Over the past couple months, following the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, there have been protests trying to address the underlying hatred that our society has created. Black teens are unfairly treated not just by the police, but also by our community. They are stereotyped and are not given the same opportunities as other people. But black people are not the only ones who are victims of subconscious dislike. Jewish people experience anti-Semitism here in the U.S., as well as in Europe and the Middle East, but no one is talking about this.
Jewish people everywhere are connected to one another, whether they know each other or not. When Jews in one place are attacked, Jewish people everywhere mourn the incident and feel it personally. That deep relationship between all of the Jewish people in the world is a result of the Holocaust. There were Jewish people everywhere, divided. And when they were divided, they got attacked. The attack brought everyone together. Every Jewish person alive during that time period was affected, and to this day, every Jewish person still is affected by what happened. Whatever happens, Jewish people come from all corners of the world to stand in solidarity. But not many other people stand up with us.
There is extreme anti-Semitism throughout Europe and it’s come to light in recent months. In France over the summer, a kosher supermarket and Jewish pharmacy were attacked and looted. There were protests in the streets with people chanting “Death to Jews” and “Gas the Jews.” Those chants bring up the awful past from the 1930s and ‘40s. Any type of Holocaust reference that is supporting what happened is just unacceptable and inhumane. People in synagogues needed to be escorted out by police because there were mobs of angry protestors just waiting for them. These actions were the done to show support for Palestinians during the war, but here’s the problem: these Jewish people were attacked solely for being Jewish. None of them were expressing views that were in favor of Israel’s decisions. They were going about their daily lives and were targeted for one connection they had with that area.
The terrorist attacks in France in the past two weeks have made international headlines. But one part of those attacks has gone under the radar. One of the assaults took place in a kosher market. Two of the perpetrators took hostages inside the market. Four people died. But is anyone calling this attack a hate crime? Not really.
Within the past week, Belgium has deployed military troops to protect Jewish synagogues, schools and businesses. Schools were even cancelled. But this isn’t new. Last May, a man walked into a Jewish museum and opened fire, killing four people.
Over the summer, a doctor refused to treat a Jewish woman, telling her she should go to Gaza to get medical treatment. In November, a rabbi was stabbed in the throat. But how many of these acts of pure hatred have gotten international coverage they deserve?
But anti-Semitism isn’t just a European trend. Over the summer, the Alpha Epsilon Phi mailbox at the University of Oregon was spray painted with swastikas. In September, a girl at UNC Charlotte was spit on when she wore a shirt saying “Stand With Israel.” On Yom Kippur, the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house at Emory University was vandalized The perpetrators drew swastikas all over the house. Here are just three examples of anti-Semitic acts that have all been committed on college campuses, but there are dozens more and there is no end in site.
People have every right to disagree with how governments handle themselves, whether it’s the U.S. or Israeli government. But holding random Jewish people responsible for the Israeli government’s choices just doesn’t make sense. That’s not a protest, that’s blatant anti-Semitism.
Michael Brest is a freshman in the School of Communication.
