The Rise in Anti-Semitism: A Collaborative Approach to a Societal Threat
In recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month, Blank Rome LLP hosted an exclusive virtual event featuring Dr. Saba Soomekh and Alyssa Weiner with the American Jewish Committee on Wednesday, May 26, 2022.
The story of the Jewish American experience is almost as old as our country. The dawn of the 20th century witnessed unprecedented immigration of Central and Eastern European Jews to America’s shores and the establishment of vibrant Jewish communities, first on the east coast, then across the country. American Jewish life was an amalgam of old traditions and new institutions. As new generations came of age, Jewish American culture increasingly became part of the American social fabric through music, literature, art, entertainment, humor, food, science, politics, the media, philanthropy, and civic and corporate leadership.
Anti-Semitism is pervasive in the United States, with related incidents hitting a record high in 2021. Dr. Saba Soomekh, Alyssa Weiner, and others discussed what is going on in Jewish culture with the goals of raising awareness and bringing people closer together.
SPEAKERS
- Dr. Saba Soomekh, Associate Director, American Jewish Committee
- Alyssa Weiner, Assistant Director for International Jewish Affairs, American Jewish Committee
- Carol Sikov Gross, President, Tree of Life Congregation
- Brooke Goldstein, Executive Director, Lawfare Project
- Grant Palmer, Managing Partner and CEO, Blank Rome LLP
- Alan Hoffman, Chair, Blank Rome LLP
Featured speaker Dr. Saba Soomekh is the associate director of the human rights organization American Jewish Committee-Los Angeles and a lecturer at the Academy for Jewish Religion-CA, where she teaches religious studies and Middle Eastern history. She received her bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of California, Berkeley; her master’s degree in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School; and her Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Program moderator Alyssa Weiner is assistant director for international Jewish affairs at the American Jewish Committee (“AJC”). She works with Director Rabbi Andrew Baker in support of one of AJC’s programmatic priorities: combatting global anti-Semitism. Her department is responsible for maintaining AJC’s network of relationships with international Jewish communities throughout the diaspora and addressing their needs and concerns, as well as programming and seminars for non-Jewish people to learn about American Jewish life and the role of civil society in democracy.
Blank Rome was formed 75 years ago by attorneys who, because of their religion, were barred from joining many established law firms. Our founders did not stand idly by in the face of discrimination, but instead stood up and took action to create a firm where people of diverse backgrounds could gather together to practice law. Our firm continues to stand against anti-Semitism and reaffirms our core value and founding principle—an unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.