CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) awarded the Charleston Jewish Federation a $400,000 grant to support community approaches to address and prevent hate crimes.

The project the grant will support is titled “Stamping Out Hate in South Carolina’s Lowcountry: A Collaborative Approach to Educating, Responding, and Documenting Hate Crime in the Lowcountry and Beyond.”

 OJP grant funding will go towards expanding initiatives “to effectively track, respond to, and educate about issues of antisemitism and all forms of hate.”

The Charleston Jewish Federation says the money will enable them to implement three initiatives. The first is to expand hate and antisemitism training for K-12 schools, workplaces, law enforcement agencies, and local government officials.

The federation also plans to launch a marketing and awareness campaign that will educate the public on antisemitism and promote the use of their joint incident reporting form, developed with the Anti-Defamation League and the Secure Community Network.

Lastly, the federation will implement a “Stamp Out Hate” town hall to regularly be scheduled with attendance from Charleston communities targeted by hate and all local law enforcement.

This meeting will allow locals to hear community concerns about hate and provide resources for reporting and responding to incidents.

“This groundbreaking grant signifies a recognition of the exceptional and forward-thinking work Charleston Jewish Federation has done in combating antisemitism and all forms of hate,” said Brandon Fish, Director of Community Relations at Charleston Jewish Federation. “With the support of the Department of Justice, we will significantly expand our capacity to address antisemitism and all forms of hate and create a replicable model that can serve as a beacon of hope for similar communities across the state and nation.”