Editor’s notes:

Steven J. Stein

Welcome to Issue 9 of Schmooze, newsletter of the Association of Jewish Psychologists.

A number of us were at the APA Convention in Denver and AJP hosted two events, both described in this newsletter. First was our breakfast meeting at the Gold Meir House Museum and the second was the Shabbat candle lighting experience in the Hyatt hotel lobby. There were fewer presentations by our members this year. The presentation on antisemitism (We Need To Talk About Antisemitism in Professional Psychology) by Caroline Kaufman, Micah Brobe, and Elizabeth Getzoff was excellent. It filled the room and generated many questions from the audience.

APJ is hosting its first ever silent auction as a fund-raising event. Funds raised can help keep our dues structure low for members. BTW, please make sure you’ve paid your dues for AJP. As our activities increase, so do our expenses.

Abigail Weissman submitted and article on the challenges of being part of the LGBTQ+ community while Jewish. It’s hard to believe that Jews, among the most progressive of groups, can be shut out of what are now considered “progressive” spaces.

The school year has started, and we hope it is a safe one for Jewish students. It’s unbelievable that that even has to be said. More surveys have appeared showing unacceptable rates of antisemitic incidents at both the elementary and college levels.

As always, I encourage members to send in articles you want to share with our group. Our membership continues to grow and its an opportunity to test your ideas, present opinions, or even early research findings. You can send articles directly to me at steven.stein@mhs.com.