Four years ago, on October 27, 2018, we all witnessed the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States. This week we mark the anniversary of the antisemitic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were murdered and 6 others wounded. It was a shocking event to the nation, but for us Jews, it came as no surprise.
Antisemitism has been steadily on the rise for several years, along with hate crimes directed at other minority communities. And according to the FBI, Jews are the most targeted religious group in the US. Since 2010, there have been over 15,000 religious-based hate crimes in the US. Over 50% of those attacks were directed against Jews, even though Jews make up less than 3% of the US population.
Antisemitism is as old as the Jewish people and has taken many forms, but today in America, antisemitism has taken a virulent and violent turn, fueled by conspiracy theories and political movements on the extremes across the ideological spectrum. On college campuses, Jewish students are singled out for hostility by those who deny the right of Israel to exist. According to one ADL study, fully one-third of Jewish college students report having experienced antisemitism. Christian Nationalists and White supremacists fuel their violent hatred with myths of Jewish control over media, banking, or government. What all of these have in common is a reliance on pernicious conspiracy theories about alleged Jewish power and influence.
Recently, one of the most prominent hip hop artists and cultural icons in America threatened to go “DEATHCON 3” on the Jewish people (whatever that means), whom he accuses of controlling the entertainment industry – an industry that has made him very wealthy while indulging his odious views, dismissing his antisemitism and bigotry as mere artistic eccentricity. His antisemitism is hardly new, but it is shocking that media and apparel companies continued to give him a platform until the recent public outcry.
It can be tricky to publicly challenge expressions of antisemitism. When the Jewish community speaks up against antisemitism – calling on companies to distance themselves from celebrities like Kanye West – it can feed into the very antisemitic tropes of Jewish power and influence he disseminates. Nonetheless, we must speak up loudly against antisemitic rhetoric online because online conspiracy theories have real-world consequences. The attacker in Pittsburgh was motivated by “replacement theory” – a belief he acquired online that purports a Jewish-led conspiracy to flood America with dark-skinned foreigners.
And antisemitism cannot be separated from other hate ideologies. As the “replacement theory” shows – antisemites don’t discriminate when it comes to the targets of their hatred. Wherever we see antisemitism thrive, we also find racism and other expressions of bigotry. Antisemitism is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” warning us that hatred is on the rise.
Yet we also have reasons to be hopeful. Four years ago, when the Pittsburgh synagogue was attacked, I was at that time the President of the Rocky Mountain Rabbis and Cantors association. In that role, I witnessed the outpouring of support for the Jewish community that came from everywhere in Denver. At the vigil our community organized in the wake of the terrorism, there were people of all races representing the Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. And, when just five months later, a mosque in New Zealand was attacked, I was proud to stand alongside the faith community in supporting our Muslim neighbors.
What gives me hope is when I see that people of goodwill from every faith community and racial group coming to understand that antisemitism is integral to the DNA of American racism. We cannot combat hate in our own silos.
While it breaks my heart to witness antisemitism on display, perhaps Kanye West did us a favor this week when we remember the domestic terrorism of the Tree of Life attack. He exposed the reality that antisemitism cannot be decoupled from other forms of hatred. And just as we Jews have to be vigilant for our own safety, we need to unite with other marginalized communities to stand up to racism and bigotry.
That is why we at HEA work so hard to be both a secure and a welcoming, inclusive community. We will do everything in our power to protect ourselves, and we will never lock our doors to anyone seeking unity and peace with the Jewish people.
Let us resolve to hold one another in love and compassion as we stand up to hate and violence.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Salomon Gruenwald
