As Hate, Intolerance Escalate, Now is Not the Time to Remain Idle
(Originally published by Cincinnati Enquirer; co-authored by Rabbi Ari Jun and Desiré Bennett)
Ask almost any person of color, anyone of a minority religion, or anyone who doesn't fit into the mainstream mold, and they'll tell you that hate, intolerance and bigotry are on the rise. Recent findings by the Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Center and FBI back this intuition up with hard data. In light of the evidence, what’s a person in a vulnerable group to do? How can an ally be part of the solution?
Be a leader in the change we so desperately need.
This week, 20 Cincinnati-area leaders of diverse backgrounds, professional experiences, faiths, and political beliefs joined together to be that change. They are now members of the Cohen Family Leaders in Light Fellowship, a first-of-its-kind leadership- and network-development program. These 20 fellows are part of our second cohort of "Leaders in Light," and they follow in the footsteps of stand-out local leaders who joined the program two years ago.
Of the two of us penning this note, one (Rabbi Ari Jun) is the Leaders in Light organizer, and the other (Desiré Bennett) is one of those trailblazers. As a former fellow, take Desiré’s word on the impact. She describes it as a program that creates space where diverse individuals can collectively learn, reflect and connect with each other and ideate innovative strategies to combat extremism and hate.
No longer "just" a fellow, Desiré is now a member of the Cohen Family Leaders in Light Institute Executive Committee.
Beyond the personal impacts of this program, the way Leaders in Light enlists existing leaders as force multipliers for peace and cooperation within and across communities is truly innovative. Leaders in Light focuses on making waves − not ripples. It creates new bulwarks against extremism in Cincinnati and beyond, forming new partnerships despite fellows’ enormous differences in background, ideology and lifestyle. Because the leaders in the Cohen Family Leaders in Light Fellowship guide people, they can then share their insights; they can engage others in this pressing fight.
As Desiré puts it, “Leaders in Light changed my thinking. It encouraged me to contemplate how intertwined different communities’ struggles for collective liberation from hate are. It highlighted the interconnectedness of extremism, racism and antisemitism."
Rabbi Jun couldn’t agree more. "Desiré is a model former fellow; she really 'gets it.' We will all either fail or thrive together. Desiré (and all of us at the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and the Jewish Community Relations Council) are invested in attaining the latter!"
Leaders in Light has five "fundamental beliefs":
We believe in passionately combating antisemitism and extremism because it’s our duty as citizens and humans.
We believe extremism and hate lead to the degradation of democracy and civil society.
We believe in bringing diverse leaders, thinkers, dreamers, and doers together to drive systemic change.
We believe our time is now. We must act and impact today because tomorrow may be too late.
We believe education and empathy are the catalysts of fair treatment for all.
We think, in this moment, belief four is perhaps the most important. As hate and intolerance escalate, there is simply no alternative path for us to take. There is no time to remain idle. Thankfully, we are joined by 20 amazing fellows who agree with us, and who recognize this simple truth: This is our time, and our time is now.