The antisemites have been out in full force since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, which started the current bloody conflict in the Gaza Strip. As the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue its efforts to eliminate the terrorist organization, protesters in the United States have been advocating on the terrorist organization’s behalf and calling for the destruction of the Jewish state.
In major cities across the country, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel protesters have taken to the streets, chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” an antisemitic slogan popular with Hamas and other anti-Jewish extremists.
In other instances, these groups have engaged in violence and taken down posters showing pictures of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. The situation has been especially pronounced in New York City:
Silber’s group tallied 23 antisemitic incidents in the greater New York area from Oct. 7 to 19. The total in that 12-day period is around double the rate compared to the same time last year, when the Community Security Initiative tallied 20 incidents throughout the entire month of October.
The incidents range from subway graffiti saying “kill the Jews” in Manhattan to violence and harassment. The group has tallied at least nine instances of reported assault. The Community Security Initiative receives reports from individuals, checks into news reports of attacks with law enforcement, and learns about some incidents from the ADL.
In some of the other attacks, an Israeli student was hit with a stick at Columbia University, an assailant shoved an identifiably Jewish woman in Manhattan while shouting, “This pig has got to go,” and a man punched a woman in a Manhattan subway station, saying it was because she was Jewish. A banner at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue was vandalized with the words, “F—in k—s” and the 2nd Avenue Deli was defaced with a swastika. The targets include all manner of Jews and Israelis, Silber said.
In response to the rise in antisemitic incidents and the increasing prevalence of pro-Hamas protests in the city, some have called for Jewish New Yorkers to “shelter in place” to avoid becoming victims of hate crimes.
Hamas supporters raise flag over Columbus Square in NYC. The Jewish community is being told to shelter in place. pic.twitter.com/JCJuq8c5XP
— @amuse (@amuse) November 10, 2023
The notion that Jewish people should have to “shelter in place” because rabid antisemites want to wild out in the city is absurd for a variety of reasons. For starters, Jews should not be forced to hide in fear just because the authorities, whose role it is to protect our rights, aren’t able or willing to deal with people engaging in violence and threatening others simply for being Jewish. The very idea is at odds with the principles of a free society.
Radio talk show host J.R. Holmsted summed up my second point quite nicely in a thread on X, formerly Twitter, noting that these people would never tell black Americans to shelter in place if a Ku Klux Klan march was taking place and some of the members were getting rowdy.
“There’s a Klan march going on outside so blacks should shelter in place.”
— J.R. Holmsted (@JHolmsted) November 11, 2023
DO THESE PEOPLE FUCKING HEAR THEMSELVES??!?!
Of course, I have a deeper theory as to why this might be the case, but I’ll expand on that later. The bottom line is that the authorities in New York City would be far more amendable to rounding up and punishing the people threatening Jews if they were antisemites of the right-wing variety. But since they are not, politics must prevail over principles.
Lastly, there is also the fact that Jews should be able to stand up and confront their adversaries for themselves. The notion that cowering behind closed doors is the solution shows just how little these people think of Jewish people and other minorities. However, the impulse to shield oneself from the anti-Jewish mob is understandable, given that New York City makes it as difficult as possible for regular folks to arm themselves. Obtaining a firearm in the Empire State is no easy feat, meaning that Jewish New Yorkers are essentially helpless against the mob of antisemitic thugs threatening them.
The proper role of any governing authority should be to protect the rights of its citizens. Unfortunately, New York City and other local governments do not seem interested in fulfilling this duty when it comes to Jewish citizens. In this case, it is shifting the burden of safety onto the victims while also keeping them disarmed. It is the responsibility of the people to confront bigotry and violence head-on while safeguarding the rights of the people. Unfortunately, the government has made this nearly impossible in this case.
