Archive: April 2026

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Antisemitism and You!

Antisemitism and You!by Mark Goldstein, President, Men’s Club Temple Etz Chaim This article is adapted from a drash delivered on Men’s Club/Women of TEC Shabbat, April 3, 2026. This Shabbat ocurrs during Passover. As we all know, Passover commemorates the freedom of the Israelites, the Jewish people, from slavery in Egypt under Pharoah. Many modern …

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Welcome from the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism

Welcome from the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitismby 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 …

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Spertus Institute Combats Antisemitism

Spertus Institute Combats Antisemitismby Dr. Dean P. Bell, President and CEO   For decades, Jewish communal professionals have been trained to build communities, inspire learning, and strengthen Jewish life. Increasingly, however, they are being asked to do something else entirely: respond to antisemitism—constantly, publicly, strategically, and often without adequate preparation or support. That reality is …

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Welcome to Hillel

Welcome to Hillelby Adam Lehman, President and CEO, Hillel For more than a century, Hillel has served as the home away from home for Jewish college students and young adults around the world. Today, Hillel engages, empowers, and inspires more than 190,000 Jewish students annually across 850 campuses worldwide, helping students explore, celebrate, lead, and …

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ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents

ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidentsby Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Dear CATALYST readers and friends of FJMC International: Congratulations and Mazal Tov on the inaugural issue of Catalyst. We so much appreciate our partnership with your organization at both the national and regional levels. As you may have heard, ADL just released our annual …

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From Awareness to Action: How the Blue Square Alliance Is Fighting Jewish Hate

From Awareness to Action: How the Blue Square Alliance Is Fighting Jewish Hateby Adam Katz, President, Blue Square Alliance Against Hate The Blue Square Alliance (BSA) is a nonprofit research organization and national leader in the fight against antisemitism. Founded in 2019 by Robert Kraft, we combat hate online, educate the public, and build meaningful …

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The Jewish Man After October 7

The Jewish Man after October 7By Rabbi Noam Raucher, MA.ed, Executive Director, FJMC InternationalCo-host, Mamas’ Boys podcast With rising antisemitic threats, security is necessary — but when rage turns into identity, something essential in Jewish life begins to erode There is a reason a group like a new Jewish Defense League (JDL) can sound compelling right now. …

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Being Pro-Semitic: Felix Mendelssohn

  Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 –  November 4, 1847) was born to Jewish parents in Hamburg, Germany, but as a child he was converted to Christianity, along with his siblings and his parents, as was somewhat popular in the area during the early 19th century as a way to emancipate from the Jewish ghetto …

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Being Pro-Semitic: Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner (1878 – 1968), Jewish scientist who has an element on the Periodic Table named for her. In the Periodic Table of the Elements, there are two elements named after women scientists. The namesake of Curium is well known, but the other scientist is unjustly obscure– Austrian-born Jewish physicist Elise “Lise” Meitner, who overcame …

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Being Pro-Semitic: Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) was an Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painter who was a pivotal figure in the Impressionist movement. Born on the island of St. Thomas to parents of Portuguese Jewish and French Jewish ancestry, he is regarded as the “dean of the Impressionist painters” not only because he was the oldest of the group, but …

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