Sobel: “… the start of a conversation”
NEWBURGH – Dozens of locals gathered on Sunday to discuss issues
related to hate speech for the inaugural gathering of No Hate Here, a
social movement that started in November, at the Newburgh Jewish Community
Center of Temple Beth Jacob.
No Hate Here’s founder, Caryn Sobel, has experienced hate as a resident of Newburgh, which motivated her to take action.
“After years of sitting by the sidelines of the changing landscape of hate in the community, I wanted to do something about it,” Sobel said. “I hope that today is the start of a conversation.”
The gathering and founding of the group comes two months after the tragic massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue, which was not lost on Rabbi Larry Friedman.
“People don’t understand the history of white supremacy sometimes or some of the things you can spot today, 88 or 14 words, and there are these things that people are putting out there; they’re code,” Friedman said. “I have been educating people about hidden in plain sight code of white supremacy and hate, and that has been helpful for a lot of people who didn’t need to think about that.”
Attendees formed groups that were led by a different member of No Hate Here to have discussion on different forms of discrimination and how prejudice affects them every day. They were then asked to share their conversations as a way for the nascent social movement to figure out which issues to address moving forward.
Some of the issues addressed among forum participants included racism, sexism and whether or not it is appropriate to speak up when you see or hear discriminatory behavior.
A diverse crowd heard the message
Another issue raised was the level of misinformation gathered from watching or reading the news. Newburgh resident Sandra Creary attended with her teenage daughter and had this to say regarding perception of news.
“It all depends on your basic belief system,” Creary said. “If you are a truth seeker, you’re going to find the truth and believe what you see. If you are someone who forms opinions based on what you hear, you are only going to hear what you want to hear.”
Since its founding in November, No Hate Here has sought to help empower people to stand up to hate speech and help people come together against hate. The movement has caught on quickly in the community as incidents of hate crimes in major cities have been rising for four consecutive years.
Sobel was a member of the Newburgh Illuminated Festival before starting the movement.
