Show up.Here is how.

Most American cities hold a public council meeting twice a month. Almost every meeting includes a public-comment period, typically 90 seconds to 3 minutes per speaker, on any topic. You don't need an appointment. You don't need a connection. You just need to show up and read what you wrote down.

The four-step walk-through

1. Find your meeting

   Search "[your city] city council agenda." Most cities post the next agenda 72 hours in advance, with a livestream link and a public-comment sign-up sheet.

2. Sign up to speak

   Add your name to the public-comment sheet. Some cities take walk-ins; others require email by 5 p.m. the day before. Either way, one minute.

3. Write 150 words

   That is roughly 90 seconds of speech. Use the script on the next page as a starting template, fill in what is true for your neighborhood.

4. Send a follow-up email

   Within 24 hours, email the mayor and your district commissioner. Thank them, attach your remarks, ask for a 15-minute follow-up call.

Sample script: 90 seconds at the mic

Follow-up email: same night, 6 sentences

School boards are where the next generation gets shaped. Most boards meet monthly. Most agendas are public. Public comment is almost always permitted, and student speakers are almost always given priority.

The ten questions

1. How does the district define and report antisemitic incidents?Ask for the form. Ask who reads it. Ask how many were filed last year.
2. What does the curriculum say about the Holocaust, Israel, and contemporary Jewish life?Ask which grades, which courses, and which textbook. Ask to see a sample lesson.
3. Are teachers trained to recognize Jew hatred, including coded language?"From the river" chants, "globalist" slurs, swastika graffiti. Training, not vibes.
4. What happens to a student who harasses a Jewish classmate after a first offense vs. a repeat offense?The answer should be specific. "We handle it case by case" is not an answer.
5. What is the district's relationship with local law enforcement?Is there a school-resource officer? Who do they call when a swastika appears on a locker?
6. Are Jewish holidays accommodated in the calendar without penalty?Major exams during Yom Kippur is not an accident. It is a policy choice.
7. Who reviews outside speakers, clubs, and library acquisitions?Most antisemitic content arrives by accident, through a vendor or guest. Ask about the gate.
8. What is the protocol for hate-related vandalism on campus?Within how many hours is it removed? Photographed? Reported to the family?
9. Is there a Jewish student group, and is it treated like every other affinity group?Same room access. Same advisor support. Same yearbook page.
10. How can parents and students escalate concerns if the principal does not respond?There must be a paper trail. There must be a backup. Get both in writing.

Boards respond to the room. Five parents on the same agenda item, with different stories and the same three asks, will move a board faster than a 500-name petition that no one read. The point is not the size of the crowd. It is the texture of it.

Local police chiefs and sheriff's commanders are usually more accessible than residents assume. Most have a community-affairs liaison, and most will take a 30-minute meeting with two or three respectful neighbors who arrive prepared.

The request: three sentences

What to ask, in person

Local races are decided by neighbors, not by Washington. Steve Meiner won the 2019 Miami Beach Republican primary by two votes, and only after volunteers fanned out through the building and got mismatched mail-in signatures resolved. That is the unit of organizing.

The four checkpoints for every election

1. Confirm your registration is current

   Check name, address, and signature on file at your state's voter portal. Twelve seconds. Do it the morning the next election is announced.

2. Calendar the deadlines

   Voter registration deadline. First day of early voting. Last day to request a mail-in ballot. Election Day. Four dates per cycle. Put them in your phone.

3. Vote early and take a neighbor

   Early voting reduces every kind of risk. Bringing a neighbor doubles your impact and triples the chance you actually go.

4. Recruit five voters in your building

   Not five "like-minded" voters. Five neighbors. Their reasons for voting are not yours, and that is fine. The habit is what matters.

UFJL is not a silo. Jew hatred is a problem for every community that values democracy, and the most durable coalitions are built between neighbors who do not look or vote alike.

Who to look for in your town

1. Local clergy of any faith who have publicly named Jew hatred as wrongSend a one-paragraph thank-you. Then ask if they would attend the next council meeting.
2. School board members who have publicly defended Jewish studentsSubscribe to their newsletter. Show up to their events. Reciprocity is the currency.
3. Small-business owners who have hung a flag, a sign, or a stickerBuy from them. Tell them why. Ask if they will host a meet-up.
4. Black, Asian, Latino, and LGBTQ neighbors fighting their own version of this fightShow up for them first, before you ask them to show up for you. That is the rule.

The rule of one weekend in three. Burnout is the enemy of a movement. One weekend in three goes to organizing, a meeting, a march, a phone-bank, a public hearing. The other two are for your family and your rest. A movement of exhausted volunteers is a movement that ends in eighteen months.

The first instinct, often, is to freeze. The second is to argue. Both are understandable. Neither is what you want. The protocol below has been refined by organizers, parents, and teens. It works in person, online, at school, and at work.

The five steps · in order

1. Document before you react

   Photo. Time-stamp. Location. Witness names. Evidence has a shelf life of about ten minutes before it disappears.

2. Get to safety

   If you or anyone is in physical danger, leave the room. Movement first, conversation second.

3. Report to the right address

   School: principal, in writing, with photo. Work: HR, in writing, with witnesses. Public: police non-emergency, with photo. Online: platform + ADL.

4. Tell one person who will follow up tomorrow

   Not to vent. To make sure you are not carrying it alone. UFJL chapter coordinators take these calls.

5. Decide, on a quiet day, what you will do next

   A council appearance? A letter to the editor? A coffee with the principal? Action follows reflection.

Resources

Voter information