Rise in antisemitism

Let’s celebrate Hanukkah by standing with Jews everywhere to combat the antisemitic violence terrorizing them.

History is flashing warnings to the world. Outbursts of antisemitism have often been harbingers of societies in deep trouble and omens that extremism and violence are imminent.

So the wave of global hatred directed against Jews – intensified by Israel’s indiscriminate response in Gaza to horrific Hamas terrorist murders of Israeli civilians on October 7 – should not just be seen as a reaction to the Middle East yet again slumping into war.

(CNN, October 31, 2023)

As Martin Niemöller warned, silence makes us complicit. Stay silent, and we might find ourselves alone when racist, LGBTQ, migrant, or other forms of violence come for us.

That said, much of this antisemitism stems from uninformed outrage over the genocidal onslaught Israel is executing in Gaza. The irony is that many Jews being targeted oppose the actions of their Zionist government as fiercely as the hapless Palestinians do. The weekly protests on streets across Israel for over a year attest to this.

So we should be protesting in solidarity with Jews, not throwing out the proverbial baby with the bath water.