Congress held in Denver to combat antisemitism and preserve democracy

A two-day conference titled Congress to Confront Antisemitism & Preserve Democracy was held in downtown Denver with 450 attendees from across the U.S., most of whom were not Jewish, according to the Denver Post.

The event was hosted by the David Merage Foundation and aimed to address rising antisemitism and its threat to democracy. Laura Merage, an artist and co-organizer, emphasized that antisemitism is not solely a Jewish problem and requires voices from outside the Jewish community to be effective.

The congress was organized in response to increasing antisemitic incidents, including a firebombing attack on a mostly Jewish group in Boulder, which deeply affected the Merages and motivated their activism.

Keynote discussions focused on the recent antisemitic attack on Pearl Street Mall, highlighting the urgency of combating such hate crimes to protect all vulnerable communities and uphold American democracy, as reported by the Denver Post.

Laura Merage stressed that protecting vulnerable groups is essential to preserving democracy, noting that voices from outside the Jewish community can have a stronger impact in addressing antisemitism.