At a time when antisemitism is growing louder, more visible, and more brazen, many in the Jewish community are asking an urgent question: What does it actually mean to respond? Education matters. Advocacy matters. Policy change matters. Investing human and financial capital in strategies and initiatives matters. But in moments like this, resistance is not always dramatic or headline grabbing.

Sometimes, it is deceptively simple.
Sometimes, it looks like showing up.

Here in Dallas, one of the most powerful responses to antisemitism happens quietly every day at the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center. Walking through our doors to attend a fitness class, drop off a child at preschool, meet friends for Mahjong, pick up a kosher pizza, or participate in a cultural program may feel routine. In today’s climate, it is not. It is an assertion of presence, belonging, and resolve.

Jewish community centers have always been more than buildings. They are gathering places, cultural anchors, and living expressions of Jewish continuity. For our community, the Aaron Family JCC represents Jewish life lived openly and proudly across generations, backgrounds, and levels of observance. And precisely because antisemitism seeks to intimidate Jews into silence or retreat, that visibility matters now more than ever.

Antisemitism thrives when Jewish life is pushed out of public view. When fear convinces people to stay home, participation drops, and communal spaces grow quieter. Every empty seat and skipped program becomes a small but meaningful victory for those who would prefer Jewish life to disappear from the public square.
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That is why showing up matters.
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Each person who walks into the JCC sends a clear message: Jewish life will not shrink or hide. Jewish children will continue to learn and play openly. And people, Jewish and not, who share values of respect, inclusion, and love of neighbor will continue to have a place where those values are lived and celebrated. Fear will not dictate the boundaries of our communal life.

In ordinary times, these actions might seem unremarkable. In extraordinary times, they become acts of defiance.

A vibrant JCC also creates safety in ways that go beyond locks, security guards, and cameras. Presence builds connection, and connection builds trust. When people show up consistently, they form relationships and informal networks of care and shared responsibility that no security measure alone can provide. There is strength in numbers, but there is also strength in familiarity, accountability, and collective awareness.

This visibility matters beyond the Jewish community. When nonJewish neighbors see a full parking lot, bustling programs, and Jewish life clearly valued by those who participate in it, it sends an important signal: Jewish presence is normal, integral, and here to stay. That normalization counters marginalization and encourages allies to stand alongside us rather than quietly on the sidelines.

Perhaps most importantly, showing up is a refusal to let fear make decisions for us. Antisemitism seeks to convince Jews that visibility equals vulnerability and that communal spaces are liabilities rather than lifelines. Each time someone shows up anyway, they reclaim agency for themselves, for their children, and for the future of Jewish life.

Jewish history is, in many ways, a history of persistence: of building institutions, gathering in community, and continuing even when conditions were hostile. The choice to show up is part of that tradition. Jewish life has endured not by retreating, but by continuing.

The Aaron Family JCC stands ready to welcome everyone who walks through its doors. In this moment, choosing to show up may feel small. It is not. It is both ordinary and profound. It is a quiet statement that says: We are here. We belong here. And we are not going anywhere.