The “20-Day Challenge©” was conceived several years ago by diversity expert Eddie Moore, Jr. to advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy and oppression. The Practice invites participants to complete a syllabus of 20 daily, short assignments (typically taking 15-30 minutes), over 20 days, that includes readings, videos, or podcasts. The assignments seek to expose participants to perspectives on elements of the Jewish American experience, including perspectives on Jewish history, identity and culture, and the experience of antisemitic bias in America. This syllabus is but an introduction to what we hope will be a rewarding journey that extends far beyond the limits of this project.
Antisemitism | Holocaust Encyclopedia | U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (3:30 minute read)
Antisemitism in Our Midst: Past and Present | University of California, Berkeley Center for Jewish Studies (11:14 minute video)
Antisemitism: how the origins of history's oldest hatred still hold sway today | Gervase Phillips, The Conversation, February 27, 2018 (12:45 minute read)
How does this challenge your existing understanding of what antisemitism is?
Examine how antisemitism is different from and similar to other forms of hate.
Looking at the Berkeley source, how have the manifestations of antisemitism evolved?
Antisemitic Attitudes in America: Topline Findings (Executive Summary) | Anti-Defamation League, January 12, 2023 (18:10 minute read)
Antisemitism Today | U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (7:05 minute video)
Antisemitism is on the rise, and it's not just about Ye | Lisa Hagen, NPR, December 1, 2022 (4:30 minute read)
1 in 4 Jews say they experienced antisemitism in the last year | Joe Hernandez, NPR, October 26, 2021 (2:00 minute read)
Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2022 (Executive Summary) | Anti-Defamation League, March 3, 2023 (3:30 minute read)
Have you personally experienced antisemitism? What did that look like?
Have you noticed instances of antisemitism in your community?
How does the rise in antisemitism impact how Jews express themselves publicly (such as wearing head coverings, traditional clothing, religious jewelry) or by acknowledging that a connection to Israel is part of their essential identity?
Why the Jews: History of Antisemitism | U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (13:28 minute video)
How U.S. Antisemitism Shut the Door on Countless Refugee Children | The U.S. and the Holocaust | PBS (7:00 minute video)
How have Jews been affected by antisemitism? What impact does antisemitism have on others?
What is scapegoating and why have Jews been historically used as scapegoats?
Christian Persecution of Jews over the Centuries | Gerard S. Sloyan, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (9:56 minute read)
Anti-Semitism is Christianity's original sin | Jonathan Grieser, The Christian Century, November 2, 2018 (4:05 minute read)
The "Golden Age" of Jewish-Muslim Relations: Myth and Reality | Mark R. Cohen, Princeton University Press (20:30 minute read)
Jews and the Christian Right | Clifford R. Goldstein, Liberty Magazine, March/April 2006 (9:00 minute read)
How have the justifications for antisemitism changed over the centuries?
What are the dangers of the philosemitism of the Christian Right?
What are modern forms of religiously based antisemitism?
Antisemitism Behind the Numbers: Four Stories About What It's Like to Be Jewish in America | American Jewish Committee, October 25, 2021 (8:20 minute read)
UC Berkeley Law School's 'Jew Free Zones': the Latest Progressive Trend | Opinion | Laura Rosen Cohen, Newsweek, October 22, 2022 (8:20 minute read)
Report: Pandemic amped up anti-Semitism, forced it online | Laurie Kellman, Associated Press, April 7, 2021 (3:20 minute read)
They yelled, "JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US." Today, we've got a response. | World Jewish Congress, August 17, 2021 (0:42 minute video)
Antisemitic Attacks in New York Are at Highest Level in Decades | Liam Stack, The New York Times, April 26, 2022 (5:00 minute read)
How has antisemitism moved beyond its religious and racial manifestations?
What is behind the rise in antisemitism?
What modern triggers for antisemitism have you observed or experienced?
