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Group aims to unify metro Atlanta against anti-Semitism BY JOHN RUCH
my community,” she said “I think what happened to me personally is, I started to feel a twinge of fear.” A Dunwoody homemaker’s outMenis described several influences. rage over recent anti-Semitic threats She has previously visited Whitefish, a and vandalism across the country has Montana resort town now notorious as spawned a rapidly growing advocacy ora home of the “alt-right” white nationganization that hopes to send a nationalist movement that gained publicity wide message against fear and hate. for supporting Donald Trump’s presi“I want to stand up and be as loud dential campaign and which Trump latas the people making er denounced. She was the bomb threats,” said angered by posts inLauren Menis, foundsulting Muslims made er of the new Atlanta on the Facebook acInitiative Against Anticount of a former DunSemitism. woody assistant city Menis’s text-mesattorney who said his sage chats with other account was hacked. Davis Academy moms The final straw, she last month snowsaid, was news reports balled into the crein February about deseation of AIAAS, which cration of a Jewish cemhas already won supetery in Philadelphia, port from the regionone of several such al chapters of the Anvandalism incidents ti-Defamation League around the nation. SPECIAL and the American Jew- Lauren Menis, founder of Atlanta “I thought to myself, Initiative Against Anti-Semitism. ish Committee. ‘I have to do something The group hopes about anti-Semitism,’” eventually to hold some kind of public Menis said. town hall forums. On March 30, it plans With her journalism background, a private organizing meeting that repreMenis said, “I wanted a media statesentatives of local governments and rement: ‘Atlanta decries anti-Semitism.’” ligious and cultural groups will attend, She acknowledged that AIAAS’s orincluding some Dunwoody City Counganizers have yet to come up with a cil members and the Sandy Springs pomore solid agenda, which will be a folice chief. cus of the March 30 meeting. “I am very impressed by the grassHowever, the effort seems to be taproots efforts that Lauren has creatping a desire for more discussion about ed,” said Dov Wilker, regional director anti-Semitism. The ADL and the Amerof the American Jewish Committee’s ican Jewish Committee have signed on Buckhead-based Atlanta chapter. “The as co-sponsors of the organizing meetgreater awareness we bring to the issue ing, and many prominent groups are of anti-Semitism, the better off we will sending representatives, including the all be. If we are able to create compleMJCCA, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festimentary efforts to combat anti-Semival, the Davis Academy and the Weber tism, we will be able to have a greater School. impact than by ourselves.” Sandy Springs city Communications Menis is Jewish, but “not particularDirector Sharon Kraun, who is Jewish ly religious,” and said she has not been and said she is well aware of the nationinvolved in advocacy organizing beal threats, will attend along with Police fore. Her background is in the media as Chief Ken DeSimone. a producer at CNN and a local newspa“We’ll go and listen,” Kraun said, per columnist. adding that city officials are curious to The north Perimeter area has a large hear AIAAS’ agenda. Jewish population and such cultural “As far as anti-Semitism, the city institutions as the “Anne Frank in the has been very vocal that we don’t tolerWorld” exhibit in Sandy Springs. Two ate any kind of behavior that is against local organizations — the ADL’s Southanyone,” Kraun said. “We support any east regional office in Buckhead and effort that is combatting hate and intolDunwoody’s Marcus Jewish Communierance.” ty Center of Atlanta — have received Menis said that one potential funcbomb threats recently. tion of AIAAS — whose founding group Menis said her activism is not in rehas a Muslim member — is bringing tosponse to any local anti-Semitic incigether leaders from beyond the Jewish dents, but rather to the nationwide rise community. in threats and general intolerance. “Anti-Semitism isn’t a Jewish prob“I have never had a problem with anlem,” she said. “It’s a community probti-Semitism and I feel perfectly safe in lem.” johnruch@reporternewspapers.net
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