At St. Petersburg Chabad, a response to antisemitism: ‘Dispel that darkness’

With Hanukkah approaching, Alice Ettinger thought about posting a message on social media to see if anyone in her neighborhood wanted to join her on Sunday when she lights the menorah.

She shared the idea with a group who met at Chabad Jewish Center of Greater St. Petersburg on Thursday to discuss what Jewish people could do to combat rising hate and extremism.

Then, for a moment, she paused.

“You walk a fine line,” said Ettinger, 79. “With the antisemitism around, do I really want to open myself up to a potential problem?”

Rabbi Mendel Lebovics encouraged her to be proud of her faith and reiterated the message he had been sharing all evening with the group of 15 as they ate tacos and talked about how they could counter hate.

“Even if there are the hateful things, because there’s darkness in the world, our job is to push away that darkness and dispel that darkness,” he said.

Antisemitism has existed for millennia, but documented incidents of hate toward Jewish people are on the rise in Florida. It has prompted groups across Tampa Bay to take action, like Chabad Jewish Center of Greater St. Petersburg’s mission to share positivity about their faith.

Flyers with antisemitic messages and imagery have been scattered in Tampa Bay neighborhoods over multiple instances this year. And neo-fascists waved flags with swastikas in front of a political conference in Tampa this summer.

Samantha Borr, 29, said at the Chabad meeting that it can feel overwhelming to go down the rabbit hole of antisemitism that’s on social media every day.

And the problem is not just virtual. According to a report published in September by the Anti-Defamation League, the number of antisemitic incidents in Florida like harassment and vandalism rose 50% in 2021 over the previous year.

Rabbi Alter Korf urged the group to recast how that dynamic impacts them as Jewish people.

“Darkness could define us,” Korf said. “The other option is we become the ones that define it. Defining it meaning dispelling it. The relationship can mean we’re the recipient or we’re the ones projecting light.”

Lauren Lieberman, 28, summed up how she hopes to spread acceptance amid antisemitism.

“I’m going to love being Jewish 100 times more than anyone hates me for it,” she said.

Other groups are also trying to raise the alarm about antisemitism in Tampa Bay.

The nonprofit JewBelong paid for three hot-pink billboards along I-275 in Tampa about a month ago so that drivers from all walks of life are confronted with the issue. One of the messages reads: “We’re just 75 years since the gas chambers. So no, a billboard calling out Jew hate isn’t an overreaction.”

JewBelong co-founder Archie Gottesman said it’s important not only for Jewish people to be talking about antisemitism, but for others to stand up as allies. She recommended writing letters to politicians who are reticent to condemn anti-Jewish rhetoric. She said non-Jews should call out antisemitic stereotypes when they hear them. People can also direct donations to groups fighting antisemitism and end donations to institutions that don’t do enough to combat hate incidents.

At Chabad Jewish Center of Greater St. Petersburg, the group ended their brainstorm by launching an Ambassadors of Light program, which is being practiced by the Chabad–Lubavitch movement across the world. The mission is to pass out as many menorah kits as possible before Hanukkah in order to share light, positivity and acceptance about the faith with others.

The small, white boxes include a menorah, candles, instructions and a QR code for more information.

“When a candle gives light to another candle, it doesn’t lose its own flame,” Lebovics said. “Its flame stays just the way it was before. Our job is to give that flame, give that candle to everybody else. … The whole idea is to shine light into the world.”

Times staff writer Emily L. Mahoney contributed to this report.