YES, I AM

And if you are not, then you are fooling yourselves, putting yourselves into danger such as you have not known. Such as we have not known here in America. My apologies, for actually we have known such danger. When Jews were shot, killed in their own synagogue, a house of prayer on the Sabbath, yes, we in America know the danger. We are not immune.

What is the danger? It is the life-threatening state or status of being a Jew. Once again to be Jewish is to be treated as a criminal, as a social outcast. As vermin to be exterminated or neutered. Neutralized. Of no consequence at all. In fact, this attitude and resultant action has been alive and well for many, many years, right here in the good old USA. 

Yes, be it from the small towns and villages, small cities and large, Farm Belt, Rust Belt, Bible Belt, whatever belt you wish to name, Antisemitism has been, is, a thriving growth industry. Yes. Here. In America. Even as we walked openly and safely, we thought, the situation was evolving. Antipathy was always there, barely beneath the surface. Even when we noticed, we brushed it off as an aberration. The exception that proves the rule. This was the New World. The Old World and its ancient tropes and deeds of hate, of JewHatred, had no place here. Not in the land where "G-d shed His grace". And so, we closed our eyes, shut down our minds and bought it, hook, line, and sinker.

We ignore the signs reading no Jews need apply. We were willfully blind to the covenants of refusal to sell to a Jew. We ignored the side looks, the knowing nods, as a Jew in 'disguise' was outed, uncovered, the Jew 'hiding' beneath modern clothing, bared to the world. When recognized as a Jew people's eyes wandered towards our heads, wondering where? Where were those horns? 

We ignored the quotas at work, at universities, in professional schools. We sent our kids abroad, back to Europe, ironically, for that education. The lynching of LeoFrank was an aberration of crude  ignorant people. So, we told ourselves. So, we made ourselves believe. The KKK is really only after people of color, not Jews and the burning cross on the lawn of the synagogue was an error. 

 Blocked by glass ceilings at work we shrugged shoulders and opened our own law firms, medical practices, accounting businesses, factories. And so we knew America was different, albeit not perfect, but then again, who is? 

 We made sure that in this new land, we will be recognized as Americans. We thrust aside head coverings or used a baseball cap. We hid the menorah. Or didn't bother lighting it at all. A mezuzah became a missing object. We insistently presented ourselves as "Americans", Jewish a peripheral insignificant part of our composition. Hey, some even had a Christmas tree or a Chanukah bush. Yup, Americans we were. Or so we thought.   So we knew. 

However, reality sets in and hatred never dies. It merely percolates patiently, awaiting its moment. Inevitably that moment, those moments. appear front and center. The voices of white power extremists grow louder, more brazen. At the same time the voices of the left begin their own version of Anti Semitism. While nations of Europe even had Jewish people at the head of government, this nation still has not elected a Jewish person to top office. Occasionally we get the Jewish governor or senator, yes, more than before, but still that glass ceiling remains.  

Today. Yesterday. Last week, last month, 10 months ago, 11 months ago, it all spewed forth. An ugly reeking, stinking. volume of hate. A nation attacked, its civilian slaughtered, debased and hauled away, from infant to elder. The invaded nation was given the cloak of guilt. It was a guilt    for being in existence. It was guilt they were to inhale knowing that there was no place for them. Once again. Ever again. The world, exhausted by its 30 seconds of sympathy and horror at the massacre returned to business as usual. Pressure on the Jewish people to cede victory, to turn it into defeat. The enemy who placed their own people in situations of danger, guaranteed to be killed, was exonerated and all guilt passed to Israel. Even as Israel went way, way above and beyond in efforts to protect these 'civilians'. 

The world indulged in old comforting tropes of hate. They enabled encampments wallowing in this hate to be placed on campuses from which spewed forth words of hate and violence. Challenging Israel's right to exist at all. Segueing right into Jew Hatred. Authorities? Zip and zero. Words of no consequence. Words with no steel in them. And so after their vacation, nicely rested up with solid plans for further mayhem, it has begun all over again. With more intense vitriolic language. It is now “by any means necessary" and that includes murder and violence.   It includes a horrifying vein of hatred. 

We Jews here in America had once thought this was impossible. Not in America. Not here. We wonder, are we the only ones to notice this horrific trend? Are we the only ones whose hackles are raised? Where are the eyes and the ears and the mouths? The minds? when they see thousands march in New York City. Vandalizing. Terrorizing. Carrying flags of known terrorist murderous gangs, of Hamas and Hezbollah. Trashing the American flag, calling for the death of America. Death to America, they shout and carry placards calling for that death. This is America, not Iran. Where the hell are true Americans? Or have we Jews been fooling ourselves all along? Is to be a true American to adopt the terror and terrorizing tactics of the not so American and surge forward in a wave shattering. any and all pretense of safety here in America? And we may as well include the nations of Europe where Jews once again are facing bombs and threats and vandalism, any and all of the negative action or activity you can conjure up within your own mind.

Yes, I am indeed. I am frightened. I am sad. I am terrified for the younger generations of my family and your family. As should you, as well. To have an opinion piece in a national newspaper writing of the need for the American government to protect its Jews!? Anathema. Are we now to be pet projects? To be fed or not fed upon the whims of the owner.   Are we to cede all dignity and concede to hate and the damage it does?

Apparently, many of us do not agree and many Jews have bought their own means of protection.  Jewish stars have emerged front and center. The dog tags calling for the return of hostages, the yellow ribbons calling for an end to the rape of women as a weapon of war are prominent on shirts as well. Rather than hiding we are outing ourselves.

Even as Biden. sits on Netanyahu telling him he must do more. More and more yet. Where is that pressure on Hamas? They slaughtered six human beings in cold blood, knowing that rescue was near. and the world is silent. The only noise we hear is a rather weak voice, very temporary voice. Because Hamas dared to slaughter, a dual citizen of America and Israel. His death was a horror as were the deaths of the thousands on October 7.

America has been a refuge, a place of safety for most of us. Holocaust survivors remade their lives here, raised families. We prospered, and our children did better, but always present was that tinge that remained. Fear, knowing that it is not if but when. Now? Hersh mattered. As did the seven other dual citizens of America, as did the dual citizens of other nations in the world, as did single citizens of Israel. IS it because most are Jews so can easily be written off? It is not right to accept the brazen attack on civilians. It is not right to put such pressure on Israel to concede all that she has   bravely achieved, all that she has sacrificed. The waves of protest in Israel have a solid foundation, but they are knocking at the wrong doors. Israel agreed twice already, in May and August for a cease fire deal even as Hamas changed their conditions and somehow managed to convince the world that it is all the fault of Israel. I guess maybe it is for daring to be, for daring to exist.

Yes, I am. I am afraid for the future. And I am definitely frightened. from the present.