‘Never Ever Again’ – From a Familiar Refrain to Proactive Reality

Since October 7th 2023, the world has experienced a tsunami of open and blatant anti-Semitic hatred, unsurpassed since the Holocaust.

This explosion was like a strike of  lightning. It was fast, immediate and relentless.

On October 8th, within less than twenty-four hours following the horrendous bloody Hamas massacre of innocent civilians living in southern Israel, we began to see increased levels of anti-semitism and Jew-hatred in virtually every segment of our society. It was as if the entire world was preparing for this defining moment and just waiting for the attack to happen in order for it to explode with antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred as well as violent street/college and university  campus demonstrations.

As we know, anti-semitism and Jew hatred always existed throughout our history. This is a reality. In fact, from time immemorial, Jew hatred and anti-Israel sentiment was always growing and fomenting just below the surface of our society.

But this level of anti-semitism exploded like a pressure cooker.

Following the October 7th Hamas bloodbath, the progressive left not only blamed Israel for the Hamas aggression, but also expressed tremendous hostility and hatred toward Jewish supporters of Israel because of their assumed privilege.

It is so unimaginable and inconceivable that the world would lash out at Israel and Jewish communities immediately following the indiscriminate slaughter of 1,200 innocent Israelis attending the NOVA Music Festival and those living in surrounding kibbutzim.

What was equally disconcerting was that most of world was deadly silent, reminiscent of the silence we experienced during the Holocaust.

How is this possible? Why and how can this happen? And how can Israel and our Jewish communities respond in the future in order to prevent these atrocities from ever occurring in the future.

Parenthetically, the same question can be posed regarding the Holocaust in Europe and the extermination of six million innocent Jews in Nazi concentration camps.

Unfortunately, today’s unabashed Jew-hatred and animosity in our communities is not new. In fact, it started in the 1960’s and 70’s by the new progressive left who attempted to link Israel with European colonialism and Jews with privilege.

Anti-semitism flourishes today because of deeply rooted historical stereotypes, religious prejudice and its adaptability as a tool for scapegoating during times of political, social and economic instability. It is a resilient prejudice that often “morphs to fit contemporary anxieties.”

Many also feel that the war against the Jews has its origins in perceiving Israel as colonialist occupiers and aggressors, and that the Palestinian people are the “oppressed”.

This is illustrated clearly on college campuses, where students are motivated (and paid) to chant “Free Free Palestine” or “From the River to the Sea”. Parenthetically, most of those people chanting these phrases at demonstrations have absolutely no idea whatsoever what they suggest or even mean. In fact, they are totally ignorant regarding the history of the Mideast.

Reality dictates that these progressive left leaning students who are motivated and encouraged by college faculty and administrators would protest against anyone who they define as a victim. But it just so happens that Israel and Jews are now conflated and are therefore in the cross-hairs of progressive left hatred.

In fact, many of these progressive left privileged students and demonstrators would protest against anything that walks, talks and represents the privileged.

The one dilemma which I cannot possibly comprehend or reconcile is why and how these anti-semetic and anti-Zionist protesters do not protest against institutions like Iranian regimes who oppress women and who are against women’s human rights, let alone their public executions and hangings in the center square of Tehran.

Where are the women activist and civil rights sympathizers or those who would sacrifice their careers to demonstrate for anything and everything under the sun in the streets of Manhattan, Berlin, Toronto, Italy, France or Chicago?

This double standard flies in the face of moral clarity, human morality, dignity and civility and supports the theory that these acts of violence against the Jews are being well fueled and financed by wealthy Jew-hating individuals and governments. For many of these protesters, who are bored, disenchanted with their lives and in search for a cause, their hatred is probably more about the dollars and a raison d’etre than their core political or philosophical leanings (if they indeed have any).

Although I cannot possibly do justice to explaining these dilemmas in a single blog post, I do firmly believe that our Jewish community has the ability and required resources to take swift and decisive action against these acts of anti-semitism, whether they take place in front of synagogues, in the streets of Canada or in the neighborhoods of Brooklyn or Golders Green in London.

Friends, the time for passivity is over. To be sure, the train of hatred has left the station and we are only now trying desperately to stop it.

But, the question still remains, is it really possible to stop it or are we destined to continue to do battle with this evil hatred as we have for millennia.

It is imperative that we must now demonstrate and exhibit our unswerving resolve to combat this growing metastasizing evil cancer by any legal means possible.

This includes:

• increasing and intensifying our education of the public and disseminating a comprehensive communications and public information and marketing effort;
• the boycotting of products, businesses and the services of companies that do not publicly condemn anti-Semitism, anti-Israel and Jewish-hatred,
• increasing and intensifying the frequency of public rallies and demonstrations;
• holding politicians responsible and accountable at the ballot box;
• training our teachers  and schools how to teach about this subject;
• continuous political pressure on publicly elected officials;
• the establishment of a Jewish community red alert defense mechanism not unlike the Jewish Defense League of the 60’s and 70’s; and
• pressuring for legislation which makes it a federal crime to publicly demonstrate against a religion or race America.

All of these responses must take place while we continue to seriously explore and consider yishuv eretz yisrael – Aliyah to Israel. They are never mutually exclusive.

Unfortunately, many of these strategies will not totally eliminate anti-semitism or its root causes. But, over a period of time, our Jewish community must learn to fight fire with fire.

No longer may we tolerate Jewish parents who are fearful when putting their children on the local school bus, or when walking to shul or to a minyan for tefillah. We must continue to be proud to wear a kippah and tzizit in public. And, we must walk in public with our heads raised high and as proud Jews.

Friends, please know that I am not at all suggesting civil disobedience, violence or breaking the law. We must and should conduct ourselves in accordance with the laws of our country. But in doing so, we must also demand protection by law enforcement and from elected officials. There cannot be any compromise or double standard.

Finally, we can no longer afford to hide or cower in the corners of our communities as timid or frightened Jews who during the Holocaust  were led like sheep to crematoria in concentration camps.

We must continue to “fight fight fight” for our rights, for our safety, for our future and for our peaceful existence.

Moving Forward

The mantra of “Never Ever Again” must mean exactly what it suggests. Our community must never ever accept, tolerate or be subject to acts of anti-semitism in the absence of a harsh, direct and forceful reaction or response. To be sure, there can be no more compromising as we fight anti-Semitism or acts of Jew-hatred in our communities.

Finally, it is now high-time for our Jewish community to take back our neighborhoods and  to fight this fight with relentless vigor, commitment, resilience, strength and fortitude. It is also now time that we demonstrate to the world that our Jewish community will never ever again tolerate this vile evil hatred.

Will this be easy? Absolutely not. But when has our fight for fairness, safety and peace throughout our history ever been easy?

If we move forward  wisely, aggressively and assertively on this path, our adversaries will soon lean over a short period of time that our Jewish community, albeit small in numbers, can roar like lions and can do battle against the cowardice of societal evil.

At the end of the day, it is imperative that our Jewish community become aggressively proactive and responsive to all acts of anti-semitism in our midst.

This must include a tireless efforts to hold those who support or commit acts of anti-semitism accountable and responsible for their actions. Even those people of authority who turn a blind eye.

We have the resources; we have the power; and, we have the ability and capacity. But, above all, we have bitachon and emunah in HaShem that will prevail in this important mission.

Needed is a true, sincere and uncompromising sense of urgency supported by unswerving, committed and dedicated leadership.

Together, with the will of HaShem, we can do this!

Am Yisrael Chai