Recognizing Anti-Zionism as an Attack on Jewish Identity | Alyza D. Lewin, Catholic University Law Review, Fall 2019 (13:30 minute read)
Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism | American Jewish Committee Campus Affairs (3:30 minute read)
What Is...Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist? | Anti-Defamation League, May 3, 2022 (2:40 minute read)
Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism | Robert Wistrich, Jewish Political Studies Review, Fall 2004 (10:40 minute read)
Defining Antisemitism | U.S. Department of State (3:13 minute read)
How is antisemitism distinguished from anti-Zionism?
How can we distinguish antisemitism from legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and its policies?
Why are double standards, delegitimization, and demonization symptoms and hallmarks of antisemitism?
Deborah Lipstadt: Behind the lies of Holocaust denial | TEDxSkoll (15:21 minute video)
Unpacking the U.S. and the Holocaust Discussion Guide | PBS (11:00 minute read)
Could It Happen Here?: The Holocaust and Atrocities in the 21st Century | Jonathan Leader Maynard, Just Security, February 10, 2023 (11:20 minute read)
Aside from Holocaust denial, what other conspiracy theories are gaining momentum? Why do you think this is happening?
How can we confront Holocaust deniers and the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories?
Can you identify parallels between the current rise in antisemitism and the rise of antisemitism before the Holocaust?
Are Jews White? | Emma Green, The Atlantic, December 5, 2016 (9:20 minute read)
Are Jews White? | Association for Jewish Studies Adventures in Jewish Studies Podcast (33:42 minute audio)
How Did Jews Become White Folks? | Karen Brodkin Sacks, Rutgers University Press (44:40 minute read)
How might Jews from different backgrounds answer the question, “Are Jews white”?
Does the characterization of Jews as “white” negate the historical experience of Jews?
How does the American power structure factor into the discussion of the perception of Jewish whiteness?
How does the ability of many Jews to pass for white affect antisemitic attitudes within both the minority and the white supremacist communities?
Is antisemitism a form of racism? | Anne Frank House (1:20 minute read & 5:07 minute video)
Antisemitism isn't just 'Jew-hatred' – it's anti-Jewish racism | Dov Waxman, The Conversation, November 16, 2022 (4:50 minute read)
Intersectionality and Antisemitism – A New Approach | Karin Stögner, Fathom, May 2020 (19:20 minute read)
Why is antisemitism a central feature of white supremacist movements?
How do you see antisemitism and other forms of racism intersecting?
How can Black and Jewish movements work together to fight all forms of racism, including antisemitism?
Navigating Nuance: Using the Term "Jews of Color" | Jews of Color Initiative, June 2022 (4:20 minute read)
What Is a Jew of Color? | Hen Mazzig, Jewish Journal, January 30, 2020 (3:20 minute read)
Jews of Color and the Changing Demographics of Jews | Ed Gaskin, JewishBoston, February 14, 2022 (5:20 minute read)
A Black History Month poem: i think a lot about color | Tova Ricardo, J. The Jewish News of Northern California, February 16, 2023 (1:50 minute read)
Op-Ed: No, Israel isn't a country of privileged and powerful white Europeans | Hen Mazzig, Los Angeles Times, May 20, 2019 (3:12 minute read)
Opinion: I'm a Mizrahi Jew. Do I Count as a Person of Color? | Sigal Samuel, The Forward, August 10, 2015 (8:45 minute read)
What do discussions about race in the Jewish community say about perceptions of Jewish people?
What are the special challenges faced by Jews of color as they confront both antisemitism and other forms of racism?
How do Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews, who constitute the majority of the state of Israel, fit into the category of “Jews of color”?
