community meetings and other forms of community-wide communications. More than 2,000 Hoosiers have been trained in the areas of Situational Awareness, Countering Active Threats,
Cybersecurity, Critical Incident Response, Safety and Security Team Training, and Intelligence Briefing.

Two other Jewish Federation agencies – Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis and the Arthur M. Glick Jewish
Community Center (JCC) – also have a role in the fight. The Academy has the area’s only student-built Holocaust
Museum for people to experience. As part of the Ann Katz Festival of Books & Arts at the JCC in November, JCC
hosted three different events – one in partnership with Congregation Beth-El Zedeck – centering on different aspects of antisemitism.

IU also offers a robust Jewish Studies program, with about 40 courses available each year. The school will celebrate the program’s 50th anniversary this year. In addition, Rosenfeld says his department has held more than 50 webinars featuring some of the most accomplished antisemitism scholars in the world, reaching about 2,000 people in 40 countries, with more webinars scheduled for 2023.

What You Can Do 

As a community, there’s much work to do. All are welcome to learn, speak and participate in any of the programs mentioned in this story. As far as safety concerns, Mendenhall and Wolley urge Jews to maintain good situational awareness, and immediately report all acts of antisemitism to Safe Indy or ADL and notify the police.

“WE NEED PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP FOR US AND THERE NEEDS TO BE AN EFFORT IN EVERY SPACE. WE DON’T HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE SPEAKING UP FOR US – SPEAK UP WITH US.”
— BATYA FRANK-MESSENGER, LOCAL JEWISH MOTHER AND FOUNDER OF HOOSIERS AGAINST ANTISEMITISM