A Cringeworthy Tisha B’Av

Now that is chutzpah!

As world Jewry paused to remember, reflect and mourn our collective historical loses on Tisha B’Av, a group of Jewish activists decided to desecrate this sacred day by protesting in New York City. Their reasons? They wanted to vent their fury over the Trump administrations policy of deporting those who have illegally entered the United States. Shocking, truly. How dare the president of the United States uphold the law of the land by deporting those who knowingly and willingly entered the country illegally.

Forgive me for the rant, but it perplexes me to no end that these protesters are so enraged by the government upholding its own laws.

And while there is no doubt that the systems put in place to manage said illegal immigrants are becoming increasingly strained, the hysterics of these protesters are a tad ridiculous. These are the very same protesters that use Holocaust imagery and language to describe what is happening in the United States today. And to use Tisha B’Av as a platform to lash out in such a fashion is deeply distasteful.

It is abundantly clear that these protesters were not driven by the essence of Tikkun Olam when they decided to launch their protest. If they were, these very same people would have protested when President Obama and his administration deported tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. Yet these activists stayed home. When President Obama’s border agents used tear gas against those seeking to break through the border, these protesters were silent. And when the Obama administration separated children from their parents and kept them in cages, these protesters did nothing.

So why the outrage now? Simply put, they are making spectacles of themselves in the hopes of besmirching President Trump. That is the driving force behind their actions. It has become quite popular to demonize the President, his administration and his supporters. And so these Jewish activists decided to jump on the bandwagon so they could gain points with their fellow Liberals in America.

Forgive me if I sound a tad embittered, but I find such faux outrage deeply perturbing. These displays are used only gain points in the political arena. They do not care about human suffering or mending the world. If they did, they surely would be more vocal in voicing their umbrage against the numerous other situations around the world…

Incidents of anti-Semitism have been skyrocketing over the last few months. Where have these bleeding heart activist been? Where were they protests and displays of solidarity with their fellow Jews? Such events wouldn’t have garnered them any publicity, so they stand by while their fellow Jews fear for their safety.

Why are they not protesting outside the Chinese embassy? These are the same people crying out that Fuhrer Trump is running concentration camps within the United States. And yet they do not speak out against the actual concentration camps being run by the Chinese government in Xinjiang. Are the Uyghars not worth a protest or two? Oh, silly me. These activists can’t use this against President Trump, so the plight of the Muslims in China doesn’t garner much sympathy.

Oh, and what about those fighting for democracy in Hong Kong?

And the Yazidis and Kurds? The two communities faced campaigns of ethnic cleansing by the Islamic State, and many are still struggling to recover from the onslaught. Where were these activists then? Where are they now?

Crickets.

And the list of tragedies could go on for several pages.

It is understandable that no group can protest every injustice under the sun. The world is vast and full of villainy. But the fact that these protesters used a solemn and sacred day to gain publicity for their political agenda is disgusting. They could have used any other day to protest, but they decided to desecrate our day of mourning to win political points. If they truly cared about righting wrongs and fighting injustices around the world, they should do so humbly, respectfully and with a pure heart. But instead they do so loudly, bombastically and with countless cameras around in order to promote themselves and their virtue signaling.

Hardly a Tikkun Olam moment.