Dear Editor,
Though I retired from writing letters to local and national media editors and reporters on a variety of issues, recent events such as vandalism in our Covedale cemeteries, the US Intel report that Iran is encouraging and funding protests, antisemitism running rampant in Philly public schools, seeing on TV the US Capitol protestors vandalizing monuments, taking the US flag down and burning it, hoisting the Palestinian flag up in its place, waving Hamas flags, attacking police and chanting “Hamas is coming, Hamas is here” have proven me wrong. I can’t remain silent.
Here is the good news: Our Jewish leaders are finally realizing there is a danger from the far right AND the far left. This is evidenced by rabbis including the subject in their sermons, Jewish non profits including the subject in their mail requests for donations and by the Anti Defamation League (ADL) issuing a list of extremist groups on the left.
Here is the bad news: Too many of our co religionists see the danger from the far right, but not from the far left. They can easily visualize who the far right are — White Supremacists, KKK and Neo Nazis, yet have difficulty doing that for the far left. Well, they need only to Google search and read the ADL publication “Fringe Far left Groups Express Support for Hamas Invasion and Brutal Attacks in Israel.” There they will find these groups listed: Democratic Socialists of America Chapters (DSA), Independent Black Lives Matter (BLM) Chapters, Party for Socialism, and Liberation (PSL), World Workers Party (WWP), Center for Constitutional Rights, Black Alliance for Peace and The Red Nation. If these organizations that support Hamas, a terrorist group, are not antisemitic, I don’t know who are. The recent withdrawal by the National Democratic Socialist Party of support for Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) because she sponsored an antisemitic awareness panel is proof they need to be added to the list. Unfortunately, there are many other organizations that ADL needs to add to their list.
There are many things individuals can do to fight antisemitism; here are just a few:
*Engage in Jewish study to learn Judaism’s view on hatred starting with “Thou shall not hate thy brother in thine heart (Lev 19:17)” to learn the history of antisemitism and to learn about the Oct. 7th war.
*Donate dollars or/and volunteer time to local/national/international Jewish non profits that fight anti Semitism. There are at least 80 such organization.
*Write your elected local/state/federal officials and media editors and reporters of your concerns re the surge of antisemitism.
United and resilient, we will overcome Jew hatred.
Bob Schneider
Cincinnati, OH