Welcome from the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism

Welcome from the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism
by Irv Varkonyi, Committee Chair

On behalf of the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism, we extend our welcome to our Regions, Clubs and FJMC friends to the Catalyst. Formed when we meet at our Philadelphia Convention in 2023, our committee has successfully reached out to engage you through multiple communication platforms with education, training, and advocacy to counter antisemitism and its deleterious effects on you, your families, neighbors, co-workers, community and national leaders. Acceptance of our committee’s actions helped inspire the Catalyst as has been the need to forcibly respond to the escalation of antisemitism against world Jewry.

Webinars

We offer a regular schedule of webinars featuring leaders in the fight against antisemitism in many of its complexities. Past webinars featured an author who explained the dilemma of Gen Z who are simultaneously exposed to threats from social media, school shootings and antisemitism from K-12 through college. Which threats are worse from their perspectives? Spertus College created its certification program to help professional and lay leaders to combat antisemitism because just being a Jewish leader was insufficient to help their institutional members. A survivor from Kristalnacht’s 1938 devastation of German communities related the horrors of those two days with its eerie similarities in the build up to Kristallnacht to today’s tragedies in Bondi beach, Manchester, UK or Temple Hills, Michigan.

FJMC Partners

Allyship brings success. We partner with ADL, Blue Square Alliance, Hillel International and Jewish War Vets to broaden our reach and offer FJMC members to support them in reducing threats in our communities. Calls to action are regularly featured in our communications platforms calling upon elected leaders at all levels to take action to reduce antisemitic threats.

Changing Hearts and Minds

Our partner ADL, has developed “Changing Hearts and Minds,” an HMV style workshop to enhance our individual communication skills with neighbors, co-workers, friends and even family members to engage with and reduce their antisemitic threats, intentional or otherwise. These workshops are being offered at several Regional retreats, including New England, Quad Regions and Seaboard. We welcome requests from your Regions and clubs for the workshop. It will also be offered at the 2027 San Francisco FJMC Convention.

The FJMC Antisemitism webpage

A variety of resources and information are available on the FJMC Antisemitism page, Combating Antisemitism – FJMC International including recordings of our webinars, our mission statement and articles of interest.

FJMC Quality Club Awards Now Include Antisemitism events

During the past year, the criteria for the FJMC Quality Club Awards added the requirement to offer events/actions focused on combatting antisemitism.

Engagement of our Committee

We are grateful for the participation of members from several FJMC regions who participate regularly in our meetings. Our goal is for each Region to be represented. Our members are:

Norman Wolter, Anshe Eh-Zafon

Jason Waksman, Florida

Aaron Altman, Metro NY

Milton Lipitz, Metro NY

Steven Mandel, Metro NY

Howard Elgart, Mid Atlantic

Nelson Mellitz, Mid Atlantic

Dennis Karr, Northern NJ,

Barry Oslick, Seaboard

Irv Varkonyi, Seaboard

Robert Epstein, Texas

Rusty Dworkin, Texas

Written by Irv Varkonyi, Committee Chair, Combating Antisemitism

“Welcome from the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism” published in the July 2026, Inaugural Edition of Catalyst.