Sun City temple to offer three-part antisemitism course
- danaevankaplan
- 15 minutes ago
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By Zev Black
Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan and Fay Henning-Bryant at Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley’s Holocaust Remembrance Day services on April 24, 2025.
Posted Wednesday, September 17, 2025 3:17 pm
Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley will host a three-part course led by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan exploring the history and modern reality of antisemitism. The course will run from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Mondays, Oct. 6, 13 and 20.
Kaplan has a wide variety of experience within the Jewish community. He started his career in Cape Town, South Africa before moving back to the United States to take a job in Georgia. Ten years later, he moved to Jamaica where he was the first rabbi in the country in 33 years. He then moved to Alabama to be an interim rabbi before coming to Sun City, where he’s been since 2019. He has also written a number of books.
Like many people across the country, Kaplan had experienced virtually no antisemitism in his life until Oct. 7, 2023. However, since that day, he has seen a boom in antisemitic incidents.
“In the last two years, I’ve seen it explode throughout the United States and almost everywhere in the whole world,” Kaplan said. “I cannot believe how naive I was. Clearly there were a lot more people hating me and my people than I realized.”
Every year, the Anti-Defamation League tracks and releases data on incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault in the United States. In 2024, there were 9,354 reported incidents. This is a 5% increase from the year before, a 344% increase from the five years prior and an 893% increase from 10 years before that. In 2013, there were 751 reported incidents of antisemitism.
“We decided to offer a three-part series on antisemitism now because it seems like hatred of Jews is exploding throughout the world,” Kaplan said. “It’s in the news constantly, and we’re seeing manifestations of it in the Phoenix area. There’s a lot of concern in both the Jewish and also Christian communities about the rise in antisemitism, and there’s a lot of interest in learning about contemporary manifestations of it.”
The course offers three 90-minute sessions that will cover contemporary manifestations of antisemitism. By the end of the three sessions, Kaplan hopes that participants will be able to define and distinguish antisemitism, anti-Judaism, and anti-Zionism, understand current trends of antisemitism, identify how antisemitism manifests itself in society and discuss responses and strategies for countering antisemitism.
Fay Henning-Bryant, chair of the Adult Education Committee, believes that while the average American may not be antisemitic, they also don’t fully understand antisemitism.
“I think that the average American does not approve of antisemitism,” Henning-Bryant said. “But I also think that the average American doesn’t understand antisemitism. And I think there are some lingering misunderstandings about the root of antisemitism. Not the ancient roots, but the stereotypes of Jews. There are stereotypes still about Jews today, and I think it’s important that everybody understands what antisemitism is and isn’t.”
Kaplan sees the trend of rising antisemitism as a reflection of what society is as a whole today.
“The increase in antisemitism is part of the polarization of our society in general,” Kaplan said. “Many Americans are moving to the extremes and expressing hatred of those on the other side. There’s a great deal more hatred in our society than there was a couple of decades ago. There’s also the willingness to take that anger and do violent acts to the subject of that hatred. Unfortunately, Jews are the target for much of this anger.”
This course isn’t just for Jews within the Temple Beth Shalom community. It is open to everyone.
“I would hope that we have participants, Jewish or not Jewish who have never been to one of our classes, want to come and learn,” Henning-Bryant said.
Kaplan added that the adult education program has many Christian students who attend the various courses. He finds that education can create sympathizers. He’s also found that antisemitism doesn’t just affect Jews. According to Kaplan, it “undermines the values of pluralism, democracy, and respect that make society strong.”
Kaplan said he hopes the course helps participants not only understand antisemitism’s history but also see its broader human cost.
“We share a common humanity,” Kaplan said simply.
Registration for the event officially closes at noon on Oct. 1. However, if that deadline is missed, Henning-Bryant said that those wanting to still attend can pay in cash at the door. The cost is $20 for members and $35 for non-members. For more information, call the Temple Office at 623-977-3240 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday. You can also email templebethshalomaz@gmail.com or visit tbsaz.org.
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