Submitted by Rogue-Island-Pirate t3_z7ahhm in RhodeIsland
"Our Jewish community needs all of Rhode Island to declare "hineni." We need you to stand with us so we do not stand alone. We need elected leaders, business leaders, community leaders and everyday Rhode Islanders to call out antisemitism. The Jewish community is only 2% of Rhode Island’s population, so we cannot fight this hate on our own." --Adam Greenman, President & CEO, Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island
The full piece can also be found on the Jewish Alliance website: https://www.jewishallianceri.org/in-the-news-stand-with-us-so-no-one-stands-alone/
degggendorf t1_iy5nl9r wrote
Can someone help me unravel this? It seems like there are multiple things intertwined here.
There is one group that seems to be local to my area that is pro-Jewish in name, but also anti-DEI, anti-CRT, anti-BLM, transphobic, homophobic, anti-muslim, alt-right, pro-police, book-banning, conspiracy theory peddlers. Specifically, this one: https://www.facebook.com/RI4Israel
That group seems to have many joint events with the Jewish Alliance RI, but I have no idea just how philosophically aligned they are as a whole. Is that alt-right pro-Israel group seem as extremist to the other Jewish groups in the state, or are they just the ones saying the quiet part the most out loud (or at least, closest to my ears)?
I saw the founder of that FB group stand up at a school committee meeting to declare that there is no racism or discrimination in our town so the DEI committee should be disbanded, while draped in an "end Jewish hate" flag. It was bafflingly incongruous.
To be clear, I roundly and unequivocally denounce any and all anti-semitism, but I am more hesitant to endorse Jewish-social-political groups that seem to have ulterior motives. But mostly, I could just use some help learning more about them.
edit: okay, whew. Scrolling through the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island's FB page it seems they are faaaar from aligned with the Coalition for Israel one. I see they have posted in support for Providence Pride and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, hosted anti-disinformation workshops, hosted a nonpartisan panel discussion with the Prov mayor candidates ahead of the primaries, and bunch of all the other far-from-political community events you'd expect a "real" nonprofit to organize.