Hey Tumblr. In the wake of the horrific shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue yesterday, I, as a Jew, would like to say a few things. I ask that anyone who sees this post takes the time to read it.
First, if the events of yesterday came as a surprise to you, you have not been paying attention. Antisemitic incidents soared to their highest level in the U.S. in 2 decades last year, surging by 57%, and continue to rise. And according to the FBI, Jews are the targets of the most hate crimes motivated by religion, accounting for 54% of all hate crimes despite being only about 2.2% of the population.
This rising hatred of Jews is something all of us have seen and felt. From the bomb threat at my local Jewish Community Center in Louisville to the multiple vandalisms of the Holocaust memorial in Boston, I know I personally have become keenly aware of how much people hate me just for being Jewish. Even at my alma mater, Boston University, an institution with a very large Jewish population, antisemitic posters and fliers were found on campus numerous times during my 4 years. None of this is new to me.
Which brings us to the events of yesterday, when a man with a long internet history of extreme antisemitism and racism opened fire in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh during a Shabbat service. He shouted “All Jews must die” during the shooting, which is in line with his previously stated belief that “Jews are the children of Satan.” He decided to try to kill as many Jews as possible due to the work of HIAS, an incredible Jewish American refugee organization that has been resettling Jews and other refugee groups since the 1880s. He blamed HIAS for “bringing in hostile invaders” and had previously posted that “It’s the filthy EVIL jews Bringing the Filthy EVIL Muslims into the country.”
This belief that Jews are foreign and are working against the U.S. (or whatever country they live in) is nothing new. It has been around for centuries. Now, it is not always shown by people explicitly naming Jews as the enemy, because even that would be too overt for most of those in the mainstream. Instead, references to “globalists,” “the international elite,” or many other thinly veiled allusions to some kind of sinister international plot by the Jews to take over the world are common on the right and the left. I urge all of you to open your ears to this kind of language, which many people have become accustomed to, and to speak out against it when you hear it. Antisemitism is not always a man with a gun, but it is always dangerous.
Finally, it is incredibly important to understand that yesterday’s events were not an isolated incident committed by one lone nut-job. It is part of a scary trend we are facing in the U.S. and around the world of rapidly escalating ethno-nationalism. But it is also just the latest event in a long history of antisemitism that is nothing new. Antisemitism never goes away, and assuming things have gotten better just because Jews aren’t being actively killed anymore (in the U.S. and which changed yesterday) just allows it to fester and grow.
I would like to end this very long and emotional post by asking all of you to stay vigilant about antisemitism. When you are thinking about groups that face extreme hatred, don’t forget about the Jews. It is 2018 and many people still hate me just because I am Jewish. I am never allowed to forget this, because doing so would be dangerous. There are times I have to remove my Star of David bracelet, which I have worn constantly for 4 years, because I know that it can put a target on my back. Yesterday just showed how right I and other Jews who have been warning about the dangers of rising antisemitism have been. Now is the time to listen to your Jewish friends, and to stand up against this hatred which has plagued us for so long.
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