Antisemitism and anti-Israel feeling and violence are increasing all over at an alarming rate.

In the April 29 issue of The Jewish Link, there is one story about an ADL audit of antisemitic acts (“Antisemitic Incidents in US Hit All-Time High”) and one about Rutgers (“Is Rutgers Advising BDS Allies?”), which is in our own backyard, but has been a recurring sore spot for years.

Yet there is no condemnation and few organized voices raised in outrage from the Jewish communities. No protests, no demonstrations and no calls for action. Not from individuals, and not from the very organizations that are supposed to be representing and supporting Jewish communities. This is in contrast to the loud outpouring of outrage, indignation and horror when similar acts are directed against other minority groups.

There are two culprits in this lack of Jewish response: organizations and individuals.

As for the organizations, many had been the bedrock of American Jewish society in the past, like JDL, HIAS, ACLU and Jewish Federations. But these now have succumbed to the siren call of the liberal left, and either stopped representing the Jewish community or have partnered with the woke radical left and are now aligned with, and often support, the very organizations that promote anti-Jewish policies. After acts of violence against Jews or Israel, they issue predictable, stock press releases condemning the violence, but initiate little real substantive actions.

The other culprits are the individual Jews. Historically, Jews have always been a compassionate and charitable people, eager to help others and share what little they may have with those less fortunate than themselves. This persists to the very day, where Jews are active in every conceivable liberal cause, and have no problem being visibly in the forefront of every march, rally, protest and demonstration, even in support of sometimes openly antisemitic groups.

That is, except for pro-Jewish or pro-Israel causes. Here, there is a notable reticence to go public. In the face of danger to themselves, they seem to regress to their historical ghetto mentality of silent suffering so as not to upset the goyim, the very ones who are discriminating against them.

The time has long passed when Jews must stop being passive onlookers to the ever-increasing violence being directed specifically at them. They must adopt the same tactics used by other aggrieved minorities, if they want to get any relief. As has been demonstrated repeatedly in Jewish history, silence is not an option, it is only an invitation to disaster.

“If we are not for ourselves, who will be for us?”—Hillel