How a Syracuse group is responding to a surge in antisemitism locally

Syracuse native Sam Garelick spent 18 years in Los Angeles as an active pro-Israel advocate before returning home shortly before Oct. 7, 2023.

But in the year since the attack that launched the Israel-Hamas war, Garelick’s advocacy for Israel and its relationship with the United States has only strengthened.

“I never thought I’d be living a life where anti semitism was on our doorsteps, and yet it is,” Garelick said. “It’s in my children’s lives on a daily basis. So I have been fighting, and will continue to fight, to educate people and advocate against anti semitism and anti hate for all.”

The war between the two Middle Eastern factions started on Oct. 7 of last year when 1,200 Israelis were killed in a terrorist attack coordinated by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival. In the year since then, a report by Brown University estimates over 53,000 Palestinian and Israeli lives have been lost in the war. 

Garelick now chairs the education brigade for End Antisemitism Now (EAN), a non-profit organization founded in central New York following the rise in antisemitism concurrent to the Israel-Hamas war. 

Through education, advocacy and collaboration, EAN aims to raise awareness and educate local leaders about the needs of the Jewish community. Founded by fourth-generation Syracuse resident Brian Raphael, the organization hopes to aid in creating a local environment that understands and celebrates Jewish culture. EAN has primarily been focused on dealing with post-Oct. 7 antisemitic attacks, organizing protests and educating the community. 

EAN has an antisemitism task force that advocates against racism towards Jews. Raphael said his organization has observed antisemitic incidents in upstate New York, central New York and in Syracuse itself. These incidents have increased by 140% across the U.S. in 2023 compared to 2022.  

“We have become a voice for the Jewish community, but also a resource for the Jewish community to turn to when they experience anything that they’re concerned about,” Raphael said.

Antisemitic incidents that have occurred on both university campuses and within the public community are made known to EAN through relationships they have built with local governments, politicians and clergy members. Garelick said the education brigade tries to educate these leaders on what the Jewish community needs, what they’re celebrating at a given time and who they are as a people. 

“There have been incidents where some of the local schools have unknowingly honored individuals who are historically antisemitic. So we’ve worked with schools to help them understand why honoring someone like that, for example Linda Sarsour, would be very difficult for a Jewish student,” Garelick said.

One of their larger goals is to ensure that local CNY schools effectively include antisemitism education in their curriculum. Although New York state mandates that public schools teach about the Holocaust in 8th, 10th and 11th grade, Garelick said that some schools that do not have a large Jewish population may not be well-equipped to do so. 

EAN aims to be another set of resources for schools to use when deciding how to provide age-appropriate antisemitism education. 

EAN partners with other organizations such as 3GNY to facilitate their mission of educating the local community. 3GNY is a non-profit organization founded by grandchildren of Holocaust survivors that educates communities about the “perils of intolerance.” EAN is working with 3GNY to share their grandparents’ survival stories in schools across central New York, providing a forum for positive societal impact.

Apart from educating people outside the Jewish community, EAN strives to educate those within the Jewish community. For example, EAN’s speaker programming committee has hosted speakers from Israel, local leaders and Jewish leaders nationwide to speak to the Syracuse community. 

Congressman Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.), who sits on the House Committee for Education and the Workforce, was a speaker at an EAN event focusing on what college campuses should expect to face in 2024 when it comes to antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric. Garelick said the event was advertised to the local Jewish community, although anyone could attend. 

Williams and other elected officials like Mayor Ben Walsh attended an Oct. 7 memorial event held at Temple Adath and Temple Concord on Monday evening. EAN partnered with the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse and all the local Syracuse synagogues to host the event. 

“End Antisemitism Now compelled attendees to grapple with the uncomfortable, and at times disturbing, realities of last year’s horrific massacre,” Williams said. “In doing so, we keep ourselves from becoming desensitized to the harrowing reality that so many Israelis faced on that fateful day.” 

Nearly 500 Syracuse community members came together to honor those killed or kidnapped since Oct. 7, 2023. Before and after the event, attendees were able to channel their mourning and sense of loss through displays of Jewish artwork, literature and exhibits focused on the events of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

Photo by Julia Kahen

Candles are lit to memorialize the 64 Israelis who were killed and 18 kidnapped by Hamas in their home of Kibbutz Kfar Azza on Oct. 7, 2023.

During the 75-minute memorial event, those in attendance remembered the lives lost while honoring the heroes and survivors of the attack. Stories of victims and Israeli soldiers who were killed protecting others were read aloud. Videos, photos and artwork were shown on screen following each story, a tribute to those who were lost. 

Keynote speakers included Garelick, Raphael and the mother of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier killed by Hamas in Dec. 2023, who focused the purpose of the event on humanizing those lost. 

“While we focus on the tragedy, the horrific acts of Oct. 7, and remember those that were murdered, those that are hostages, we are showing strength in our unity,” Raphael said. “We’re coming together and moving forward to not only fight antisemitism but also to prevent this from happening again.”

Paul Tranchell of Liverpool, who attended Monday’s event, said he shared news of the event with his local Christian community and brought 13 others along with him. Tranchell said he feels ties to Israel through his experience with terrorist response planning.

“As I see [Jews] being terrorized in the world, basically calling good evil and evil good, it hurts,” Tranchell said. “I’ve got Christian friends of mine, we’ve been praying since October 8, every day.”

The event ended with everyone on their feet, swaying back and forth. “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem meaning “The Hope,” began to play as everyone sang along. Debra Becker, a member of Temple Adath, said that all the Jewish denominations coming together for the event showed how strong the community is. 

“It’s just shocking the antisemitism that’s come out of the attacks on Oct. 7. Hamas did horrible, horrible atrocities and I’m hoping that the world will see the reality of what’s happened,” Becker said. “We can’t forget. We can never forget.”