O pinion
When It Comes to Denouncing White Supremacists, Words Matter
BY SHIRA GOODMAN
WORDS MATTER. This is
a lesson we teach our kids,
but adults must heed this as
well. And often, the intent
behind the words becomes less
important than the meaning
imbued in those words by the
audience. Our country is again
realizing this as we deal with
what President Donald Trump
did and did not say during last
week’s debate.

Trump was asked by moder-
ator Chris Wallace, “Are you
willing, tonight, to condemn
white supremacists and militia
groups and to say that they need
to stand down … ?” Rather than
condemn white supremacists,
Trump repeatedly dodged the
question, and then responded,
“Proud Boys should stand back
and stand by. But I’ll tell you
what, somebody’s got to do
something about antifa and the
left.” Immediately following the
debate exchange, ADL CEO
Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted
that he was “trying to deter-
mine if this was an answer or
an admission. @POTUS owes
America an apology or an
explanation. Now.” Forty-eight
hours later in an interview on
Fox News, the president finally
said, “I condemn all white
supremacists.” This delayed
response, however, could not
undo the messages sent and
heard Tuesday night.

Here are the facts. Domestic
extremism is a growing and
increasingly deadly problem.

In 2019, domestic extremists
killed at least 42 people in the
United States in 17 separate
incidents. Although there are
extremists on the left and the
right who have engaged in
violence, over the last decade,
right-wing extremists have
been responsible for 76% of
all domestic extremist-re-
lated murders. Trump’s own
FBI director recently testi-
fied that “the most lethal of
all domestic extremists since
2001” have been those who
are racially and ethnically
motivated, with white suprem-
acists encompassing the largest
share of such extremists.

And a September 2020 draft
report from the Department
of Homeland Security identi-
fies white supremacists as the
greatest domestic terror threat
to the United States.

We cannot defeat this deadly
form of hatred if we fail to
recognize it and if our leaders
fail to condemn it unequivo-
cally, every time. Tuesday night,
those who fight hatred, bigotry,
anti-Semitism and racism heard
silence where there should have
be a simple, strong statement.

Worse, those motivated
by hatred and bigotry heard
a call to action. They were
emboldened and empow-
ered; one Proud Boys chapter
used the phrase “Stand Back,
Stand By” in a new logo. The
Philadelphia Chapter posted a
doctored image of the presi-
dent wearing one of the Proud
Boys’ standard polo shirts.

Others tweeted, “Standing by.”
Words matter. In the
pyramid of hate that ADL
uses to demonstrate how hate
unchecked can escalate from
biased attitudes to violence, we
emphasize how important it is
to interrupt hate at every level.

That includes calling out friends
and family for telling offen-
sive jokes and posting racially
biased memes, criticizing and
correcting those who misgender
trans people, and condemning
community leaders for racism,
anti-Semitism or any other
hateful speech.

When we fail to do so, a
cycle of escalation begins that
is harder to interrupt. This is
because once we tolerate the
jokes and posts, those speakers
are emboldened. It is not a
tough leap from words to
action, and as we normalize
that kind of speech, it creates
an atmosphere where discrim-
ination, hate incidents and
violence can occur.

We all share the responsi-
bility to call out hate wherever
we see it, whichever side of
the aisle it comes from, and
whoever the speaker is — ally
or opponent, friend or critic. In
these highly polarized times, it
is easier to call out the other side
and to give more leeway to those
we might agree with or support.

This is a dangerous trap because
those who are motivated by
hate will be empowered by that
polarization and any silence it
creates. Words matter — what
is said, what is heard, and how
we respond. l
Shira Goodman is the regional
director of ADL Philadelphia, which
serves eastern Pennsylvania,
southern New Jersey and
Delaware. Teaching and Understanding Culture Is Vital
BY CAROLYN LEIGH KELLERMAN
I HAVE OFTEN wondered
about the meaning of “culture.”
As an adult, I am still learning.

As an educator, I must know.

It’s a crucial topic to be taught
today. It’s as important as
learning mathematics. When
children grow up appreciating
each other’s differences, we
are creating a generation of
individuals who will have more
16 OCTOBER 8, 2020
respect for each other.

I grew up in a town just 15
minutes from Cherry Hill, New
Jersey. I was born and raised
Jewish. I had my bat mitzvah
in my adulthood. When I was
younger, there were probably
only two Jewish children in my
grade. The town I grew up in is
a beautiful town with excellent
schools; however, there are few
Jewish families.

I will never forget the
moment in the lunchroom when
I first felt excluded. I was sitting
with my friends eating lunch
when I felt something cold hit
my skin. I looked up and didn’t
see anything. Then it happened
again. It was a coin. I looked
around and found another coin
on the ground. A bunch of boys
were laughing and staring at me.

I immediately thought, “Why
on earth is someone throwing
money at me?” It wasn’t until I
spoke to my parents about what
happened that I realized I was
being singled out. Before lunch,
I’d felt included. The minute
someone threw a coin at me, I
felt excluded. In one second a
child’s well-being can change.

We need to change that
as a community. We need to
educate our friends, students
and families so that we appre-
ciate each other’s differences.

Of course, this wasn’t the
only time in my life when I
was treated unfairly due to
being Jewish. There were many
instances as I grew into my
teenage years when I was criti-
cized, laughed at, joked about
and belittled for being Jewish.

Someone I considered a friend
even said to me, “I could never
marry a Jew!” Once again, I
wondered: Why do people think
JEWISH EXPONENT
this way? What makes someone
have these feelings? I believe
the answer is that they are not
educated properly about their
own traditions. It’s our customs
that make us all unique and
special. Families need to take
more time to do this.

Cleopatra had it right when
she ruled Egypt as queen.

Her native language was not
Egyptian, but she believed
a ruler should know her
people’s language. She studied
the Egyptian language and
continued to learn several more.

What happened to George
Floyd has brought national
attention to the importance of
teaching kindness and compas-
sion toward others. It’s more
important than ever to change
the way we raise our children
and educate our students about
culture. My story is just one
of many.

My parents are educators.

My dad was a principal of a
middle school and my mom
taught elementary education.

During my graduate studies, I
substituted at my father’s school
to earn extra money. Not always
happy about waking up at 5:30
a.m. to get ready to head to
Northern Burlington Middle
School, I didn’t realize my time
there would forever change
my view about education. My
father ran that school in and out.

Everyone loved him. The school
was warm and welcoming. The
cafeteria workers loved my dad.

As I watched him work hard,
communicate and create a warm
working environment for his
staff, I knew at that moment
the importance of leadership.

See Kellerman, Page 20
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM