Hate Crimes Discussed Among Jewish and Muslim Leaders

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Jewish and Muslim leaders gathered Sunday evening to discuss an uptick in hate crimes and mark the beginning of Passover in a Seder dinner at Gesher Jewish Day School in Fairfax. Different faith groups, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, Mormons and Bahais, discussed the local hate crimes and the community's response, WTOP reported.

The rise in hate crimes in Fairfax County and areas across the country had prompted responses from both government and faith leaders. The county hosted a community forum to tackle the issue in late March.

In February, Gesher Jewish Day School received a bomb threat. Three anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic crimes were reported in one day in late March. In April, the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia and Little River United Church of Christ were vandalized with anti-Semitic and other bias-related graffiti. A suspect was arrested within a few days of the incident.

“That was one person … look what he inspired,” said Darcy Hirsh of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington at Sunday's event, referring to community gatherings in support of targeted groups.

According to WTOP, Dan Finkel, head of Gesher Jewish Day School, said after the bomb threat, “We spent the next two weeks receiving supportive messages from across the whole spectrum of the community and across the whole country."

Similarly Jeff Dannick, director of the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, told Patch faith leaders and community members called and stopped by with well wishes.

Faith leaders believe that community support will result in hate crimes beginning to drop off in the coming months. It can start with standing up against the small number of people trying to spread hate, they said at Sunday's event.

“We must respond to all bad with good, so I think there’s a lot more solidarity today in responding to these challenges,” said Rizwan Jaka, chairman of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.

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