I spent some time yesterday
reflecting on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
I participated in the observance of the event through the Illinois
Holocaust Museum. Later, I listened to
Bari Weiss’s podcast interview with author Dara Horn, who discussed her book,
“People Love Dead Jews,” a collection of essays about antisemitism.
I found it appropriate to do them
together as the ceremony at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Bari Weiss’s
interview with Dara Horn were perfect complements to each other.
Although I am not Jewish, I have
had a strong interest in WWII, and, in particular, the Holocaust. I have read widely on the topic, reviewed
several excellent films, such as Son of Saul, and wrote a piece a few years ago
in opposition to the proposed Polish law that would have made speaking of the
“Polish Holocaust” or similar references illegal.
At bottom, I still seek to
understand how citizens in a civilized Western country could have done such
things. And I am also seeking to relate
those events to some of the things that are going on right here and now in the
U.S. and wondering how concerned we should be.
The ceremony at the Illinois
Holocaust Museum was appropriately solemn and dignified. It had the Israeli Consulate General give
some remarks as well as the granddaughter of one of the survivors. Most moving was the lighting of the candles
by some of the survivors and the mournful singing of the cantor.
I urge you to listen to the podcast
interview of Dara Horn.
Perhaps the most important
takeaway is Bari Weiss’s assertion that “The fate of Jews and the fate of
liberty are intertwined,” a statement I agree with wholeheartedly. Some of their conversation focused on the Tree
of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh three years ago, as well as the self-erasure
that some Jewish institutions engage in in an effort to be more “inclusive.”
Yet, given current events, I
found the ceremony and the conversation a little incomplete. The speakers at the Illinois Holocaust
Museum, while remembering the past, did not spend a great deal of time on the
most worrying aspect of the current expressions of antisemitism.
By commission and omission, the
State has been an ally to antisemitic forces.
On a national level, both Ilhan Omar have made clear antisemitic
statements and the House of Representatives could not bring itself to censure
them. In New York, under the pretext of
enforcing COVID restrictions, authorities bullied Hasidic Jews, stopped them
from having funeral services and other gatherings. Most egregiously, they chased young Jewish
mothers with their children off playgrounds—even though children have almost no
risk from COVID. And in cities like New
York and Los Angeles, Jews have been subjected to random attacks on the streets
by African Americans, which attacks have been widely captured on video and
disseminated on social media. The
passivity of law enforcement in these cities has been particularly harmful to
the Jewish community.
So, yes, we are seeing a
resurgence of anti-semitism here in the U.S.
It was a mere four years ago that
I saw a flyer on a public bulletin board at the University of Illinois at
Chicago that proclaimed, “White Supremacy starts with Jewish Supremacy.” Now that we are seeing signs that the State
is not unequivocally and forcefully pushing back against it, and may be tacitly
ok with it, we should be very worried.
Dara Horn said that she objected
to Jews being viewed as “canaries in the coal mine.” I view it a little differently. My Jewish brothers and sisters are on the
front lines of liberty. And we need to
stand with them, even when some don’t see it yet.
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