A.C. Thompson on Antisemitism and Right-Wing Extremism | PBS Frontline, February 3, 2023 (18:40 minute audio)
How Jewish Progressives Can Stand Up Against Left Anti-Semitism | Carly Pildis, Tablet, May 8, 2018 (7:26 minute read)
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt Delivers Annual State of Hate | Anti-Defamation League, November 11, 2021 (18:40 minute audio)
Not just neo-Nazis with tiki torches: Why Jewish students say they also fear cloaked anti-Semitism | Mallory Simon, CNN, July 1, 2021 (13:20 minute read)
What are the implications of the fact that people on different sides of the political spectrum are prone to finding antisemitism only on the other side?
Why is antisemitism a feature of both the right and the left?
Is there a difference between antisemitism on the right and the left?
The Dark Side of Social Media: How it Fuels Antisemitism | Sabine von Mering, The Jewish Experience, May 13, 2022 (6:17 minute read)
Platforms' Efforts to Block Antisemitic Content Are Falling Short | Gabrielle Beacken, Inga Trauthig, Samuel Woodley, Centre for International Governance Innovation, December 7, 2022 (4:30 minute read)
Kanye West's celebrity gives his brazen antisemitism a more toxic power, reach | Grace Toohey, Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, October 25, 2023 (5:45 minute read)
How do media depictions of Jews contribute to antisemitic views?
What is the proper balance between “free speech” and “hate speech”?
Are social media efforts to exclude hate speech consistent with free speech protections, which extend even to hate speech?
How do celebrities like Ye and Kyrie Irving drive antisemitism?
#StandUpToJewishHate: The Blue Square | Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, March 27, 2023 (1:00 minute video)
How to address antisemitic rhetoric when you encounter it | Wynne Davis, NPR, December 1, 2022 (5:36 minute read)
Health Effects of Antisemitism | Shishira Sreenivas, WebMD, November 4, 2022 (4:43 minute read)
Resources to Address and Challenge Antisemitism | Anti-Defamation League, June 14, 2022 (1:00 minute read, not including reading time for linked materials)
ADL at Work: Challenging Antisemitism and Bias in the Workplace | Anti-Defamation League (4:07 minute read)
How does it magnify the psychological harm caused by antisemitism when discrimination against Jews is not recognized or remedied like other forms of prejudice and hate?
When and how should we confront rhetoric and actions that others Jews by associating support for the existence of Israel with racism?
Opinion: Stopping the Tide of Campus Antisemitism | Jonathan Greenblatt, Inside Higher Ed, November 1, 2022 (4:40 minute read)
Antisemitism Is Rising at Colleges, and Jewish Students Are Facing Growing Hostility | Douglas Belkin, The Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2022 (8:00 minute read)
Combating Discrimination Against Jewish Students | U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (2:10 minute read)
Are Jewish Students Feeling Forced to Hide Their Identity On Campus? | Evan Gerstman, Forbes, September 24, 2021 (4:20 minute read)
U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights Resolves Investigation Addressing the University of Vermont's Responses to Allegations of Antisemitic Incidents | U.S. Department of Education, April 3, 2023 (2:36 minute read)
Is the effort to exclude Jewish students from civil rights movements and activities if they fail to disown an intrinsic part of their identity similar to efforts to keep members of other historically disadvantaged groups “in the closet?”
Zionism is an essential or important part of the religious identity of more than 80% of Jews. Is exclusion of Zionists an act of religious discrimination?
Op-Ed: When a Berkeley Law debate on free speech got turned into a social media circus | Erwin Chemerinsky, Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2022 (5:20 minute read)
Opinion: Why We Filed a Civil Rights Claim Against UC Berkeley Law School | Arsen Ostrovsky and Gabriel Groisman, Newsweek, November 11, 2022 (5:00 minute read)
Does the First Amendment Protect Hate Speech? | E.A. Gjelten, Lawyers.com, November 2, 2020 (3:26 minute read)
Is it a threat to free speech to condemn antisemitism?
Does protection of free speech mean that student groups should be empowered to adopt a standard that has the effect of excluding more than 80% of members of a protected class?
