The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta will host a conversation on antisemitism featuring Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt and Brendan Murphy, founder of the Bearing Witness Institute for Interreligious and Ecumenical Dialogue.
The speakers will examine the origins of antisemitism, why it persists, and what individuals and communities can do in response, according to a statement.
The event, titled “Antisemitism in America Today: Reality, Risk and Response,” will take place on April 26 at 4 p.m. Admission is $18, and advance registration is required. The MJCCA is located at 5342 Tilly Mill Road in Dunwoody.
The conversation reflects the center’s “commitment to bringing our community together around the most pressing issues of our time,” said Talya Gorsetman, who leads the MJCCA’s Lisa F. Brill Institute for Jewish Learning.
The program comes as concerns about antisemitism continue to rise nationwide. A report released last fall by the Anti-Defamation League, in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America, found that 55% of Jewish Americans said they experienced antisemitism within the past year. Additionally, 18% reported being victims of physical assault, threats or harassment.
“When antisemitism rises, it is a warning sign for all. We cannot afford silence or complacency,” Lipstadt said in a statement. “Each of us has a responsibility to confront it with clarity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to truth.”
Murphy, an award-winning educator at Marist School, has spent more than three decades advancing Holocaust education and interfaith dialogue.
“The Holocaust is a living reality that continues to shape how we understand prejudice, responsibility, and moral choice,” said Murphy. “Antisemitism does not emerge in a vacuum; it is the result of decisions, assumptions and failures to act. Education gives us the power to interrupt that cycle and inspires people to stand up, speak out and choose a different path.”
