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“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Some version of this sentiment has been attributed to Irish statesman Edmund Burke, Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Whoever said it, pay attention. The United States is experiencing a record level of antisemitism, and we can look to the past to understand what it means for our country today.
ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED: CATALOGING HATE AGAINST JEWS
The Jewish people have a long history, mostly of being a small and distinct minority. Throughout the centuries, Jews have been first welcomed then viciously persecuted by various societies—often the most prominent of their time. Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, to name a few.
Prior to the Holocaust, Germany was the most advanced, most cultured country on Earth. Then they turned on their Jews and launched a war that ultimately saw Germany devastated. This is not because the Jews have demonic powers to control the world, as antisemites like Candace Owens would have you believe. No, it’s because a society that targets its Jews has an illiberal, stagnant culture where diverse ideas and innovation cannot thrive. Antisemitism is a symptom of a cancer that eats a civilization from the inside out.
We don’t want this to happen to America, the preeminent nation on Earth. This great country was founded on religious freedom. In 1790, George Washington wrote to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one
shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
Today, American Jews are under attack like never before. While antisemitic incidents before October 7, 2023 were alarmingly high, and proportional to our population, we were the victims of more hate crimes than any other group in America, those seem like the good old days. My organization, StopAntisemitism, has been monitoring and exposing Jew-haters for the better part of a decade. In the year since that bloody massacre, we have seen a 1,500% spike in incidents. We have had to triple the size of our team to keep up with the hundreds of reports we receive per day. It does not make me happy to say that.
Sadly, antisemitism is not just infecting random individuals. It has poisoned some of our most important institutions.
Instead, we became the leading resource by holding the haters accountable with real world consequences. Post 10/7, StopAntisemitism has identified and featured over 300 antisemites, resulting in 200 tangible consequences that include firings, suspensions, arrests, and expulsions.
Working with law enforcement, we were instrumental in the arrest of Anas Saleh who threatened New York City subway passengers, shouting “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist. This is your chance to get out,” and Aleksander Janik, who physically assaulted a rabbi outside his synagogue and called him a “dirty Jew.”
Sadly, antisemitism is not just infecting random individuals. It has poisoned some of our most important institutions. In academia, professors like Anne Norton deny the savage rapes of October 7 and the suffering of the hostages. A shocking number of educators and medical care providers violate professional codes of conduct to spew violent antisemitic rhetoric.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has been a harsh critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Journalists like Briahna Joy Gray, actors like Susan Sarandon and John Cusack, and musicians like Kanye West and Macklemore spout anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. Worst of all, antisemites like Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar sit in Congress and directly impact national and foreign policy.
While StopAntisemitism has proudly created an environment where those who propagate hatred against the Jewish people are met with real-world consequences, neither my organization nor Jewish Americans can stop this scourge alone. All Americans must get involved in this fight. If not to save your Jewish friends and neighbors, then to save our great country.
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If your co-worker refuses to interact with a Jewish customer or client, let them know it’s not acceptable. If your child’s teacher targets the Jewish students, tell the administration you won’t tolerate it. Don’t just walk past one of the pro-terrorist demonstrations on our city streets, averting your eyes, let the bigots know you don’t appreciate them overrunning our country and demand action from the mayor and police.
We must all strive to make America a country where these regressive forces are met with opposition everywhere they appear. If we don’t, we might end up the next great nation consigned to the dustbin of history.