Humanitarianism Has No Place for Hate

We at Operation USA are deeply saddened and offended by the recent surge of antisemitism in the United States. This overt hatred, fueled by the words and actions of public figures and hate groups and intensified by the prominence of social media, is disgusting and must not be tolerated. We stand with Jewish people everywhere—along with the many other marginalized groups who have also recently experienced an uptick in vitriol and violence aimed at their communities—and firmly reassert our commitment to rejecting hatred in any form and working diligently to provide timely and effective support to all people in need regardless of religion, race, nationality, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation or culture.

After 43 years in the field aiding disaster survivors, we know all too well the devastating, compounded impact that bias and discrimination have on vulnerable communities in recovery. As natural disasters occur more frequently, are more intense and cause more damage than ever before (and as man-made disasters like war wreak havoc around the world), we’ve seen firsthand the vast scale of need, and understand that antipathy has no place in our society, our institutions, our culture or our humanitarian aid work. Disasters don’t discriminate, and neither do we.

It is on all of us—as humanitarians, as citizens and, most importantly, as human beings—to identify, uproot and cast out discrimination and violence in our work and in our lives. We are proud to reaffirm our commitment to this important work to you today, and to promise you that we will work harder to help those impacted by bigotry and its damaging effects in our pursuit of providing meaningful aid where it’s needed most.

We encourage all of our supporters to review helpful resources such as Tikkun and The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to better understand the history of antisemitism around the world and here at home. We hope you will commit to taking action in your own life—supporting organizations aimed at reducing hatred and its impact, speaking up if/when you witness hateful behavior, and refusing to patronize businesses or consume content from public figures and celebrities who espouse hurtful and hateful ideologies. Just as hateful words and actions negatively impact our society, you have the power to make a positive difference with your own words and actions.

At OpUSA, we believe that together we can build a better world for the next generation. We’ll continue to pursue that mission by whatever means necessary—including speaking out when we witness the perpetuation of hateful stereotypes and ideas. That’s our commitment to you, and to humanitarianism at large.

We hope you’ll join us.