Should campuses be zones of free expression for any political or religious belief?
East Bay high school teacher called out for antisemitic lessons | J. The Jewish News of Northern California, February 21, 2023 (1:00 minute read)
Ethnic Studies Curriculum Deemed 'Anti-Jewish' | Catherine Gewertz, Education Week, August 27, 2019 (8:00 minute read)
'Maus' author reacts to his book being banned | CNN, January 27, 2022 (10:30 minute video)
Can one have an inclusive ethnic studies curriculum which fails to address, or which denigrates, Jewish identity and antisemitism?
Should academic freedom protect an educator who teaches material that defames or disparages members of a minority or faith community?
Should an educator be permitted to publicly make racist or antisemitic comments or actions on a school platform? Or on their private platforms?
Combating Antisemitism in the Workplace | Matt Gonzales, SHRM, February 1, 2022 (4:00 minute read)
Growing Antisemitism in the US Is Seeping Into the Workplace | Arianne Cohen, Bloomberg, January 11, 2023 (6:00 minute read)
How to Support Your Jewish Colleagues Right Now | Mita Mallick, Harvard Business Review, December 15, 2022 (13:00 minute read)
Being a Light in a Time of Darkness: How Employers May Combat Workplace Antisemitism | Meg A. Burnham and Scott Prange, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, December 2, 2022 (9:00 minute read)
Have you experienced or observed antisemitism at work?
How does workplace antisemitism manifest itself?
In what ways can you support your Jewish colleagues facing antisemitism?
Is the failure to provide an accommodation for a Jewish religious practice necessarily antisemitic? Can it be?
Video Blog by Michael O'Flaherty: Antisemitism | European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, December 10, 2018 (1:55 minute video)
ADL Global 100: Index on Antisemitism | Anti-Defamation League (interactive map)
Antisemitism in Europe and America in the Modern Period: Historical Perspectives | Reena Sigman Friedman, Ph.D., Evolve, March 12, 2021 (9:10 minute read)
The Future of the Jewish Communities in Europe | Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, September 27, 2016 (11:00 minute read)
Fact Sheet: Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries | Jewish Virtual Library (20:40 minute read)
Does antisemitism manifest differently in the United States as compared to Europe?
Studies show that over 80% of people in the Middle East and North Africa harbor antisemitic attitudes. Is that a solvable problem?
Should responses to antisemitism differ based on the historical background and approaches to free speech of different countries?
Is America’s founding tradition of freedom of religion account for the relatively lower percentage of antisemitic attitudes and incidents in the United States?
As antisemitism grows, so does its dangers to everyone. Here's how you can fight against it | Ryan Bergeron, CNN, March 30, 2023 (4:10 minute read)
What my 10-year-old son innately understood about a simple way to combat antisemitism | Dana Bash, CNN, August 19, 2022 (4:30 minute read)
Antisemitism Spikes, And Many Jews Wonder: Where Are Our Allies? | Melissa Block and Jerome Socolovsky, NPR, June 7, 2021 (7:50 minute read)
How can lawyers, law students, jurists and lay people call out and fight antisemitism?
In what ways can I “stop the spread” of antisemitism?
How can I be an ally to the Jewish community?
Bigotry and hate-crime often counts on the apathy and non-action of bystanders; how do we empower and mobilize bystanders in the fights against antisemitism?
ABA Resolution 23M514 (28:00 minute read)
ADL Announces The COMBAT Plan to Fight Antisemitism | Anti-Defamation League, June 28, 2022 (2:50 minute video)
A Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America | American Jewish Committee (52:14 minute read)
Steven Spielberg speaks out against rise in antisemitism in the world | Marianne Garvey, CNN, March 3, 2023 (1:20 minute read)
How can I implement these tools to fight antisemitism, personally?
How can I incorporate tools to combat antisemitism in my professional setting?
Can I introduce these ideas to my faith community?
With whom can I partner to combat antisemitism?