Bay Area takes on 'progressive' anti-Semitism

[oberliner]

Three years ago, Jonathan Bernstein received an e-mail from a distraught political activist in the San Francisco Bay Area concerned about rising anti-Semitism among fellow political progressives.

"The growing acceptance of anti-Semitic rhetoric is so commonplace it is not even recognized as anti-Semitism," wrote the activist, who went on to list a number of anti-Semitic incidents in her community that had left her rattled.

Despite her opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the woman had not attended a recent anti-war rally due to her reluctance to support the group organizing the protest.

"We've gotten calls for help like that almost weekly here for the last three years," said Bernstein, director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) office in San Francisco. "With each case we've helped put out fires by trying to get the right person to speak out about whatever the issue is."

On Jan. 28 the ADL will try to do more than just douse fires when it convenes Finding Our Voice, a daylong conference in San Francisco aimed at empowering Jewish progressives to respond to anti-Semitism on the left.

http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=17137

Edit: Not sure if this belongs here or in I/P.