Unfortunately, anti-Semitism has become routine. People from different cultural backgrounds and various regions of the world continue to lash out against the Jewish community through malicious, hateful acts — both verbally and physically. The silence as it pertains to anti-Semitism continues to be deafening.

I recently read reports of an Oberlin College professor in Ohio, who wrote outrageous, anti-Semitic rants over social media. Her Facebook posts blamed the 9/11 tragedy on Jews, as well as the unfortunate Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.

I was outraged after reading reports of the incident. Furthermore, I was ashamed that no one had publicly stood up against this vile behavior. How can a president of a university, who happens to be a practicing Jew and the grandson of an Orthodox rabbi, condone such hatred by saying it’s a matter of “freedom of speech?”

We, as a Jewish community, must stand up against this bigotry. And who better to lead the charge on sending a clear message against anti-Semitism than the 2016 presidential candidates?

With the candidates fresh off their Super Tuesday performances earlier this week, the presidential primaries continue to push on. And with every passing primary, a clearer picture is painted as to who will become the next President of the United States, in which that person will be challenged with a plethora of vitally important issues.

I am calling on every presidential candidate to stand with me on this issue, and to send a clear message that anti-Semitism, along with any form of hatred, will not be tolerated.

I’m creating a call to action for everyone to have their voices heard. I urge everyone to stand up against any form of bias or hatred and voice your opinion by contacting the presidential candidate of your choice.

Given the fact that the Ohio Primary is slated for March 15, 2016, I feel it’s necessary for the next President of the United States to set a precedent before entering office and unequivocally stand up against these egregious acts. We need to treat anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism with the same level of urgency and sensitivity as racism. And when we don’t? We read about what happened at Auschwitz-Birkenau. We must change the way we react, and deal with anti-Semitism throughout the world, and that starts with the Commander in Chief of the United States.

Through reaching out to your presidential candidate of choice and voicing your concerns as it pertains to anti-Semitism or the incident at Oberlin College, we will see which of these candidates is ready to stand up and tackle nationwide anti-Semitism and bigotry.

Provided below is the list of presidential candidates and their contact information. I urge you to take a strong stance and voice your concerns to your favored candidate’s campaign. Without addressing and working to tackle the issue at hand, we’re only empowering people to continue this despicable behavior.

Let’s change the way we react to anti-Semitism. Let’s not be afraid to speak out. Let’s have our voices heard. Don’t just say ‘No’ to anti-Semitism, say ‘No’ to hatred.

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