The following are remarks from Rabbi Darby, read on his behalf at Concord’s Rally Against Antisemitism on Friday, September 5, 2025.
Shalom Aleichem! I want to thank you all for taking the time to gather here today. I especially want to thank the leaders of Concord Against Antisemitism for all of their efforts in encouraging and supporting the town of Concord to fully live up to its vision of the type of community it aspires to be and claims to be.
I am with you all today in heart and spirit even as my body is down the road on Elm street at Kerem Shalom, preparing for Shabbat.
Antisemitism is one of the oldest forms of human hatred and I struggle with the word sometimes because it sounds clinical and almost antiseptic, when what it really means is Jew hatred. Antisemitism is hating Jews, simply because they are Jewish.
Horrifyingly, here in North America the machinery of antisemitism has been reinvigorated, reactivated, and recharged over the past couple of years stoked by an increasing number of divergent actors and agents. While it is deeply upsetting and saddening that we see so much evidence of this right here in our own town and schools, it is also perhaps not surprising.
We Jews have seen this before and we have been here before but the outcome of this moment, the story of our town is not yet written. We, the leaders and citizens of this great, beautiful and historic town stand at the proverbial crossroads with choices to make. Choices, for each and every one of us to make. Each one of us needs to look into our hearts and to ask if we think it is “okay” to hate anyone for simply being who they are, a person of color, a person who is gay, lesbian, bi, trans, a person who is an immigrant, and so on.
I know by your presence here today that you would say, “of course not!” Such indiscriminate hate cannot be part of who I am or of who we are. So too then we must assert that the same respect and appreciation and value of life, and identity belongs to those of us who are Jewish as well.
I mentioned that the town of Concord has two paths before us at this moment.
One—the status quo can be permitted to remain and Jew hatred can continue to be activated to the point of striking fear into the hearts of Jewish parents afraid to send their kids to our schools and fear into the hearts of Jews who come to services at Kerem Shalom and deep questions about just how welcome or safe Jews are in this town.
OR we can take a different path, one that looks honestly at who we are and recognizes the Jew hatred that exists in our midst and REJECTS IT, loudly, emphatically, and most of all with love. I believe deeply that Concord will make the right choice and take the right path—and it will take all of us calling out hateful behavior wherever it appears, encouraging and working with our leaders to reinforce the message that such expressions of hate are not welcome here—and it will take all of us modeling for each other and for our children a different way of being in community, a community founded upon mutual respect and appreciation for each other in all of our glorious differences.
We must be the change, as the famous quotation goes, that we wish to see in this town. By being here today I know that you are all up for this challenge—and please know that this Jew is deeply thankful for your caring, for your energy, for your spirit, for your commitment, and for your heart.
We are in this together and we are stronger together.
Thank you & Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Darby Jared Leigh