Antisemitism is Getting Worse
Antisemitism has always been around, sometimes less, sometimes more. Less after WWII, simmering underground as even more ardent antisemites were too embarrassed to admit what they are. As we all know several last decades are considered the Golden Age of Jewry at least in the US, though the several last years have been marked by increasing antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
The cause? Critical race theory and intersectionality had labeled Jews as white supremacists. Anti-Israel movement was skillfully organized and manipulated by terrorist groups such as Hamas, and funded through student groups and US universities directly and indirectly by Qatar.
Anti-Israel movement has erupted into avalanche of hatred and incitement of violence against Jews and Israel on October 7, 2023 disrupting instruction and campus life on many US campuses with hatred spilling among general population. The several last weeks have gotten even worse for Jews either here or in the world, and I am afraid it is just a beginning.
Particularly worrisome is a cluster of attacks in the US seemingly not tied to a single group, but unified by hatred of Jews: Pesach arson of home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, Israeli Embassy staffers, in the Capitol vicinity in Washington, DC, and attack on peaceful rally for Israeli hostages where at least 12 people were seriously injured and burned by Molotov cocktails on June 1.
These attacks are very troubling: they are going literally after the jugular, stepping up from calls to annihilate Israel and destruction of property to severe injuries and murders. What makes it even more troubling is celebration of the murders of the two Israeli staffers by some members of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). That the murdered were people advocating for interfaith dialog and peace between Israel and Palestinians did not make any differences to the murderer and to those supporting him.
Elias Rodriguez, the alleged murderer, was a member of DSA at some point and his world view was informed by hatred of Israel and Chinese communist ideology. The support of the murderer of the Israeli staffers by some members of DSA represents a new and dangerous aspect. And by the way, DSA was a big supporter of Bernie Sanders when he was a presidential candidate. I am not sure that he expressed anything about these murders.
The first two hate crimes were done by domestic terrorists. The arsonist, Cody Balmer, was known to have some mental health issues. One may say that anybody engaging in this type of crime has some mental issues, but he claimed to do it to help Palestinian cause.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian national throwing Molotov cocktails into a crowd of elderly Jews, professed openly his hatred of all Zionists. He planned his attack for a year – the Jewish group, a member of Run for Their Lives organization, has been having peaceful walks to support Israeli hostages for months. Soliman and his family, wife and five children, resided in the US on expired visa, in other words they are illegal immigrants. Soliman was trying to get asylum in the US. Not clear what the basis of the asylum application is. How the whole family was able to live in this country, with his children in school, and the oldest daughter receiving a scholarship is unknown at this point, but likely not different from millions of other illegal immigrants living in the US. And as we can see in the LA riots aimed at ICE removal of violent and criminal elements among illegals this is what agitates people more.
No, these are not the first antisemitic and anti-Israel hate crimes, and not even the worst one – we all remember mass shooting in Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018. Eleven people died there. And there were quite a few others. What stands out this time is that they came in a cluster – one after another, is this a coincidence or a sign of intensifying antisemitism? What stands out even more is lack of an outcry against these acts. Are people exhausted with the frequency of the antisemitic attacks? Or, more likely, many people, and not necessarily antisemitic, are not interested, oh, just another attack on Jews.
Yes, of course, media report on these attacks, but not much, events in Gaza attract more attention, not to mention the interception of the Greta Thunberg’s Flotilla invites more interest as do the current anti-ICE riots in LA. Two murders near the Capitol in DC, and almost no reaction. Are murders so common in DC these days that even killing of staffers employed by the Israeli embassy provokes very little reaction? I definitely do not advocate riots, but rally or vigil expressing mourning over the loss of two souls who work for peace in Israel and their neighbors would be appropriate. And in Boulder, Colorado? USA Today glorified the daughter of the alleged terrorist as somebody who came to the US because she wants to become a doctor and guess what, deportation would destroy her dreams. At least that led to backlash. I never found out much about the victims, only that they suffered burns, and one of them, a Holocaust survivor is 81 years old. Nothing more, no names, no stories, no photos, no families. Is it because none of them desired publicity (for obvious reasons), or because who would be interested in bunch of mostly elderly Jews? Well, at least nobody died in Boulder, so why to make a big deal about? Boulder had a relatively large rally, peaceful and mostly Jewish, in the same location where the attack happened a couple of days earlier with an aim to honor the victims.
The recent warning of FBI of increased dangers to Jewish communities across the US is particularly worrisome indicating not just higher level of antisemitism across the board, but perhaps the effectiveness of student demonstrations on campuses of elite universities. The slogan ‘free Palestine from the river to the sea” and other anti-Zionist, i.e., antisemitic mantras show that they are effective We do need to develop actions countering these threats.
