When Mayor Margaret "Peggy" Brown saw antisemitic graffiti scrawled on monuments and playgrounds in her town of Weston, Fla., in 2022, she was appalled. Disturbed by the hateful messages and symbols, Brown--who is not Jewish--was moved to take action.
"It's not just up to me as an elected official [or] if I am a member of the Jewish community," Brown said. "Whatever community I'm involved in, we should all denounce this hateful behavior."
The mayor discussed her community's response with nearly 20 suburban Chicago officials at the Convening of Suburban Municipal Leaders, hosted jointly by JUF and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, in May. Brown also discussed her many experiences supporting communities in need throughout her tenure in public service.
Rotering opened the meeting by decrying the murder of two Israeli Embassy workers outside the Capital Jewish Museum one week prior, and pleading for the Israeli hostages, adding, "We know that Jews are the canaries in the coalmine of civilization."
"When an incident like [the Capital Jewish Museum] happens, the importance of using your voice truly matters," JUF President Lonnie Nasatir emphasized. "Elected officials have a platform and a pulpit…it really pushes back against normalizing antisemitism and hate in general. That's the kind of aid that helps us feel supported in our community."
Steve Greenbaum, JUF's Government Affairs Chair, discussed JUF's work with government, community organizations, and school districts, and thanked the mayors for commemorating May's Jewish American Heritage Month in their communities. "We appreciate that many of you have been loud, clear, and unequivocal: Antisemitism has no home in our-in your-cities and villages," he said.
Since the October 7 attacks, "the pain for what is happening in Israel is combined with fear in America," Nasatir explained. But he took heart in the surge he has seen in Jewish communal involvement. "Amidst this vulnerability and insecurity, there is a real penchant for being together. You, as elected officials…make sure people feel comfortable engaging in Jewish life."
Brown also emphasized the power of faith. "During this crisis, the attendance at our synagogues has gone up," she said. "You'd think there would be a greater fear, but no. In a crisis, that's where they are going to go. That transcends all the faiths."
Also at the event, representatives from several JUF-supported agencies--JCFS Chicago, JCC Chicago, The Ark, and CJE SeniorLife--explained their work, including efforts to address their clients' reactions to antisemitism.
JCFS CEO Stacey Shor noted that her agency touches the lives of Jews and non-Jews-through both direct service and other types of engagement-from 23 municipalities outside of Chicago. "We have clients in every single one of your communities," she said. "One of the ways we fight antisemitism is to recognize that we are all, ultimately, one big community."
