CHOOSE TO SHINE

Do you feel safe? Is your neighborhood free of crime, fear, and anxiety about danger?  In nearly 2000 years of exile, Jews have rarely enjoyed the security and freedoms we now take for granted.  How long can we expect that to last? The NY Times reported in February that the number of anti-Semitic incidents rose 57 percent in the USA last year. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports that most Jews in Europe have stopped wearing yarmulkes due to fear for their safety.  Anti- Jewish sentiment is rising in Europe. What about here in New York? 

By now you have heard of the latest incidents of violence against Jews in America.  The most recent ones at the time this article was finalized included a horrific massacre of Jewish people praying in Pittsburgh on Shabbos morning. It was the deadliest anti-Semitic act in the history of the United States.

Here in Brooklyn there was an unprovoked, vicious attack on a frum Jew who was walking to shul in Borough Park on Sunday, October 14.  Rabbi Lipa Schwartz was thrown to the pavement and repeatedly hit and kicked by Farrukh Afzal. Rabbi Schwartz said that Afzal shouted Allah, Allah, and said he wanted to “kill all Jews”.  Regardless, the hate crime charges were dropped, and the incident was labeled road rage.  New York City Councilman Chaim Deutsch expressed his outrage during a press conference at One Police Plaza. Councilman Deutsch was joined by many politicians and several Jewish community leaders. It is also noteworthy that there was a diverse showing of support from other communities and faith based groups. These included  Imam Ahmed Ali Uzir of Iqra Masjid Brooklyn, Sam Tsang and Lina Chen, Asian community activists, and Pervez Siddiqui, Director of the Apna Brooklyn Community Center. 

On Tuesday, October 16, 2018, an older Jewish man was chased by a black teen wielding a stick. When the young miscreant caught up to his prey, he began hitting the elderly Jew on his neck and shoulders until the stick broke.  This was the ninth anti-Semitic attack in Brooklyn so far this year.

What should our response be to the global spread of hate against us? Should we all take self defense classes or carry mace? Should we hope the problem will not recur? Is this the end of a relatively peaceful era which we have enjoyed since the end of World War II? There has been a tremendous influx of French Jewry making Aliya to Israel to escape the growing anti-Semitism in France.  Left unchecked, is that something we in the United States may be compelled to follow as the hate grows here as well? What should we do?

One thing we must be careful to avoid is to perpetuate hate.  The Jewish people have suffered the effects of hatred for millennia. We know better than anyone else what the detrimental effects of hate can do. It is therefore our responsibility to carefully teach our own children not to express hatred. That includes not making race based jokes inside our homes.  Answering hate with more hate will not cure anything.

Next, we must be vigilant in our day to day lives.  It is negligent to walk alone in a deserted area, especially at night.  There is security in numbers.  Do not hesitate to call for help if you witness a crime being committed, as long as you can do so without endangering yourself. Do not become a vigilante and try to take matters into your own hands.  

We must also use our political voices to ensure that politicians keep our concerns at the forefront of their respective agendas. The best way to do that is to vote in every primary and election, so the frum vote is counted and noted. It is so important that you do not miss the General election on November 6, 2018.  This is critical for our community. Every adult member of your household should show up to vote. If for any reason by now someone has not registered despite all of my pleas, I hope that you will take this opportunity to register online immediately, so you can vote in the next contest.

Finally, our Rabbonim will remind us that we must turn to Hashem in prayer and deeds to beg for His protection, as well as for the coming of Moshiach, which will put an end to this long and painful final exile.