‘The New Anti-Semitism’ focus of Congregation Beth Ami speaker series

A Santa Rosa synagogue is calling attention to anti-Semitism through a series of talks by Jewish community members between now and the end of May.

The second of five planned events was held Sunday at Congregation Beth Ami, where a small crowd gathered to hear about the ways anti-Semitism manifests today and to watch “The Forgotten Refugees,” a documentary about Jewish refugees who fled the Middle East and North Africa in the late 1940s.

Eli Cohen, executive director of the Santa Rosa-based Informing Science Institute, introduced the documentary by describing some of the ways he sees anti-Semitism persisting, including a recent incident where the words “Zionists are not welcome” were written in chalk at San Francisco State University. He also showed an image of swastika graffiti at UC Davis.

The next event in the synagogue’s “The New Anti-Semitism” speaker series is April 8, which will focus on the Anti-Defamation League and its efforts to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” On May 13, the series will turn to faculty boycotts of Israel and on May 27 it will focus on media bias, anti-Semitism in textbooks and other ways the issue arises on campus.

All events are free and start at 2 p.m.