Interfaith rally at Temple Israel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, draws more than 1,000 against anti-Semitism

More than 1,000 people attended an interfaith rally against anti-Semitism at Temple Israel in Minneapolis on Tuesday. The gathering was held as Jewish communities across the country have grown more watchful after anti-Semitic attacks in New York and New Jersey. Organizers and speakers presented the event as a show of solidarity across faith lines.

Carin Mrotz, who works with Jewish Community Action in the Twin Cities, opened with a personal account. She said she had recently learned she would receive national recognition for her work, and that the news gave her pause. “While I was absolutely ecstatic to have Minnesota represented on this list of mostly New York and D.C. names, I hesitated. Does this feel like a safe time to be an even more public Jew?” she said. Mrotz described the unease that she and many other Jewish people feel amid an uptick in anti-Semitism, but she said she was encouraged by widespread interest across Minnesota in learning about and stopping anti-Semitism.

More than a dozen community leaders, elected officials and clergy spoke to a full house of 1,400. Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman, who leads the congregation, said that in times of change and uncertainty, Jews are often targeted first, and that hatred can spread quickly. “Anti-Semitism is something that attacks the Jewish community but creates terror in every community. And so we are here to counteract not only anti-Semitism, but all hate,” she said.

Paul Gazelka, Minnesota’s Republican Senate majority leader, spoke as a Christian. He said anti-Jewish attacks and rhetoric had been carried out by members of his own faith. “I want to be vulnerable as a follower of Jesus that I’m deeply grieved that Christianity has been used at times over the centuries to persecute you,” Gazelka said. “I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive those people.” His acknowledgment of past harm by Christians, and his appeal for forgiveness, reflected a call toward reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

DFL Gov. Tim Walz called on political leaders and educators to teach young people how acts of violence can begin with hateful words and ideas. He cited the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pennsylvania in 2018 as an example. “Strengthen the education in our schools to understand where hate comes from. Make sure that they understand that these are preventable,” Walz said, adding that early warning measures should be put in place “before we get to the point of a Pittsburgh or what happened in New York City or worse yet. That’s our responsibility.”

Walz also encouraged state lawmakers to strengthen Minnesota’s hate crime laws when the Legislature reconvenes next month. He did not mention a specific proposal.

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