Total Pageviews

Friday, July 30, 2010

The Last 70 Years Full of Anti-Semitism

WWII started on September 1, 1939 when Nazi Germany entered Poland. America was officially in the war when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. I remember that my brother was born in 1942 and I was so happy to have baby brother at that time. I was already told that I probably wouldn't get the bike I wanted that year due to the war going on. A baby would keep me happy instead. I got my bike anyway due to my clever father.

This was a terribble time for Jews. We lost 6 million in that war. anti-semitism is still going on right here in the USA. The year 2009 saw 1,211 incidents of vandalism, harassment and physical assaults against us, or property and community institutions. In 2008 we had even more attacks, numbering 1,352.

The latest attacks include 29 physical assaults, 760 incidents of ant-Semitic harassment and threats and 422 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism.

There was a shooting attack on the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C by a Holocaust denier that led to the death of a security guard, 4 Muslim converts trying to bomb synagogues in Riverdale, NY that was thwarted, thank G-d, and picketing of institutions and community centers by anti-semites. I saw that here during our AIPAC dinner and it is also reported to have happened by members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church who are most anti-Semitic.

States having the most reports were California with 275, New York with 209, New Jersey with 132, and Florida with 90. The internet is seeing lots of anti-semetic websites, even on Facebook and My Space and YouTube.

A few days ago on July 26th, a Maryland synagogue was vandalized with swastikas and anti-Semitic writings. This was B'nai Shalom synagogue in Olney, 20 miles north of Washington, D.C. They spray-painted on the building's walls, parking lot and light posts. They wrote "Juden raus," meaning: Jews-out!. Also was seen "work will set u free" a phrase found in Auschwitz's death camp. To us older folk who were but babes during the 2nd WW, it makes us freeze up. If that wasn't enough, they also wrote, "Death 2 Zionists."

This is being investigated rightfully so as a hate crime.

No, anti-semitism hasn't died out like the measles. It's still with our population, sometimes lying in an incubation period just waiting to pop out. We're still being used as scapegoats.

Resource: Jewish Review August 1, 2010

No comments: