The Global Institute at Long Island University will host a conference on Sept. 13 with the goal of combating the recent rise in anti-Semitism both locally and beyond the region.
Dubbed “The State of Anti-Semitism: Local and Global,” its aim is to assess anti-Semitism and work with authorities to identify best practices to improve communication and safety for Jewish institutions on LI, according to conference organizers.
“At a time when anti-Semitism is rising at home and abroad, it is critical to come together and work together for the common good,” said former U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington), who founded the Global Institute at LIU and is leading the conference. “This conference will help bring our community together to have an open dialogue, share ideas, and educate ourselves on the history of religious violence and global trends, so we can stand vigilant against anti-Semitism.”
Anti-Jewish hate crimes that were reported to police rose 9 percent between 2014 and ’15, according to the FBI’s latest annual bias crime statistics report issued in November. And anti-Semitic incidents grew 86 percent in the first three months of 2017, compared to the same quarter last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The most high-profile such incident came when a white nationalist rally turned violent in Charlottesville, Va. last month.
The headline speaker at LIU’s conference will be Deborah Lipstadt, the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History, and one of the world’s most respected Holocaust historians and anti-Semitism experts whose work was subject of the 2016 film Denial. Ambassador Dani Dayan, Consul-General of Israel in New York, will make the opening remarks.
A panel of local law enforcement leaders talking about what can be done to protect communities will include Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Timothy Sini and Taryn Merkl, an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York who serves as chief of Civil Rights for the Criminal Division.
The event is sponsored by NYCB Live, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Counter Extremism Project, and Bruce Pergament. The media sponsors are Jewish Broadcasting Service and Long Island Press.
The conference will be held at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts from 4:30-9:30 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 13. Attendance is free and open to the public.
