“ On February 20th, eleven JCCs received bomb threats. That black day is only part of a greater wave of 68 incidents at 53 JCCs in 26 states and one Canadian province. This week, the Anti-Defamation League, a group that “combat[s] anti-Semitism and hate against people of all races and religions,” in the words of its president Jonathan Greenblatt, received a bomb threat. Suddenly, Jewish institutions are targeted, and many people are scared for our children, siblings and parents. All of the slow sudden, people are waking up to Jew hatred. Swastikas are drawn on Jewish students’ property, hundreds of Jewish tombstones are desecrated in a St. Louis cemetery, and a Texas preschool teacher advocates for the killing of Jews. Sadly, none of this surprises me anymore. I am aware that 53% of religiously motivated hate crimes in 2015 were anti-Semitic — more than against any other religious group. Most people don’t know that, though, and are generally shocked when I tell them. Somehow, anti-Semitism is always swept under the rug. Take, for example, the British students in the NUS (National Union of Students) who argued against commemorating Holocaust Day because it “prioritizes other lives” — while ignoring the memory of the six million Jews who were systematically targeted for annihilation.
I see my social-justice-involved friends rightfully fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+, Muslim and immigrant communities, but I rarely, if ever, see them stand up against anti-Semitism. I haven’t seen a single rally; I haven’t haven’t gone to a single protest. Is the struggle of my people not worth their time? Is our pain not “inclusive enough?” “
Firstly, I am very upset with myself for being unaware of these events- but I am even more upset at mainstream media being completely silent. I feel like the social justice community overlooks anti-semitism because as much as I hate to admit, we are only really protecting people of color. This article isn't particularly recent, but I felt I should share it anyways.
Frankly: This is fucked. For once I have nothing else to say.
Wow, this is truly heartbreaking. I hold the JCC very close to my heart because I went to preschool there and also was camp chai for many years (team levi rocks <3). The JCC is such a caring place where people share love and compassion with each other. When you walk into the JCC you’re almost invited into a new family. It’s really sad that people want to destroy that. It’s sad that people want to kill innocent people that didn’t do anything to them. At the end of the day we are all the same and no one is exclusive.
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