April 2022 DEI Committee Blog

WGR’s DEI Committee met for its April meeting on Tuesday, April 12, featuring a discussion centered around the issue of Antisemitism and Allyship.

DEI Committee Chair, Gamble Hayden kicked off the discussion by showing a video by Unpacked titled “Do Jews Cause Antisemitism?,” and then posted two discussion questions in the Zoom meeting chat: (1) What would you do if you heard someone say an antisemitic joke or insult? What about another biased joke or insult?; and (2) What would you do if you saw an anti-Semitic or another hate symbol in school or the community?

Committee members responded to the contents of the video, and the discussion questions garnered a very robust, thought-provoking and eye-opening conversation surrounding such issues as: the history and meaning of antisemitism; words and phrases that have antisemitic roots; the intersection between race and ethnicity; and the true meaning of allyship. Committee members shared their personal stories of antisemitism [both against themselves and others] and ways that they “show up” in support of their Jewish family members and friends.

Committee members also mentioned a number of educational resources during the conversation, all of which can be found on the DEI Committee Resource Page.

We welcome all WGR members to join us each month at our DEI Committee Meetings! The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 10 from 11:30 AM–1 PM (ET). For more information on WGR’s DEI Committee, please reach out to dei.wgr@gmail.com.

This month’s blog is authored by DEI Committee Chair Gamble Hayden.