JTA — It was still winter when the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs learned that its June conference would be sharing space in a hotel with an unexpected guest: a conservative “parents’ rights” group that is pushing for book bans across the United States. Is.
Books pulled from classrooms at the behest of Moms for Liberty members included several Holocaust-related or Jewish titles. A version of “The Diary of Anne Frank”. The group’s conference will bring together supporters of the group’s agenda, ostensibly to protect children from dangerous influences in their schools. It will also attract protesters who see Moms for Liberty as the vanguard of a radical right wing increasingly targeting LGBTQ rights.
The gathering at the Marriott Philadelphia Downtown coincided with the men’s club group’s national convention and took attendees by surprise, said convention co-chair Mark Giwarz.
“We did not rent out the entire building. We rented half of it,” Givarz, who lives in Florida, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “But we never thought there would be a bunch of controversies next to us.”
It was too late for the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, which is affiliated with the Orthodox sect of Judaism, to reconsider its conference location. The group had already signed a contract with Marriott, and about 400 attendees from across the country had already booked travel for the event, which ran from June 28 to July 2. Also, the organizers had already prepared the entire program and made plans. Setting up a temporary synagogue for the duration of the event.
so the group went on a statement Rejecting Moms for Liberty and emphasizing that it has very different values.
Protesters gather outside a Moms for Liberty meeting on June 30, 2023 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
“We believe that every person is created in God’s image, and is deserving of loving-kindness, respect, and dignity,” the statement said. “Thus, FJMC strongly advocates for equal rights for all, including the LGBTQIA+ community. At FJMC we warmly welcome all participants regardless of sexual orientation or identity, which is why our inclusivity initiatives are such an important part of our programming.
The statement further said, “While the FJMC believes that Moms for Liberty and their speakers have a constitutional right to assemble peacefully, the FJMC does not endorse the organization, its leadership, or the sentiments that they or their speakers expressed during their convention.” can do. ,
As the event approached, Gewarz and conference chairman Rick Vronzberg continually monitored the Moms for Liberty website for updates on guest speakers, concerned about the potential for security issues at their own event. In the days before the convention, Moms for Liberty announced that three Republican candidates for president would speak: former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former US President Donald Trump, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who advocates for parental rights. Special champion. Agitation. All three enjoy support from Republican Jews – including a subgroup of the Men’s Club conference attendees – partly motivated by their record on Israel.
Former US President Donald Trump speaks at a Moms for Liberty meeting on June 30, 2023 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
As the convention drew to a close, Moms for Liberty also courted new controversy. a chapter in indiana quoting adolf hitler in a newspaper; This was followed by an apology, but highlighted other instances when members of the group had cited Hitler approvingly. A Reports in Vice documented ties between the group and several white supremacist and extremist groups., including the Proud Boys, whose founder has a history of anti-Semitism and whose members were integral to the pro-Trump riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate, Moms for Liberty Officially Declared an “Extremist” Organizationalong with several other parent rights groups.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia on June 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Givarz said that some people who had planned to attend the FJMC conference canceled because of the overlap due to concerns about the atmosphere.
“They didn’t want to disturb their Shabbos with nonsense,” he said. “Can you blame them?”
Eric Weiss, a member of the group’s board of directors from New Jersey, canceled his plans to attend, despite having attended every convention the group has held over the past 22 years. “We had no way to have fun,” he said. The Philadelphia Inquirer, which first reported on the overlapping conferences,
Law enforcement debates with a protester outside a Moms for Liberty meeting on June 30, 2023 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Another member of the group, Elliot Dubin, traveled from northern Virginia to attend with his wife, but told a local newspaper that the convention overlap was particularly frustrating because of his group’s membership.
“I was just wondering who the hell is the genius who booked two opposing groups into the same hotel?” Dubin said. “Many Holocaust survivors in Germany had to burn books, and this seems to be the type of thing.”
As the conferences got underway, tensions ran high Hundreds of protesters gather against Moms for Liberty Outside Marriott. Police, the Secret Service and hotel security personnel were deployed to keep the peace and protect political speakers, and several protesters were arrested.
Leaders of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs said they and their attendees felt safe despite the crowds. And Giwarz said the encounters between the two conferences were mostly neutral. She said that throughout the convention, she had brief, cordial conversations with Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Deskovich, recalling that she told her that a significant portion of her attendees were “about Moms for Liberty’s presence.” very annoyed”, although he added that a small subgroup would likely be interested in hearing the group’s speakers.
A supporter of former US President Donald Trump tries to push protesters outside a Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia on June 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Deskovich told JTA that he did not remember that phrase. He said he remembered hearing from a leader of the men’s club group that “half of them liked us and half didn’t like us, but they weren’t there to be political.” She was also unaware of the Jewish group’s statement regarding Moms for Liberty, and upon learning of it, told JTA, “This is America, you can disagree and debate ideas. This is what our country is about.”
Both Givarz and Deskovich remember a conversation they had in the elevator about their kippah, which was made by Jewish community in Uganda, (There is an FJMC chapter, but members of the Ugandan group were unable to attend the convention due to visa issues.) “It was the most beautiful yarmulke I’ve seen,” Deskovich told JTA.
There was only one moment of tension, when attendees at a men’s club conference had to bypass the security line and Moms for Liberty attendees became upset — but Giwarz compared it to a brawl in line for a soda at a baseball game .
“We are very pleased with the Philadelphia Police Department and the Marriott for providing excellent, very reassuring and unobtrusive security,” Alan Budman, the newly installed president of the mostly all-volunteer organization, told JTA.
A police officer walks past two groups of people arguing and protesters leaving a Moms for Liberty meeting on June 30, 2023 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
On Saturday, a group of about 50 people went out on a short walk – and ended up with a police escort.
Budman said, “We didn’t ask for it – they sent police officers to go on the tour with them on bicycles, which was about a seven or eight-block walk and then on the tour and back.” “So it made our people feel more secure.”
Givarz said he had last contact with Deskovich on Sunday when both were wrapping up the conference — the goodbye he said was not particularly memorable.
“At the end of the day, in my opinion,” said Giwarz, “Moms for Liberty was like a mosquito that swatted around but did no harm.”