Author Archives: dalbert

The K-12 Antisemitism Crisis

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HoCoJAG and Temple Isaiah are proud to welcome Rebecca Schgallis of the CAMERA Education Institute to Howard County. Ms. Schgallis is an educator and renowned expert on K-12 antisemitism. She will be presenting information that every Jewish parent should know on Sunday October 20th at 9:30AM. The event is free, but registration is required. Please sign up here.

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Hate/bias crime reporting

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HoCoJAG sent a letter to the Baltimore Banner in response to an article that mistakenly indicated that Black men and women are most likely to be victims of hate/bias crimes. Although it’s a bad competition to win, Jews are actually most likely of any group to be victims of hate/bias crimes, both statewide in Maryland and locally in Howard County. The letter provides the detailed statistics and supporting resources to demonstrate this. We ask the Banner to help increase awareness of the severity and extent of antisemitism.

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Anti-Israel display at Lakefest

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HoCoJAG sent this letter to the Columbia Association regarding a disgraceful anti-Israel display at this past weekend’s Columbia Lakefest festival. The ostensibly non-political festival focused on young children and featured anti-Israel propaganda from the Aya Montessori school. HoCoJAG expects CA to uphold the mission and values of James Rouse: a Columbia where all residents can feel safe, welcome, and included. Jewish children should not be subjected to sectarian anti-Israel propaganda that many will find antisemitic. Columbia must return to being a place where hate has no home.

*Note: Our original letter included a reference to the Howard County Arts Council. We edited this letter to remove all references to the Howard County Arts Council, as we learned they were not involved in this event. We apologize for this error.

HoCoJAG Announced!

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Howard County Jewish Advocacy Group Launches to Promote Jewish Values

Ellicott City, MD., March 2024 — A new volunteer group, Howard County Jewish Advocacy Group (HoCoJAG), has been formed to advocate for the Jewish community in Howard County, Maryland. HoCoJAG’s mission is to serve as the Jewish voice for Howard County on political action, advocacy, and policy.

HoCoJAG is unique in that it will take direct political action to protect and support the Howard County Jewish community. These actions include, but are not limited to:

  • Direct support for political candidates
  • Building relationships with existing elected and appointed officials
  • Public advocacy for or against pending policies and legislation
  • Challenging existing policies and legislation that harm the Jewish community
  • Building relationships with media outlets to advance understanding of these issues

The vision of HoCoJAG is to foster a Howard County in which Jewish residents are physically and psychologically safe, included, and integral to the fabric of the community.

HoCoJAG welcomes people of all backgrounds and affiliations who are interested in joining or supporting the group. The group has a website, hocojag.org, where people can find more information about the group’s goals, activities, and events, as well as instructions to sign up for membership and make donations. The group can be contacted by email at info@hocojag.org. 

HoCoJAG is a 501(c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan, and independent volunteer group that operates under the principles of democracy, transparency, and inclusivity. HoCoJAG is not affiliated with any political party, religious denomination, or other organization.

For more information: info@hocojag.org