opinion
New Administration Positioned to
Combat Antisemitism, Racism
Ari Mittelman
Hurca! . AdobeStock
W atching the historic
inauguration last week
of Josh Shapiro and
Austin Davis immediately evoked
images from civil rights demonstra-
tions of six decades ago.

Every year as the nation marks
the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., the Jewish community
refl ects on its integral role in the
civil rights movement. In particu-
lar, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
was a close friend of King and was
often seen in those iconic images
by his side.

While both men of faith, the two
ostensibly had little in common.

Heschel was born in Warsaw,
Poland, more than two decades
before King’s birth in Atlanta.

Their legacy is one of not just
working to uplift their communi-
ties but partnering to strengthen
the whole of American society.

While private citizens, they recog-
nized the constructive role elected
policymakers can have.

Similarly, Shapiro and Davis are not only from
diff erent faiths but signifi cantly diff erent parts of
the commonwealth and diff erent generations. Each
has a track record of “thinking outside the box” that
will be most benefi cial at this juncture in American
history. During the fi rst term of the Shapiro-Davis admin-
istration, the United States will celebrate its 250th
birthday. The unalienable rights of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness envisioned in the Declaration
of Independence are being tested. In recent years,
there has been a meteoric rise in antisemitic and
racially motivated hate crimes.

As Shapiro would often make clear on the campaign
trail, “It is not up to us to fi nish the work, but we are
not free to avoid it.”
The state that gave birth to our nation is also home
to the most violent antisemitic attack in our nation’s
history. While no policymakers in Harrisburg can fully
tackle this pandemic of hate, they should not shy
away from proven strategies to attack it.

The Shapiro-Davis administration is uniquely
positioned to mobilize local and state elected offi cials
to work with everyday Pennsylvanians to combat
racism and antisemitism.

In 2021, the Southern Poverty Law Center tracked
30 hate groups in Pennsylvania. These are in commu-
nities rural and urban.

That same year, the FBI reported hate crimes
targeting Americans because of their race increased
more than any other category. Between 2019 and
2020, there was a growth from 3,954 to 4,939 total
incidents. In 2020, there were 2,755 attacks target-
ing Black Americans – the largest rise.

In 2019, the Anti-Defamation League, recorded
more than 2,100 antisemitic acts in America of
assault, vandalism and harassment. This was an
increase of 12% over the previous year. That year, the
world watched as brave police offi cers battled with
violent antisemites who attacked and killed worship-
pers in Poway, California, shoppers in Jersey City,
New Jersey, and partygoers in Monsey, New York.

In response to this rise in hate and to honor the
legacy of King and Heschel, legislators in Michigan
launched the bicameral Black and
Jewish Unity Caucus in July 2020.

Since the launch, it has taken
legislative action. Equally import-
ant, it has used the power to
convene Jewish and Black every-
day Michiganders for thought-pro-
voking dialogue that has led to
constructive citizen action.

Having both served in the
state House and with a legisla-
ture more diverse than ever before
in Pennsylvania history, the new
governor and lieutenant governor
would be wise to examine and
prompt legislators to adopt the
Michigan model.

In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul
of New York launched a statewide
Hate and Bias Prevention Unit. This
is in response to both the devas-
tating attack on Black shoppers in
Buff alo and continuing antisemitic
violence on the streets of Brooklyn.

The new unit will be responsible
for spearheading public education
and outreach eff orts. It will serve as
an early warning system and quickly
mobilize when bias incidents occur.

This innovative approach will
include 10 regional councils comprised of diverse
local leaders. Community members will be able to
share concerns and work with the full weight of the
governor’s offi ce to organize educational program-
ming and host hate crime prevention events.

The new administration should closely examine a
similar model of regional councils. With his infectious
energy and creative millennial mindset, Davis would
be an ideal convener for regular regional events.

Fifty-fi ve decades after King’s death, Black and
Jewish Americans are facing a sharp rise in hatred
and violence. King wrote that “we may have all
come on diff erent ships, but we’re all in the same
boat now.”
These words most certainly ring true today. The
Shapiro-Davis administration is uniquely positioned
to help navigate this boat as they begin their
term. They have demonstrated that what unites
Pennsylvanians is stronger than what divides us. ■
Ari Mittleman is originally from Allentown. He is the
author of ”Paths of the Righteous.”
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