David Billet
David BilletINN:DB

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The same anti-Semitism that attempted to murder my grandparents during the Holocaust has returned with a vengeance. For Jews living in New Jersey, reality became a tragedy when a kosher supermarket was attacked by gunmen, leaving five dead and wounding three others. This supermarket was solely targeted for its connection to Judaism and, as anti-Semitic attacks continue to rise all over the United States of America, there is only one common goal: the desire to spill Jewish blood.

In an age where diseases have been eradicated, human rights have been expanded, and minorities have been protected, anti-Semitism, the oldest hatred on earth, continues to live on.

Just last year, the deadliest attack against Jews in the history of the United States took place in a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing eleven and injuring six others. Only six months later a synagogue in San Diego was targeted by a gunman killing one and injuring three others, including the Rabbi. More recently in New York, nine anti-Semitic incidents were reported in less than a week.

For many, the joy of being in a synagogue has been replaced with the fear of being in a tragedy. Jewish students are harassed on college campuses, Jewish cemeteries are vandalized, and Jewish men, women, and children are continuously attacked in the streets of the United States.

In the 20th century, anti-Semitism chased European Jewry to their death during the Holocaust, and once again, anti-Semitism chases after the Jewish people today. My grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, once told a story how, as a young child living in pre-WWII Romania, Jews were repeatedly beaten and attacked with stones. This is just an example of the anti-Semitism Jews experienced before the rivers of Europe were filled with the blood of the Jews during the Holocaust. Tragically, similar stories can be seen in the media today. The Holocaust has proven that we cannot afford to ignore our enemies when they pledge to destroy us, just as Hitler pledged before WWII.

Today, more than 80% of world Jewry are living in either the United States or Israel. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Israel has made it a priority to assist all Jews around the world in need. As Menachem Begin, Israel’s sixth Prime Minister, once stated: “When a Jew anywhere in the world is threatened or under attack, do all in your power to come to his aid.” Today, a Jew will never again be alone; wherever you are, the State of Israel will always stand by your side.

Almost 75 years after the greatest human rights violation in history, the Holocaust has proven the immense danger of standing silent in the face of anti-Semitism. I urge you to make your voice your heard and take part in the election for the World Zionist Congress, which has already begun and will last only until March 11, 2020. The World Zionist Congress was founded by Theodore Herzl in 1897 and is a leading parliamentary body of the Jewish people.

I write to you, as both a proud Jew and a lifelong supporter of Israel, to vote for the ZOA Coalition, one of the slates running in this election. ZOA Coalition, slate #11, is comprised of a group of organizations (such as Zionist Organization of America, World Likud, Aish HaTorah and countless others) that chose to unite in pursuit of a common goal to strengthen the Jewish nation and the State of Israel.

A vote for the ZOA Coalition is a vote for a safe and secure Israel, the protection of Jews around the world, and an unwavering effort to defeat anti-Semitism. Every single vote is crucial, and your vote can be the one that decides this election. Please vote for the ZOA Coalition and help ensure that our children will one day live in a world that is free from the venomous hatred of anti-Semitism.

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