On August 27, ADL New York Region was at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires conducting workshops to help campers at United Synagogue Youth’s Encampment program address anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias they may encounter at school or in their community.

Throughout the day, ADL’s Northeast region facilitators held 15 workshops for all 450 campers, grades 6-12. ADL’s Confronting Anti-Semitism program for middle-school campers focused on the origins of anti-Semitism, how to respond to anti-Semitic bias and bullying, and how bullying can escalate to violence if it isn’t checked, as illustrated by ADL’s “Pyramid of Hate.”

For campers going into grades 9-12, we conducted our newly updated program focused on responding to anti-Israel bias, called Words to Action: Empowering Jewish Students to Address Bias on Campus. Campers discussed strategies to define, assess and confront anti-Israel activity—especially the kind that crosses the line into anti-Semitism. Campers were also given time to share behavior they may have confronted in the past and to discuss the best course of action for dealing with it.

Feedback from the programs was extremely positive:

“As a result of this program, I better understand the importance of standing up to anti-Semitism to stop the progression of hate. The explanation of the Pyramid of Hate was very helpful.”

“I liked breaking into groups and discussing how to deal with specific scenarios of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias … as a result of this program, I am going to represent Israel with more pride and strength.”

ADL New York Region thanks Metropolitan New York USY for inviting us to Encampment 2015!

For more information on ADL’s Confronting Anti-Semitism initiative, or to schedule a program, please contact our office at NewYork.adl.org