By Talia Doninger, Special to The Dayton Jewish Observer

Samantha A. Vinokor-Meinrath never intended to become an expert on antisemitism.

“I wish we were talking about anything else,” she tells The Observer. “I wish for all of us that antisemitism would be the realm of historians and not of contemporary educators and those thinking of their contemporary Jewish identity.”

Yet the Jewish educator and author stands at the forefront of a critical conversation. In her book, #antisemitism: Coming of Age During the Resurgence of Hate, Vinokor-Meinrath parses the complexities of modern antisemitism, particularly as it impacts Jewish youths.

She’ll talk about her book Jan. 14 on Zoom as part of the JCC’s Cultural Arts & Book Series.

“We’ve experienced existential loneliness as a people this year,” she says of the events beginning with the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre. “The sense of walking through the world holding and knowing the names of a hundred hostages has transformed what we prioritize, how we show up in the world, and what it means to make these Jewish choices.”

A finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, #antisemitism serves as a mirror and map to reflect the realities of our time.

Vinokor-Meinrath is the senior director of knowledge, ideas, and learning at the Jewish Education Project, a century-old venture that provides professional development and resources to educators in early childhood centers, congregations, day schools and yeshivas, youth programs, and emerging spaces.

She holds a Doctor of Education degree from Gratz College, a private Jewish studies institution in the Philadelphia area, where she also teaches.

Based in Westchester, N.Y., Vinokor-Meinrath wrote #antisemitism during what she calls a “cusp moment” in Jewish history.

The 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, and the isolation of the Covid pandemic informed her work, she says. These events set the stage for the current climate, where antisemitism manifests both subtly and overtly.

Antisemitism takes on new forms in the digital age and rapidly spreads across social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, as well as gaming platforms and servers.

“It can manifest as microaggressions that may not even be recognized as antisemitism at the moment,” Vinokor-Meinrath notes.

According to the 2023 ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, Ohio experienced 237 incidents that year, compared with 61 in 2022.

“We as a community are becoming unfortunately well-versed in blatant acts of antisemitism,” she explains. “But there’s still a lot of discussion around the things that someone wouldn’t necessarily report — but have made them feel othered and uncomfortable.”

The Jerusalem Post reported in November that nearly one third of Jewish teens in the United States admitted to hiding their faith symbols including kipot, Stars of David, or other Jewish insignia while at school, according to a survey Mosaic United conducted with Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism Ministry.

Jill, a teen from Ohio whom Vinokor-Meinrath features in the book, expresses this reservation.

“I’ll see the news about all these attacks,” Jill said, “but then instead of calling it out, it’s almost like all these people are saying the Jews deserve it. I’m scared—it’s like, do they think that about me too?”

Vinokor-Meinrath says this kind of vulnerability among young Jews is deeply troubling; it’s also where she sees the greatest potential for change.

She says Jewish youths do want to talk. “They are eager to reflect on their own experiences. They are eager to see themselves as part of this bigger reality and to put their own personal experiences into this larger context.”

“We want proud Jews,” she emphasizes. “We want people who are connected to their Jewish identities, who see value added in it and aren’t going to be intimidated or frightened to express it.”

The JCC Cultural Arts & Book Series presents author Samantha A. Vinokor-Meinrath via Zoom, 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 14. Register here for the free program.

To read the complete January 2025 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.