Dayton Jews Cautioned To Keep Away From KKK Rally
Image by Getty
(JTA) — The director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Dayton called on the Jewish public to avoid a KKK rally set for Saturday in the Ohio city.
Rabbi Ari Ballaban said in a statement issued earlier this week that a counter rally scheduled to take place right next to the Honorable Sacred Knights, an Indiana-based white supremacist group, would just give the group the confrontation it is seeking.
Ballaban called on the Jewish community to either stay home or attend the “positive alternative programming” sponsored by the local NAACP chapter and a coalition of some 40 city groups. Titled “An Afternoon of Love, Unity, Peace and Diversity,” the program is being held about a mile from the KKK rally in downtown Courthouse Square.
About 20 members of the KKK group are expected to march on Saturday. They reportedly will be permitted to carry legal sidearm weapons but not rifles, bats or shields, Newsweek reported. About 1,000 protesters are also expected.
The city approved the rally in February after the application to use the public space was filled out correctly and submitted.
Mayor Nan Whaley also called on residents to steer clear of the KKK rally.
“This hate group that is coming in from outside our community wants to incite problems in our community and we want to stop that from happening,” she told Ohio’s Fox45. “We really don’t want people to go downtown because that’s what this hate group wants, and we don’t want to give this hate group what they want.”
Whaley in her comments also said that “Judaism values the preservation of life above almost anything else.”
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
That’s why I’m paying it Forward, by matching $36,000 of reader gifts. It’s an investment in the Forward’s newsroom, to continue telling the American Jewish story with truth and independence.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
