Workshop | Unpacking Antisemitism and Anti-Palestinian Racism: A Framework for Collective Liberation

This interactive workshop aims to deepen participants' understanding of antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism within the context of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work. We will explore how the conflation of antisemitism with criticism of Israel can obscure genuine instances of antisemitism and hinder solidarity efforts. By examining frameworks like the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, participants will gain tools to distinguish between legitimate political critique and hate speech. The session will also address the marginalization of Palestinian narratives in DEI discussions and the impact of institutional definitions, such as the IHRA definition, on free speech and advocacy. Attendees will engage in dialogues that foster a more inclusive and nuanced approach to combating all forms of racism and bigotry.

Toby Lyons is bilingual in Spanish and English and has 15 years of experience working in social work. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, she moved to the Portland area in 2011. She graduated with a master’s degree in social work from Portland State University in 2014 and spent the next eight years working as a bilingual Wraparound Care Coordinator and Coach for Multnomah and Washington Counties. From this experience, she became an expert at bringing teams together to come up with creative solutions to make sure children and families’ needs are met in a culturally and linguistically responsive way. In 2023, she became Washington County’s first Language Access Coordinator, working to increase compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and ensure meaningful implementation of the County’s language access policy and procedures. In 2024, she began working at Oregon Health Authority to improve systems for requesting health care interpretation services. She now works as a therapist at Happy Valley Counseling and continues to provide language access consultation and training. Outside of work, Toby is an active member of Jewish Voice for Peace and passionate about standing up for human rights.

Anthony Bencivengo is a volunteer member of the Jewish Voice for Peace Portland central Coordinating Committee. They are a former Direct Tenant Organizing Chair at Portland Tenants United, an all-volunteer tenant union, and former Educational Facilitator with the Municipal Eco-Resiliency Project, an anti-capitalist, anti-colonialist urban farming group. In their professional life they work as a Care Coordinator at 211info. They live in Portland with their cat, who is named after a character from the Warriors series.

Mar Zusman is a member of JVP PDX and a member of Havurah Shalom, Portland's Reconstructionist Jewish Synagogue. As a first-generation queer Russian Jewish immigrant, Mar has a deep interest in and engages in inquiry around the various social and political intersections of race, class, religion, national origin, indigeneity, and diasporism. They work providing social services for domestic violence survivors and their families and have been leading training for Multnomah County and Impact NW. Some of the training they've created and offered include: "Lets talk Race: a workshop for white anti-racist parents", "Implicit Bias/Inclusive Practice", "Culturally Responsive Trauma-Informed Care", "White Fragility", and "Supporting Survivors and other Impacted Communities". Mar's current work is focused on creating a Judaism beyond Zionism and providing support to materially shift the conditions of oppressed people in our communities, in Palestine and around the world.

By profession, Maxine Fookson has been a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for over 30 yrs, until her retirement a few years ago. She has always practiced in clinics serving diverse populations. She worked for about 20 years at Multnomah County Health Dept., and for many years before that at Virginia Garcia Migrant Health Center in Washington County. Many of her patients and their families were immigrants, including many who arrived as Refugees and Migrants. She learned first-hand of the experiences, challenges and the resilience of these families navigating life in our community. For her, healthcare and social justice have always been inseparable.

Maxine is active with Jewish Voice for Peace and Healthcare Workers for Palestine. As a Jewish person, she feel committed to working for Palestinian rights. She worked in Gaza as part of a health delegation on three occasions—in 2011, 2012 and 2014. There she saw first-hand the inequities in injustices resulting from the Israeli occupation and military attacks on the people of Palestine. Ending these injustices is at the root of public health work. She has also been very involved in working for immigrants’ rights and doing work to oppose racism.