PRIM&R stands in solidarity with the Jewish community by participating in the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)’s Hanukkah Shine A Light program, a national campaign created in response to increased antisemitism in 2021 in the United States.  

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that in 2021 the US had the highest number of antisemitic incidents since the organization began recording such incidents in 1979. One in four Jewish Americans was the victim of antisemitic, antizionist, or anti-Israel acts. Antisemitic acts included synagogue shootings, the vandalization of Jewish property/spaces with depictions of swastikas, the use of harmful Jewish stereotypes, retaliation against Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government, and antizionism. On November 30, 2021, in downtown Cartersville, GA, antisemitic flyers blamed Jewish people for COVID, promoting the Goyim Defense League.  

On May 22, 2021, in Kansas City, MO, an anti-Israel rally took place where protesters held signs including, “Zionism is racism. Abolish Israel.” Antizionism is the belief that Israel should not exist as the Jewish homeland; it seeks to undermine the Jewish movement for self-determination. Antizionism is distinct from anti-Israel sentiment, criticism of Israel aimed at invalidating it as a country. 

During Hanukkah, December 18–26, 2022, join PRIM&R and other organizations from North America in speaking out as a unified voice against antisemitism with Shine A Light to amplify the message—that even a small light can banish darkness and hate. 

 The Shine A Light on antisemitism program encourages the education of individuals and organizations to spread awareness about modern-day antisemitism and the spectrum of Jewish identity.

As DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Justice) awareness builds in the workplace and in research, antisemitism cannot be overlooked. Advocate and incorporate a comprehensive DEIJ strategy into your organization’s mission as another step toward combating this prejudice. 

PRIM&R’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) statement

Science is essential to the health and well-being of humans, non-human animals, and the environment. We believe that everyone must have fair and equitable access to the benefits of science.  

We are mindful of past and continuing inequities in people’s access to participating in and benefiting from science. Working to eliminate systemic injustices in the research endeavor is at the core of our mission to advance ethical research. It is integrated into our operations and our program offerings, which are designed to facilitate an expansive and dynamic understanding and implementation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the broader research community.  

We believe that inclusion of a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences is fundamental to the work of advancing ethical research. Our community is enriched by the differences among our staff, constituents, and partners, and we appreciate the intersectionality of the multiple visible and invisible dimensions of individual identity, which are shaped by lived experience and situational factors.  

We are cognizant that diversity, like all social constructs, evolves over time. We will continue to cultivate and sustain an environment of consciousness, inclusivity, accessibility, respect, humility, and openness to change in all that we do.