Antisemitism in America: We are Beyond “Circling the Wagons”

We Are Not A People of Trembling Knees, Prime Minister Menachem Begin

Antisemitism in the United States has now reached an all time high; To be sure, it is breaking every possible record for unabashed Jew-hatred and anti-Israel violence imaginable since the Holocaust..

This unprecedented  phenomenon is a harsh and daunting reality It has profound implications.for the current and future safety and existential well-being of our Jewish community. It also represents a growing reality which given its current trajectory has the potential to have devastating outcomes for our Jewish community.

As an educator, writer and Influencer, I am not an alarmist. nor am I one to shy away from controversy or public advocacy for the betterment or advancement of our community or society..

But, given the growing level of post October 7th antisemitism, Jew hatred and anti-Israel violence in the streets of America, it is now time to pull out all stops.

We all know that for centuries, Jew hatred  has been an all too familiar reality. We protest, write editorials, produce podcasts, write articles and letters, deliver speeches and lectures, issue proclamations and organize and participate in rallies – all in support of Jewish unity and in protest against the  growing anti-Israel violence and acts of antisemitism.

Yes, these communal  responses are essential. And we must continue these efforts. But, at the end of the day, we must ask ourselves the burning question, are we doing enough to stem the tide? have we responded to this existential crisis, threat or reality effectively? and, what else can we do to combat this growing cancer?

Last Thursday morning, we woke up to the shocking and horrific  news about the unprovoked and disgusting cold-blooded murder of a beautiful young couple in Washington, DC, just a week prior to their engagement.

Their only crime was that they were attending a Jewish venue and were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But for their murderer, it was indeed the right place. It was intentional, purposeful and it  reeked from pure unadulterated Jew hatred and evil.

This horrendous tragedy did not occur in Gaza, in the West Bank , on the streets of Yerushalayim or Tel Aviv or in the ugly dark back-alleys in the heart of  Amsterdam, England or Germany  It happened in our very own backyard.

Too close for comfort?  You bet it is. Way too close,

This beautiful murdered couple who worked professionally for the Israeli Consulate in Washington, were gunned down at short range, by a maniacal, indoctrinated, unbalanced evil  anti-Israel, Jew-hating madman whose motivation was undeniable. His actions were the result of decades of antisemitism and more recently the public display of  hatred against Jews being spewed on American ivy league campuses.

Although there is an extensive investigation into this tragedy, it is evident that the murder was inspired by anti Israel hatred and antisemitism. This fact is evidenced  through the video of this maniac being led away from the crime scene by security guards while he was wearing a red kafiya and yelling  Free Free Palestine….Free Free Palestine.

If by now, his kafiya headdress and his blood curdling battle cry of hatred against Jews and Israel appears to be familiar, it should be. If by chance its not, I respectfully  implore you to please wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late.

In the United States, citizens are blessed with the first amendment which supports free speech. But friends, we also know that as precious as this constitutional protection is, words have consequences. And some of these words and their implications can be harmful, and extremely dangerous.

Did we ever for one moment think or believe  that these continued  rallying cries of Free Free Palestine or death to the Zionists being chanted and spewed on college and university campuses and repeated non stop by the media would not have an effect on our society? Or did we ever think about the dangerous impact and effect these vile and disgusting pronouncements  by university students, in search of their own  personal identity, purpose or reason detra would have on our Jewish community.

Most of these student puppets of Iranian backed funding are unfortunately craving to fill a void and an emptiness in their lives. They crave for attention,  purpose,validation; and  relevance, as they are being swept up in antisemitic, anti-Israel and Jew hatred rhetoric and  groupthink. This imagery  is indeed reminiscent of the nazi youth who blindly  followed the third reich with chants, slogans and marches through the streets of Germany….not really knowing or being aware of where it would lead or end.

Most of these university demonstrators in the United States  are motivated and inspired by  students, professors and outside agitators who are woke-centric leftist wannabe’s, totally unfamiliar with the facts on the ground in the middle east. In fact. many are totally uncertain  as to why they are even demonstrating or protesting. They are totally unfamiliar  with  geopolitical aspects of the middle east, the facts surrounding the rise of antisemitism or the Holocaust, or the reasons for why they actually purport to  hate Jews. .

The bottom line is that the evil and maniacal genie of  Jew hatred has now slipped out of the bottle and it must, at all costs, be challenged and contained in order to prevent it from spreading like a malignant metastasizing societal cancer.

Although there are numerous ideas, proposals and opinions as to how this beast can or should be destroyed or tamed, I am of the strong opinion that total elimination or eradication of anti semitism will never ever be possible. The challenge must therefore be to launch a comprehensive campaign in order to aggressively and assertively fight against this disease and to invest unlimited resources  to prevent this phenomenon from getting out of control or at best, minimizing its frightening impact.

