On Wednesday, the Executive Vice President of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (Orthodox Union), the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, Rabbi Moshe Hauer, participated in the FBI Newark Field Office’s “Protecting Our Communities Together” national awareness campaign aimed at promoting the reporting of hate crimes and discrimination to federal authorities.
“Too many people within our community treat the hate and discrimination they experience as an expected part of life. Until we learn to report these regular incidents as they occur, our law enforcement authorities won’t be able to pursue the culprits, nor will meaningful change occur,” said Rabbi Hauer, who spoke during the press conference.
“The OU welcomes the opportunity to partner with the FBI in this awareness campaign, and we hope that those who experience hate crimes and discrimination will report these incidents.”
Though the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics believes the majority of hate crimes go unreported, the FBI’s most recent hate crimes report notes that Jews remain by far the religious group most targeted for hate crimes, comprising 60 percent of them.
As part of the national advertising and awareness campaign, the FBI’s 56 field offices have received funding to promote awareness and encourage people to report the incidents either by phone, 1-800-CALL-FBI or online.