In my reporting recently, I wrote that in my large outreach to fight antisemitism I have learned that Jews do not know much about doing that. There are Jews and non-Jews on the city council and on the mayor’s staff who may know the long history of antisemitism, but that is not the same as successfully fighting it. We see antisemitism mixed in with free speech. We saw it in Charlotteville with “Jews will not replace us” and we see it in recent pro-Palestinian protests calling for a boycott of Israel which is picking up more steam than existed a couple of years ago. I repeat that the latter is a form of antisemitism.
Now that there has been much more publication of the problem and not just what Fox News and its call to stop antisemitism on campus which deflected attention away from right wing antisemitism (we can read about antisemitism K-12, in the home, in the workplace, and all across the USA instead of just in those “elite” “Ivy League” “liberal” institutions. It was everywhere and well documented in December when Congress met and focused only on the plight of Jews. That was a tragic mistake for a nation whose elected officials are supposed to protect all constituents including members of the Muslim faith.
As I thought about this and opened my computer, there was news from Congress of a new, stronger effort to add a component to fight hate in the office of the president. Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada spoke about this “My bipartisan legislation would establish a National Coordinator to Counter Anti Semitism for the first time ever and take other much-needed steps across the federal government to fight anti-Jewish hatred, bigotry, and violence in the United States.”
All of that is fine and good, but it “takes a village to raise a child” and even that talk misses the bullseye. That is why we have to be armed with knowledge all across the United States. Since I often communicate with the City Council of New York and the office of the mayor, it’s up to you New York to lead the way.
Keep in mind that “End Jew Hate Day” was not passed unanimously by the City Council and the council failed to do its best. I have written about that. Even in the last week, everyone in the city should have noticed that thousands of Muslims had their rights violated by the NYPD which has made a settlement of $17.5 million over the disregard of the religious rights of Muslims and in Saudi Arabia Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Wiesenthal Center was refused entry to an event because he would not remove his kippah. Education matters around the globe and it is time for much change from people who run the city. Do the right thing.