Emma Kretchmer believes in taking care of one’s fellow community members. It’s what she’s done in the medical field, and now for the Anti-Defamation League Washington, D.C.
As ADL D.C.’s regional coordinator, Kretchmer delivers local public speaking engagements on antisemitism, extremism, hate and bias, communicates with constituents, helps create regional security protocols, manages daily office operations, and runs the internship program and youth leadership board.
“What I enjoy most about my work is I see real world impacts,” Kretchmer said, adding that her role includes answering phone calls from concerned Jewish parents and others affected by antisemitism in the four-state region.
This work of serving as a comforting presence reflects skills she learned in the medical field. As an abortion doula and surgical assistant, Kretchmer aimed to make her patients feel secure throughout the process of surgery or taking a new medication.
“I had plenty of patients [for whom] this was just a regular Tuesday for them, and for other people, this was a very difficult, life-altering decision that they were making,” she said. “So I kind of see my doula work bleeding into my ADL work.”
In both jobs, Kretchmer explained, she helps people navigate difficult times.
“For some of them, this is going to be a blip in their experience, and they want to report [the antisemitic incident] and be done with it,” she said. “For other people, this is going to shape how they walk through the world. This is going to shape whether or not they wear a kippah or identify themselves as Jewish, or even show up to synagogue.”
She sees her two worlds colliding for these reasons: “I don’t see [my jobs] as inherently different, even though I worked in a medical setting and now I work at a nonprofit.”
The commonality? The ability to take care of one another through community.
“It really takes a village to feel secure in this world, whether you’re making decisions for your family and your reproductive future, or you’re navigating the world as a Jewish person in a post-Oct. 7 world,” Kretchmer said. “So I love my job.”
She attempts to connect on a deeper level with callers, treating each one as more than a mere incident report.
“I try to remind myself that when I’m talking to people, what might seem like a one-off interaction with them deserves the same seriousness [as] that of any other incident, whether it’s experiencing seeing vandalism on their school or synagogue, or witnessing or being a victim of assault,” Kretchmer said. “It is all, unfortunately, a part of the Jewish experience.”
Kretchmer opens phone calls with genuine human interactions — “‘I’m going to take off my ADL hat for a second before we get started. How are you feeling?’” — and ends emails with a similar note reminding the community that ADL D.C. is here for them.
“There’s a human behind every email. There’s a human behind every phone call. Every data point that’s ever been entered on this computer has somebody working behind it,” Kretchmer said.
Victims of antisemitic incidents often cry as they leave messages for ADL D.C. Kretchmer tells them, “We’re so grateful that you came to us. We’re so grateful for your vulnerability.”
Perhaps she is so empathetic due to her own experiences with antisemitism.
As a college student in Michigan, Kretchmer invited her freshman year roommate to a Rosh Hashanah dinner at her family home, to which the roommate responded, “I don’t want to hang out with a bunch of Zionists.”
At the time, Kretchmer said she didn’t know what that word meant, nor had she ever expressed an opinion on Israel. “There were a lot of assumptions about what I must believe because I am Jewish,” she said.
The roommate decried the fact that she “lived with a Zionist” and shared photos of Kretchmer online. “I started feeling so deeply uncomfortable that I couch-hopped for the second semester,” Kretchmer recalled. “I didn’t step foot in my dorm.”
She reported the incident to the ADL and ended up hosting a presentation on antisemitism in America at Eastern Michigan University. The staff member who presented is now one of Kretchmer’s close friends and colleagues.
“I like to say I turned a lot of my trauma into my triumphs,” she said.
ADL D.C. isn’t Kretchmer’s first foray into the Jewish communal world. In the summer of 2020, she served as an advocacy and engagement intern for the National Council of Jewish Women. She also assisted teachers at Adas Israel Congregation’s afterschool program after nearly three years of running a dog walking and sitting service in the district during college.
Now 2 1/2 years into her role at ADL D.C., Kretchmer loves what she does.
“The option to go into a Jewish career is an exceptional experience,” she said. “I’ve met incredible mentors who have brought me into the ether of how I can better myself as a person and how I can bring a human aspect to what is often a very difficult job experience.”
The work isn’t without challenges, especially amid the post-Oct. 7 spike in antisemitism.
“There are times where you don’t really get to shut the laptop, and I think that that’s a privilege that some people like myself aren’t afforded,” she said. “We chose this job. Every single day that I wake up, I feel like I’m doing something that has real impact in my region … My goal moving forward is to keep living a loud and proud Jewish life.”
