In the wake of two major attacks on Jews in the past two weeks—the first in Washington, D.C., when two Israeli embassy staffers were gunned down by a man yelling to “Free Palestine,” and the second in Boulder, Colo., when an Egyptian man screamed “Death to all Zionists” and threw Molotov cocktails into a crowd of people walking in support of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza—I have seen appeals from the Jewish community calling on their non-Jewish neighbors to stand up and declare their outrage and solidarity.
I understand the sentiment, but I believe that a more effective tactic at this point is not to urge people to stand up for my safety and well-being, but rather, to rise up for their own.
Certainly, it would be nice if Americans en masse would voice their absolute intolerance for antisemitic violence, even if it did not impact them personally. And it is a fact that Jews have both historically and recently joined arms with other communities when they have been victimized and/or subject to tragedy, and we are therefore confounded as to why there is so little reciprocity currently. As for the handful of non-Jews who have been vocal on the issue of the rise in antisemitism in spite of their lack of skin in the game, so to speak, it is noted and deeply appreciated.
But in a world where we are all flooded daily in our inboxes and news feed with innumerable causes and catastrophes, it is likely that the majority of people will get involved in an issue only if it has direct personal relevance. So rather than asking non-Jews to empathize with the plight of a group to which they do not belong, it is paramount at this moment to demonstrate the absolute relevance of these events to their own lives and safety. Instead of focusing on antisemitism, we must focus on the anti-Americanism that is at the heart of these recent attacks and the threat that they pose to all citizens in the country.
Americans of all beliefs and backgrounds should recognize that the events of the past two weeks represent a watershed moment not only for the small minority of the public (2.4%) that identifies as Jewish, but for the vast majority who identify as peace-loving, tolerant and humanistic. When unarmed civilians are assaulted in the street simply because their religious or political beliefs and affiliations differ from those of their attacker, this is a portent of grave danger for the entire structure on which our democracy stands.
This is certainly not the first time that America has witnessed ideology-based violence and bloodshed. We have endured racial violence, religious violence and political violence throughout history.
Yet what distinguishes these instances from the bloody skeletons of our past is the perverse cocktail of anarchic resistance, Islamo-fascism and Marxist revolutionary theory that targets not only select communities or minorities, but aims to destroy the very underpinnings of American liberty and Western civilization more generally.
The greatest cause for alarm is not simply that this type of anti-Americanism exists; indeed, sporadic instances of countercultural and “revolutionary” terrorism have stained the annals of American history. What is most troubling is that this is currently being justified and amplified by academics and thought leaders who are teaching the next generation that the values of our republic are no longer just or relevant. There is a growing constituency of Americans who no longer ascribe to the core values enshrined in our founding documents of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The virtues of civility, dialogue and tolerance are no longer held to be self-evident. The golden rule to “love your neighbor as yourself” has somehow lost its luster.
In place of these traditionally American ideals, many are currently indoctrinated with nihilistic principles of power dynamics and civil unrest. Rather than working to understand alternate perspectives, to build consensus or to reach a compromise, students today are taught to shout down voices of difference and to forcefully reject and demonize those who don’t march in lock step. In such an environment, political violence is inevitable. And as history has demonstrated repeatedly, Jews are frequently the first target in the war on democracy and multiculturalism.
Often referred to as the “canary in the coal mine,” Jews provide an early warning system to broader society. Just as coal miners utilized canaries to alert them to toxic atmospheres underground (birds who often wound up dead), Jews have always proven a prescient predictor of the situation ahead. When the canary cannot survive, the environment is unsafe. When a Jew is brazenly hunted in the street, there is a disease in the air that jeopardizes everyone. When they come for us, it never ends with us.
It’s time for Americans to band together to fight against the forces of violence and civilizational decay that are creeping into our institutions and spilling into our public squares. We must call on Americans of all faiths and backgrounds to react to the recent spate of violence against Jews not because the victims were Jewish, but because they were human beings with the right to live and believe as they choose in a nation that holds sacred the virtues of liberty and diversity.
We must collectively and communally reinforce the values of our republic to push back against ideologies that are patently anti-American and to thereby ensure that all peace-loving Americans can live in safety and peace.