Several Modest Suggestions

In response to the challenges just presented, I humbly suggest a three-point proposal which although not totally unique, or creative, will  hopefully begin  to move the needle on the gauge.

The first challenge relates to expanding and intensifying education in our schools and community; and to increase the breath, depth and scope of our educational programming.

To this end, concerted efforts must be made to ensure that all of our schools – private and public  –  from elementary through high school, ensure mandatory curricula requiring the teaching of the history of antisemitism, its causes, and effects on society; the offering of special trips and educational tours to Holocaust museums and memorials with trained educators and docents; special guest speaker programs, including Holocaust survivors, who can provide our students with first hand witness accounts of the atrocities of the Holocaust; generous and comprehensive subsidies to teachers and faculty (Judaic and general studies)  for students, teachers and administrators  to travel on specially designed educational missions and trips to  extermination and concentration  camps in Europe; and the provision of special awards and subsidies for comprehensive professional development workshops, seminars  and conferences for teachers and faculty; and  finally, the establishment of an annual global Educational Summit Against Anti Semitism which would inspire and create a global venue for greater understanding, increased knowledge, dialogue and sensitivity regarding the dangers of hatred and antisemitism.

As envisioned, this Summit would compliment our various  Commissions on Antisemitism and other important venues and organizations in their continued fight against Jew hatred , discrimination and anti semitism in our communities.

Tangentially, it is essential that we engage personalities with name recognition (authors, actors, scholars, rabbis, tech giants, etc) to participate in these Summit deliberations. They can inspire and impact in many meaningful and significant ways. They offer our youth and young adults  the “cool factor” which again attracts many of them to the table,

The second challenge relates to the resetting or rebooting  of our communications and public information efforts. This includes  the creation and dissemination of increased  print and non-print public service announcements; the production of network and TV cable commercials and programming; the offering of special cable and social media platforms and feeds which address the challenges of anti-semitism and Jew hatred in the United States; and the dissemination of films and other media which would provide viewers with in depth information regarding the impact of antisemitism, its dangers and ways in which it can be confronted and eliminated.

With the advent, design and use of AI technology, the possibilities and potential for using this technology to disseminate, and combat  hatred and discrimination are beyond limitless.

The third challenge relates to the provision of stricter and more stringent policies and laws regarding Jew hatred in the public arena

.Although recent laws are beginning to move in this direction, legislation must be passed and enforced on the local, state and federal levels in order to  revoke foreign student visas and the expulsion and return of these students to their countries of origin. This course of action must be swift and immediate; and it must not get tied up in the courts which is currently the case.

In addition, hate speech which incites acts of antisemitism or physical harm or violence against Jewish students must result in legal prosecution, incarceration,expulsion  and periment dismissal from the school. No compromises, no exceptions, no excuses.

This also holds true for university faculty and administrators. Free speech yes. Incitement and discrimination NO!

Each state must enforce this law. Failure to do so will result in a federal offense leading to serious internal litigation,We must collectively fight for a zero tolerance law as it relates to hate speech – especially hate against racial or religious groups.

The days of not permitting a Jewish student on campus to enter a university facility, walk freely across the campus or participate in classes are over. Anyone who prevents these students free access will once again, be arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated. This also holds true for the university administration and its trustees who permit this despicable behavior to occur on their campus. They must be held accountable and liable for allowing these actions to occur or for having a blind eye.

Finally, we must continue to intensify our communal and legal advocacy rights and activity. This includes applying  pressure on our legislature to pass legislation against antisemitism and acts of racism and religious or ethnic hatred and for  public displays of Jew hatred or acts of antisemitisms. This also  includes racially charged signage, the burning of flags, or physical damage to personal or public property.

End Note:

While the dark clouds of Jew hatred and anti semitism fill our skies, we must become resolute to do everything in our power and control to fight, battle and conquer  this continued evil and scourge.

We can no longer rely on others to fight this battle, nor do we expect this evil phenomenon to extinguish itself in the absence of a direct proactive course of action.

Complacency is our worst enemy. It leads to apathy, weakness and paralysis.

History teaches us that we must never ever forget the past and that Klal Yisrael’s  resilience is anchored and embedded in our emunah and bitachon in HaShem. It is also an integral part of our destiny and DNA .

To paraphrase Prime Minister Menachem Begin, we are not a people with trembling knees. 

We still have opportunities to combat this evil; and that time is now.

May the families of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky be Comforted Among the Mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim.

Am Yisrael Chai 

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