With antisemitism on the rise, Jewish ERGs offer solace and support

At a time of rising antisemitism and hate crimes against Jews, Jeremy Simon came to the realization that his appearance as a white male with an ambiguous religious identity masked his Jewish faith. While proud of that heritage, there were times when the senior vice president at Lippe Taylor Group didn't feel comfortable being his full self in workplaces.

But solace came in the form of a Jewish employee resource group (ERG) he co-chairs known as Not So Chai Maintenance. A playful pun on the Hebrew word for life, it was formed more than a year ago with 15 members and is part of a culture that encourages employees to band together in this way.

The group — one of eight active ERGs at the New York City-based marketing agency, which employs 207 people — recently shared experiences about casual discrimination or microaggressions at work and in life. A company-wide panel was well-received by non-Jewish coworkers who proved to be incredibly supportive, some of whom were caught off guard by the antisemitism their colleagues faced.

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"It's nice for people to have empathy and feel considerate in these types of conversations as things are happening and having people reach out," says Simon, who's also part of a neurodiversity ERG. 

When ERGs emerged more than 50 years ago following the U.S. Civil Rights movement, the aim was to support racial diversity and reinforce a sense of belonging. Since then, these affinity groups have targeted those with similar identifies or interests. An estimated 90% of Fortune 500 companies have allowed the formation of ERGs, which can help bolster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

ERGs can play a role in helping understand how antisemitism might be showing up in the workplace and the negative impact on an organization's success, as well as serving as a voice for employee experiences, says Aaron Mitchell, former director of HR for Netflix Animation Studio, and DEI adviser to Shine A Light, an organization that works to call out and fight antisemitism.

"I think people are learning that being Jewish is not simply a religion, but it is a is an identity and just creating that awareness creates space for dialogue," he says. "A lot of the work that DEI programs have done around unconscious bias is sort of running parallel to the language that workplaces need to learn around antisemitism."

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Sometimes, stereotypes rear their ugly head during casual work conversation. Such was the case for Stacie Haller, chief career adviser at ResumeBuilder.com, who recalls how a colleague said to her, "You go make this deal. You're a New York Jew, and you could do this." Her firm recently conducted an unscientific poll of 1,131 recruiters and hiring managers that uncovered antisemitism in the workplace.

Simon remembers one uncomfortable incident in particular at a previous employer when after providing information about celebrating upcoming Jewish holidays, client meetings were planned during that time with no support whatsoever for rescheduling them.

His ERG has another event in the works on the shared connection members feel through their faith, summer camp memories and the role food plays in their lives. "One of the things we want to get across in the next panel," he adds, "is just how small the number of Jewish people are and that there's a reason for having Jewish inter-connectivity."

ERG members from marginalized groups may find strength in numbers. Faith-based ERGs can serve as a source of support and solidarity for people who face workplace bias, according to Farzana Nayani, a DEI specialist who works with ERG members and leaders around the world. "What I've seen in my work with diversity, equity and inclusion is that they're an empowering place for employees to share and live out their identities in a fuller way," she says.