Philly Leader

The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the American Jewish Alliance recently gathered at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, where they created a new joint alliance to address the growing concern of hate crimes.

The name of the group is the Pennsylvania Asian Pacific Jewish Alliance (PAPJA), and it was created to build ties between the two communities and find ways to stop hate; a recent press release from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, hate crimes and discrimination against Jews and Asian Americans have reportedly skyrocketed. The trend has been seen at both the state and national levels.

“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 in the release. “Today, with growing hate, everyone needs to realize that our very American democracy is at stake.”

Hate crimes are often underreported, and the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that two-thirds of hate crimes are not reported at all; the release said. The Wolf administration has taken steps to alleviate this, as members of his administration have been working with the Anti-Defamation League and Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The governor has also secured funding amounting to $15 million in nonprofit security grants. In this year’s budget, he secured $5 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program that was administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. 

“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 the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, said in the release. “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.”