One deeply troubling byproduct of the recent war between Hamas terrorists in Gaza and Israel are outbursts, in various areas of the U.S. and other parts of the Western World, of violent antisemitism.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations reported in a press release on Friday, May 21: “Over the past 72 hours, a wave of antisemitic attacks in the United States reached crisis levels. The ADL reports a nearly 50% increase in antisemitic incidents over the past week. Communities across the country are reporting acts of violence, intimidation and abuse, both physical and verbal. In Tucson, Arizona, and Skokie, Illinois, synagogue windows were smashed. In Miami, a Jewish family was showered with trash. In midtown Manhattan, a roving mob of anti-Israel thugs marched through the heavily Jewish Diamond District, harassing and beating passersby and diners and using fireworks as weapons to cause damage and intimidate Jews. In Los Angeles, Jews were beaten, intimidated, and chased by people and cars waving Palestinian flags.”
In a release on the same day, the Combat Antisemitism Movement—“a non-partisan, global grassroots movement of individuals and organizations, across all religions and faiths, united to combat antisemitism” (whose board of advisors includes Israeli leaders, prominent elected officials in Europe and academics)—reported: “Antisemitic incidents in the U.K. have increased 600%. Several British Jews have been attacked in the streets by antisemitic gangs, and a car caravan flying Palestinian flags drove through Jewish neighborhoods chanting: “F**k Jews, rape their mothers, rape their daughters.” Dozens of other alarming incidents of incitement and violence have taken place in Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Rome, Vienna, Toronto, Montreal and elsewhere. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign minister used antisemitic slurs during a CNN interview and Turkish President Erdogan was condemned by the U.S. State Department for invoking classic blood libels against Jews, potentially inciting further violence.”
In response to this alarming trend, the Orthodox Union issued a statement on May 20 that stated in part: “We call upon leaders of all sectors—political leaders, business leaders, those who lead the media and entertainment industries, and more—to speak out against anti-Jewish violence, just as they would speak out against hate crimes perpetrated against any minority segment of Americans. Rejecting these hate crimes has nothing to do with one’s views of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. People of good will must reject unprovoked violence against American Jews going about their daily activities. Doing this is critical to living together in a civil and diverse democratic society. We call on Congress and state governments to take immediate action to address these attacks by increasing the resources available to ensure more synagogues and other Jewish communal institutions can enhance the security of their buildings, and by providing federal and local law enforcement agencies with more resources to thwart faith-targeted violence.”
Working in partnership, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, Hadassah, the Jewish Federations of North America, and the Orthodox Union sent a letter to President Joe Biden on May 21 urging his administration to swiftly take the following urgent steps:
Harness the authority of the Presidency and United States Government to speak out loudly and clearly against antisemitism.
Appoint an ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat antisemitism.
Reestablish and fill the position of White House Jewish liaison.
Hold a White House-convened conversation on antisemitism.
Combat antisemitism on college campuses.
Invest in security enhancements for religious institutions.
In a press conference in New York City on May 21, Agudath Israel of America spoke out about “the senseless antisemitic attacks against Jews in New York City, Los Angeles and elsewhere around the country. The idea that unrest in the Middle East justifies gang violence and ‘Jew-hunting’ is horrifying.”
Leaders of Agudath Israel requested an urgent meeting with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on May 21, who responded immediately and convened an emergency meeting with them at New York City Hall. They were joined by Dean Fuleihan, NYPD first deputy mayor; Rodney Harrison, NYPD chief of department; John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner for public information; and Pinchas Ringel, the mayor’s community affairs unit assistant commissioner.
As Agudath Israel reported: “The NYPD representatives reported on the progress of the ongoing cases, as well as what preventive measures they would be putting in place to ensure the continued safety of the Jewish community. Mr. De Blasio assured the Jewish leaders that the attacks will be addressed forcefully, that arrests have been made and that more arrests are forthcoming.”
On May 21, the CSS security team issued the following guidance to member congregations:
1. Always be aware of your surroundings. Use sidewalks where available and stay to the side of the road if there are no sidewalks. Do not make yourself a target for a malicious or accidental incident.
2. If you experience harassment, do not engage with the perpetrator in any way. Get a license plate number and report any incidents to the security team lead in shul.
3. If you feel you are in any danger, seek shelter in the nearest safe place and call 911.
4. Do not congregate outside of the shul on the sidewalk or the middle of the road.
5. Do not engage with pro-Palestinian anti-Israel protesters. They are looking for a response and to incite and they have proven to be aggressive and dangerous.
By Harry Glazer
