More than 100 activists representing 44 human-rights organizations from across the state were on hand for the all-day summit, which included workshops, a panel discussion, and opportunities for networking.

"There are too many examples of how hate and discrimination can evolve into acts of mindless violence," Rabner said. "We need to stay at the forefront on this vital issue, so it's fitting that we gather today with that in mind for New Jersey's first summit on hate. What is most important is that we speak together loudly and clearly, showing our resolve against acts of hate and discrimination."

Lead sponsors of the event were the Anti-Defamation League, the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education, the NJ Amistad Commission, and the regional branch of the American Conference on Diversity.

"This conference is a beginning -- not just a one-day thing and then it's over," said Holocaust commission executive director Paul Winkler. "The whole purpose is to unify and bring together groups fighting hate and to combat the groups promoting hate, specifically through the Internet.

"I'm very excited personally, and for the Holocaust commission as it deals with bias and prejudice, that New Jersey will demonstrate that it is unified in its fight against hate," he said.

The summit was long overdue, said Etzion Neuer, ADL regional director.

"This actually creates a space and time where groups devoted to combating prejudice are able to network and to share ideas and methodologies," Neuer said. "Too often, people get locked into their own world. We hope that meeting each other and creating relationships will provide opportunities for coalition-building and for groups and communities to coalesce around the central idea of fighting hate.

"When groups get together, the collective power can be so fierce it can move mountains or change policy," he said. "We hope this summit will set the stage for just such a scenario."

As Neuer spoke, participants were meeting and networking at every corner of the conference room. Among the groups represented were the American Jewish Committee, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, the NAACP of New Jersey, the Stamp Out Hate Coalition, the NJ Commission on American Indian Affairs, the American Civil Liberties Union, NJ NOW, the NJ Catholic Conference, the NJ Division of Civil Rights, and human-relations councils from across the state.

"It's an extraordinary opportunity for groups that don't always get a chance to work with each other to do so," observed Steve Goldstein of Teaneck, who was representing Garden State Equality, a statewide gay civil-rights organization.

"As a progressive, gay, Jewish person with a New York accent, it's not every day that I'm at events with the Catholic Conference, and I'm thrilled," Goldstein said. "I think what unites us is so much more important than what divides us, so it's wonderful to be here today."

Hester Agudosi, deputy attorney general in the NJ Division of Criminal Justice, said the summit showed the wide range of organizations working against hate in New Jersey.

"We exceeded our expectations -- not only in the number of organizations represented, but in the diversity represented by the organizations here today," she said. "Now, our goal is for them to make connections with each other and to strengthen the efforts currently under way. It's an opportunity to learn best practices from each other."

Agudosi said that one of the tangible outcomes of the summit would be the publication of a resource directory that lists anti-hate organizations throughout the state, with notes on the nature of their work and contact information. In addition, she said, she hopes to convene a meeting of the state's human-relations councils within the next six months -- "to talk about some of the current issues and to develop a statewide action plan moving forward."

Spurred on by a celebration of diversity, in song and poetry, by teens from the Washington Township-based COW (Changing Our World) Project, summit participants soon scattered to three different workshops -- Hate on the Internet, Facilitating Community Dialogue, and Dealing with the Media.

"It's just broadening my knowledge on how to deal with hate and intolerance," said Helene Scheuer, executive director of the Elizabeth Human Rights Commission, as she emerged from one of the workshops. "It's very informative. When you network with people from throughout the state, you gain insights. It broadens how we can try to deal with these situations."

The real value of the summit was the experience of camaraderie with others who are dedicated to the same kind of work, said Marvin Rosenblum of Chester, the American Jewish Committee's representative to the Stamp Out Hate Coalition.

"Everything I'm doing is targeted toward this one issue -- the issue being pluralism and all the nuances that go into making pluralism work," he said. "Everyone here is here because they're working in this field. That's the real value – picking up ideas, picking up concepts."

AJC regional director Allyson Gall agreed. "As organized as hate groups are, the anti-hate groups have to be organized," she said. "The more we network and share resources and support each other, the better.

"We're all working on the same issues, beginning with young people and making sure that bullying and all the different kinds of prejudice stop," she said. "If we can nip it in the bud, there won't be another generation of haters."

The workshops over, participants gathered in the main conference room for the summit's final segment, a panel discussion featuring several young people who have experienced discrimination -- a Jew, an African-American, an Arab-American, and a Hispanic woman with cerebral palsy.

Meyer Rosenthal of Randolph, regional cochair of the ADL's Education Committee, said he hopes there will be many more such opportunities to network.

"We're sending a message," he said, "that New Jersey is first and foremost for combating hate."