Statement from Voices for Truth and Humanity on the Continuing Increase in Anti-Semitic Attacks
By Glen J. Landow
Like everyone else, we are appalled at the savagery that is occurring with impunity against Jewish members of our communities. It is gut-wrenching to see reports of new incidents almost daily. The outrage we hear from so many voices is encouraging, but if you think this anti-Semitism will not effect you, just ask the 5,000,000 non Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Hate does not die upon its victims’ demise. Its grizzly need to torment and assault always demands new targets.
And before anyone reflexively lays blame exclusively on the right or the left for the latest surge of anti-Semitic assaults, stop and look at the perpetrators of the attacks that have occurred in just the past month, be they in Jersey City, Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Monsey. They are black, white, and hispanic. Some belong to organized hate groups while most have acted alone, spurred to do so by a dangerous combination of ignorance and venomous hatred.
Their crimes have included murder, assault, and harassment. Their modus operandi has included shootings, stabbings, and unprovoked punches thrown at unsuspecting Jews. “F__k you Jews!” and “F__k You Jew Bastards!” they shout while committing their heinous acts. The restraints of decency have been replaced by unrestricted violence.
The victims have been young and old, men and women. The only commonality is that they have all been recognizably Jewish, and either in the midst of worship or just going about their daily routine. The vile thirst for Jewish blood has also caused collateral damage as a heroic Jersey City police officer and an innocent Kosher market employee, both non-Jews, lost their lives in the tragedies.
We know what happens when hate goes unchallenged. Sadly, this is not a new phenomenon. But the memory of 11,000,000 innocents murdered during the Holocaust, including 6,000,000 Jews, will not permit us to view the admonition, “Never Again!” as little more than a historical bumper sticker. We must stand together, shoulder to shoulder, people of every background, race, and political persuasion and declare in one unified voice, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! THIS STOPS NOW!”
What else can be done?
Politicians and other public figures, who spew anti-Semitic tropes and other threads of intolerance as easily as they breath, must be called out BY NAME. No more hiding behind political expediency.
Colleges and universities must stop cowering under the blanket of free speech and finally take action against those who promote the anti-Semitic lies of the BDS movement and as a result, engage in the bullying and harassment of Jewish and pro Israel students on their campuses. True social justice is not based on propaganda and falsehoods. It allows for civilized debate.
We must insist, both of our elected officials and our teachers, that Holocaust education be reinstated in our school curriculums. For decades, the lessons of this and all other genocides were an integral component our children’s understanding of humanity and learning of the dangers of complacency in the face of evil. Sadly, they have been relegated to a footnote.
We can and must end this horrifying trend! It is a cancer that has been allowed to metastasize through indifference. If the current outpouring of condemnation is not followed by strong, effective, and immediate action, we have just surrendered our streets and homes to the morally bankrupt and in doing so, emboldened them to continue to commit acts of unspeakable evil.
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