Lehigh Times

Hate crimes and discrimination toward Jews and Pacific Americans increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, and recently the Pennsylvania Asian Pacific American Jewish Alliance (PAPJA) was created to help curb this growing issue.

PAPJA is a joint effort of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the American Jewish Alliance designed to fight this kind of hatred.

The alliance was created at a Sept. 29 event at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, according to a press release from Gov. Wolf’s office. It is designed to build ties between the two communities across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The state has experienced an increase in hate crimes in recent years, which aligns with the rest of the country seeing a similar trend.

“We unite to fight the antisemitism and anti-Asian hate targeting these two communities, build deep understanding between each other and cultivate knowledge on unique common struggles, for example, the myth of the model minority and the myth of dual loyalty,” Stephanie Sun, executive director of Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, said. “By starting conversations and sharing knowledge, we can begin to break down the walls that divide us and support each other to create real change in Pennsylvania.”

Hate crimes are underreported, so much so that the U.S. Department of Justice has estimated that about two-thirds of hate crimes are not reported at all, the release said. 

Meanwhile, the Wolf Administration has been working to stop hate crimes and bigotry across the state. Gov. Pennsylvania State Police and members of the administration have teamed up with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Anti-Defamation League in this effort. 

According to the release, the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program was administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and provides grants for nonprofit organizations serving people susceptible of hate crimes based on a publication by the FBI about hate crime statistics. This includes race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and disabilities. In this year’s budget, Gov. Wolf secured $5 million for the program. It was also noted that in 2022 he awarded $15 million in nonprofit security grants.

“I am the child of a Holocaust survivor who, like so many, fled hatred in their home nations and arrived in America to be able to worship as we please, excel in our work, live without fear of violence and provide for our families,” Alan Hoffman, American Jewish Committee Philadelphia/Southern NJ president, said. “Today, with growing hate, everyone needs to realize that our very American democracy is at stake.”