In what sounds like it came straight out of a movie about antisemitism or Germany 1938 or both, here is a partial list of vicious incidents of antisemitism which took place over the last two weeks in America:
- Convicted felon Christopher Husary accosts Jewish man on a NYC subway while wearing a Hezbollah shirt, his face covered in a Keffiye. He then writes the following diatribe on social media, “Goes to ny for a day, I can smell a baby killer from a mile away …. call homeland security … i went through jfk with this [Hezbollah] shirt & had all the patriots panicked. … Israel is a terror organization and so is America." (Israel National News)
- A masked mob of pro-Hamas demonstrators swarm the Nova exhibit, chanting, “Long Live the Intifada.” Then they flood the subways, demanding “Zionists” leave. (New York Post)
- A man makes antisemitic comments and then throws a bag of dog feces into a victim’s car. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
- House of Comedy Detroit allows Amanda Seales to perform, despite @EndJewHatred’s email campaign with 2,600 volunteer email submissions extensively detailing Amanda’s history of pervasive Jew-hatred. Their response is to disable their Instagram comments and to allow her to perform anyway.
- Male suspect spits at a 74-year-old Jewish man wearing a yarmulke, near W 86th Street & Amsterdam Avenue, shouting Jew hate slurs and throwing glass jars.
- On Sunday, over 150 violent pro-Hamas protesters clash with Jews near a synagogue in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Pico-Robertson (Los Angeles, California). The protesters attempted to block the entrance, leading to physical fights, the use of bear spray, and items being thrown. Several people are wounded even though law enforcement officers in riot gear are on the scene (CBS News)
- “We don’t condemn resistance!” protesters chant outside Hunter College in NYC as they called for supporters to “Flood NYC” and launch the “SUMMER OF RESISTANCE”. (JPost)
These incidents are not isolated to major metropolitan areas. Across the country, Jewish institutions, from synagogues to community centers, have reported an increase in threats and vandalism. College campuses, traditionally spaces for open dialogue and diverse perspectives, have become hotbeds of antisemitic rhetoric and actions.
As American Jews contend with a rising tide of hatred, questions of security, and community cohesion come to the fore. How can society protect vulnerable communities? What role should law enforcement play in preventing and responding to hate crimes? And perhaps most crucially, how can Americans of all backgrounds come together to combat antisemitism and build a more inclusive society?
The answers to these questions will shape not only the Jewish American experience but the very fabric of American pluralism in the years to come.
When faced with inexplicable hatred and violence towards a people once decimated by the very same thing, the words of Elie Wiesel resonate: "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." In these tumultuous times though, indifference is a luxury America can ill afford.