Be it resolved in 2024 that Americans of all faiths and creeds must work for equal treatment for those currently suffering in silence through no fault of their own. Such compassion accompanies a better lot for those who empathize with the pain of others. This is particularly so for today’s Jewish children on campuses across America; who in the course of pursuing their education sadly encounter egregious discrimination from large numbers of fellow students and outside elements seeking a larger media stage to stir intimidation against Israel supporters and Jews.
This is not the America I grew up in, nor what I wish for future generations of our American citizenry to endure. Tolerance and respectful questioning was then and should always be the ideal.
Recognizing today’s provocative realities and learning from my father Lawrence’s experiences while growing up during the 1930’s in America, I recognize that religious hate based discriminations never fade of their own accord. Instead, they must be challenged every time and on every front they raise their ugly head.
Secondly, America must live by the principle; “…that all men (women) are created equal and …each is endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights among them are the rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness… with the freedom of religion, being the most inalienable of all human rights.”
For these very reasons governments were formed and wars fought to preserve such principles . Yet, at this point in time we appear to be confronted by provocative foreign influencers inflaming challenges to our established American way and Constitution, during the course of threatening our proven ally and friend in the Middle East, Israel and their active distain for our Jewish minority. In each case they utilize repeated lies, self-serving historical revisionism and any other means to foment challenges to Israel’s legitimacy as well as Jews viability both here and abroad.
Interesting that these very tactics closely follow the Nazi Propaganda playbook targeting the Jews of Hitler’s time. This included gradual levels of increasing violence accompanying the silence from the German public. This ultimately led to the unforgivable “Final Solution” and its extermination of 6 million European Jews, including 1 1/2 million defenseless Jewish babies and children.
Some of today’s destabilizing efforts seemed to be correlated with Iran pursuing its stated agenda of “Death to Israel” followed by “Death to America!” via its financing of proxies; Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and others of their ilk to do its dirt. Each in their own way contributed to the inhumane attack endured by vulnerable populations within areas of Israel proximate to Gaza, on 10/07/23. Reprehensible barbaric consequences included repetitive gang rape of defenseless young Jewish girls and women, decapitations of helpless Jewish infants, and torture of others including the alleged binding together of living human souls for the express.purpose of setting them ablaze while this and other atrocities were media recorded by the perpetrators and even encouraged by Palestinian Arab media representative who accompanied them to the site. Sadlly, Palestinian Arab civilians were also participants.
Subsequently, this provoked escalating occurrences of anti-Semitic incidents on campuses, as well as on streets within America and elsewhere. Hate appears to know no bounds as citizens suspected of being Jewish are accosted demanding to admit their Jewishness and then to face assault. Such criminal activity brings shame upon our nation’s founding fathers efforts to promote equality and justice.
America’s Jewish minority is met with weakly challenged discrimination on too many fronts and this very obscenity appears met with fear-based silence. All the while, authority figures, administrative and elected, each expected to know better, appear to fail in their responsibilities to serve and protect .
We can choose to run from, or even close our eyes to; but cannot hide from the eventual effects of the unadulterated baseless hate running amok withIn America.
America’s Jews, lest we forget, have bravely fought for and as necessary given their lives during every war America fought from our revolution, forward; all the while actively contributing to our “American success story” through medicine, business, education and other consequential areas. Not so much for the subgroups challenging our welfare within today’s America.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. alluded well; “… tolerated hate towards any group eventually proves an open invitation for hate towards others (to follow)…”
Today’s targets are American Jews. How long will it be before Christians, Hindus, Muslims and others of different faiths and creeds will be targeted?
Americans and others are getting a semblance of what our Jewish brothers and sisters felt in Germany in the 1930’s. All people of conscience must never allow that sorry history to repeat itself, for all of our sakes!
Bruce Portnoyis the author of First, the ‘Saturday People’, and then the…;