Enough Is Enough!

The latest attack on Jews occurred last night in Monsey, New York, a suburb north of New York City. A black man wielding what has been described alternatively as a machete or a large knife, entered the home of a Rabbi celebrating Chanukah with dozens of guests. He stabbed five people, with at least one in critical condition. This was the second attack on Jews in the small city of Monsey within the last month. It was earlier this month that a man and a woman, both black, set out to attack Jews at a kosher market in Jersey City, NJ. In that attack, three people in the store, along with one police officer, were murdered.

Meanwhile, in New York City, attacks on Jews have not only been increasing, but in the past week they have occurred on a daily basis. ABC reported that anti-Semitic hate crimes against Jews in New York City increased 53% this year over last year. And the FBI reported that in 2018, Jews were the victims of religious hate crimes in the USA approximately 60% of the time. Yet Jews only make up about 2% of the US population.

So enough is enough! It is time for everyone to stand up against anti-Semitism. But it is especially time for all Jews, regardless of political affiliation, to stand up against anti-Semitism, regardless of the source. We know that anti-Semitism can come from anywhere - white supremacist/neo-Nazis, Islamists, the Left and increasingly blacks. But the mainstream media and others on the left have a difficult time when the perpetrators fall within one of the Left's favored groups. Here is just one perfect example. When a kosher market was attacked in Paris in 2015, President Barack Obama would not name either the victims or the perpetrators. He refused to say that Jews were the victims, as Jews are not a favored minority of the Left. And he refused to say that the attacker was Muslim, as Muslims are a favored minority. Instead, Obama said the attack was when someone "randomly shot a bunch of folks in a deli." No Jew should accept that type of denial any longer. The shooter targeted Jews in a kosher deli, there was nothing random about it. And the shooter was a Muslim. Period.

If you are Jewish, the Left does not like you. Bernie Sanders, for example, has the anti-Semite, Linda Sarsour, as one of his advisers. Sanders wants to divert the aid given by the US to Israel to the Palestinians. Yes, Sanders is Jewish; but his socialism/progressivism/Leftism has replaced Judaism as his religion of choice. Recall the Chicago Dyke March in 2017 when Jewish women with a rainbow flag with a Jewish Star of David on it were uninvited to the march. For the Left, Jewish=Israel=Zionism=racism. These days, some on the Left actually refer to Jews as white supremacists and Nazis.

Caroline Glick recently opined that the anti-Semitism emanating from the Left, blacks and Muslims is more dangerous to Jews in America than the Jew hatred of the white supremacists/neo-Nazis. No doubt the latter group has overall been more violent. But as Glick observes, the white supremacists/neo-Nazis have no home in any major party, as they are roundly condemned by all sides. (Please don't tell me about Charlottesville, when Trump said that there were good people on both sides regarding the issue of Confederate statues. If Trump is a neo-Nazi, he is doing a damn poor job of showing it. Aside from his own daughter and grandkids being Jewish, he has been the most pro-Israel President in US history. And, unlike Sanders, he has cut aid to the Palestinians until they agree to stop killing Jews. Not to mention that he moved the American embassy to Israel's actual capital city, Jerusalem. He has recognized Israeli sovereignty over the strategic Golan Heights. And he has made sure that his Ambassador to the UN has protected Israel from one anti-Israel, anti-Semitic resolution after the next.)

Whereas the white supremacists/neo-Nazis are marginalized, Glick tells us that the "progressive, Islamist and black anti-Semites are deeply embedded in the political left. Over the past 15 years, they have become powerful actors in the Democratic party capable of bending the party to their will." And, she says, these anti-Semitic groups all cover for one another. (See the third and fourth paragraphs of this post. And recall when Nancy Pelosi refused to criticize Ilhan Omar for one anti-Semitic comment after the next, defending and excusing her in each instance.) I am a realist. I do not expect left-wing Jews to suddenly vote for Trump or any Republican. But is it asking too much of my fellow Jews to not support candidates who are anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. Need I remind you that Israel has been a safe haven for Jews from around the world.

Recently, President Trump signed an Executive Order that would apply the protections of the anti-discrimination provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to Jewish college students. The left-wing media and leftist Jews complained, alleging that such an order would stifle debate about the BDS movement. Aside from the fact that the First Amendment protects such speech, these leftists express precious little concern for the regular and ongoing harassment of Jewish college students. Recall, Jews are not a protected group for the Left. The reason for the order was to encourage college administrators to do a much better job of protecting Jewish students. Sadly, the Jewish Left has such a visceral hatred of Trump, that they are unable to acknowledge the good he has done for the Jewish people.

I understand the aversion that people have to Trump's at times crude comments. I really do get it. If you know me, you know it is not my style. What I do not understand is how those words "trump" his policies. Obama spoke nicely, yet during his entire term in office he maligned Israel and ultimately sold Israel out at the UN in December, 2016. Maybe it's just me, but I prefer someone on my side, who is on the side of the Jewish people, to someone who speaks well but will stab me in the back. As a very bright, religious man said to me: "The miracle is that Trump knows there are 2 Jewish communities, and he does not withhold his support for Jewish causes and Israel despite being attacked again and again and again by members of the Jewish people. He loves the more observant and traditional Jew, and he loves Israel." Amen to that.