Outshine Hate: A Journey to Combat Antisemitism
/Article by Byrd Bonner, Chair of the Uniting Peoples Vision Team
Byrd Bonner, chair of the Uniting Peoples Vision Team and former member of both the UMC’s General Commission on Christian Unity & Interreligious Concerns and the Council of Bishops’ Office of Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships, recently attended a congress to facilitate the confrontation and eradication of antisemitism and other forms of hate in America.
Together at the Crossroads: A Congress for Allyship & Unity was hosted by the David Merage Foundation to Confront Antisemitism in Denver on Oct. 19–20, 2026, and was attended by more than 400 participants from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faith groups nationwide. Presenters included members of each faith grouping, often together in dialogue, teaching experiences, and programming used to combat hate.
Bonner was one of a fourteen-member diverse cohort from South Texas. A deliverable is for the cohort to create and execute an action plan to confront acts of hate that impact the South Texas community. Plans are in place for a follow-up meeting of the cohort to create a communication tool for use when hate strikes and a speakers bureau to include diverse participants.
Impactful facilitators included Mohammed Al Samawi, founder of Abrahamic House; Luc Bernard, a French-born game designer of Holocaust awareness and Anne Frank graphic game programming; Nuseir Yassin, digital and video media creator and influencer and Nas Company CEO; and Aviva Klompas, prolific writer and podcaster of Boundless Insights, to name a few.
“Again and again, I was in awe of the high level of speakers and materials provided. While the central focus was on antisemitism that has become prevalent in our day, all forms of hate were highlighted for techniques and ways to combat it. Our cohort plans to confront hate expression against our Jewish brothers and sisters but also hate based on religion, ethnicity, gender expression, and immigration status.”
In the Río Texas Conference, interfaith relationships are an area of responsibility of the Commission on Christian Unity & Interreligious Relationships of the Uniting Peoples Vision Team. The Team reports to the Annual Conference through the Uniting Table.
