Social media and mainstream media all point to one thing: antisemitism is on the rise. It can be seen by U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking at a fundraising event hosted by Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, all the way down to local communities — such as the recent attack on a synagogue in Bloomfield, New Jersey
In the early morning of Jan. 29, a man in a ski mask attacked Temple Ner Tamid by hurling a molotov cocktail into the synagogue. The cocktail was found the next morning by the temple’s staff with nothing harmed as the bottle broke on impact, according to the Bloomfield Police Department. The temple’s rabbi, Marc Katz, commented on how “the shatter resistant doors held,” according to the New York Times.
This, along with another hate crime targeted towards Trinity Episcopal Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is just a few of the acts of violence having to do with the “White Power” notion that government officials and celebrities are playing into, according to ABC News.
Only five years ago people were taking to the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia chanting things such as “Jews will not replace us” and “Unite the Right.” The most concerning, however, was former president Donald Trump’s words following the events. To him, there were “very fine people on both sides,” quotes ABC News.
But what does this have to do with the attack on Temple Ner Tamid?
National Public Radio’s Lisa Hagen said that the more government officials like Greene and celebrities like Kanye West buy into racist and antisemitic tropes, the more hate crimes increase. In fact, if one buys into common racist beliefs such as “Asians started COVID-19,” they’re more likely to buy into conspiracy theories about the Jewish community, according to NPR. With celebrities like Kanye West using his platform to talk about loving Hitler, communities such as Bloomfield are experiencing an increase of threats to synagogues in their town.
Unfortunately, we can expect these kinds of attacks to increase as people only encourage anti-semites such as Fuentes, Greene, West and Trump. People should be calling for justice against hate of all kinds, rather some still parade Yeezys and don MAGA hats. To them, words are just words rather than something that empowers those willing to commit violence for the alt-right agenda.
People can call for justice by uplifting the Jewish community locally, such as by participating in charity events or signing petitions. It is only when these celebrities are de-platformed the calls for violence decrease and counties may not have to ask synagogues to invest in shatter resistant doors.
