Thankfully, a grassroots movement quickly emerged to support the boycotted businesses, which are now seeing lines out the door as Jews and non-Jews stand in solidarity against these terroristic tactics. But the fact that such an antisemitic campaign – timed to coincide with one of the most infamous precursors to the Holocaust – could gain traction in a major American city is highly disturbing.
This is a time of testing for the Jewish people, both in America and around the world. The explosion of antisemitism that followed the October 7 atrocities has brought antisemitic violence, harassment, and intimidation to our streets. The situation is far more virulent in Europe, where social cohesion is under greater strain – but even in America, we are seeing politicians excuse, amplify, and even encourage mass displays of antisemitism that have inevitably resulted in a rising tide of violence against our Jewish community.
The Jewish people have been here before, and have responded to the millennia of persecution with incredible resilience. That is why despite this vile trend, I firmly believe that the future is bright for America’s Jewish community and for the people of Israel.
John Adams famously said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” As the world’s oldest conspiracy theory, antisemitism is the antithesis of a “fact,” though it is incredibly stubborn. We must be unequivocal in standing against the modern incarnations of this ancient evil – or surrender our hard-won values and freedoms to destruction and decay.
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