A few weeks ago, I drove home to find four or five police cars parked in my characteristically peaceful neighborhood. In particular, the cops were stationed around a shul on the corner.
In the best of times, seeing squad cars in a Jewish neighborhood is unsettling. As we all know, antisemitic activities are spiking through the roof right now, from stabbings in London to swastika flags at NYU, to Jewish institutions and memorials desecrated around the world.
And let’s not even get started with all the vicious hate language spewed by morons and cowards on social media. Even something as innocuous as “Jewish American Heritage Month” has been the target of anti-Jewish vitriol and rage.
So why should Charm City be any different? After all, we’ve got our own share of not-so-charming miscreants here, right?
After parking my car, I decided to walk up the street to see what the fuss was about that required such a strong police presence. I tried to keep some distance to not get in the way of the officers and their work.
Fairly quickly, I noticed a young man standing on the corner, jumping up and down at a feverish pace and flailing his arms, spouting out gibberish. The poor guy was either mentally ill or under the influence, and the police were trying to calm him down.
But suddenly, I noticed a gaggle of young students from a nearby yeshiva dormitory come running out of their house like it was the London Blitz of World War II, frantically looking for parked cars, telephone poles and bushes to hide behind. Obviously, these teenagers were frightened out of their gourds by all the commotion caused by this interloper.
Eventually, one of their adult supervisors came out and tried to extricate them from their hiding spots, insisting that everything was fine and they should come back inside. It was like watching someone trying to herd anxious kittens.
I understand why these youngsters — most of them probably from out of town and away from home for the first time — were anxious. Too many ugly, and violent, incidents have taken place in Jewish communities since the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7th and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Bearing much of the brunt of this latest incarnation of antisemitism are Orthodox folks, whose traditional garb lets bigots know they’re Jewish. (Ironically, not every Orthodox person is particularly pro-Israel. Notably, the ultra-Orthodox Neturei Karta sect is notoriously anti-Zionist.)
Nonetheless, watching the yeshiva students run for their lives reminded me of why we cannot allow the antisemites to make us cower and hide. Of course we need to protect our institutions and community members, and be aware and mindful at all times. We should never slip into the mindset of, “Well, that kind of thing doesn’t happen here.”
But at the same time, we can’t run away. We can’t be intimidated or swayed. And we can’t apologize for being Jews.
Since the Kremlin decided to attack Ukraine in 2022, I’ve never heard of any Russians being attacked or denigrated in the U.S. Why should there be a double standard for Jews, some of whom might not even agree with policies of the Netanyahu government?
I’ve decided I won’t apologize for supporting Israel and believing in its right to exist, even if I don’t agree with every action or strategy. I won’t stop attending Jewish gatherings or going to shul whenever I want to.
I won’t apologize for being Jewish or being involved in my community.
I won’t run away, and neither should you.
Sincerely,
Alan Feiler, Editor-in-Chief
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