Anti-semitism is not new to the United States. It has always been here, sometimes more openly than others, but it’s always been part of the social puzzle.
Until the end of WWII, anti-semitism was very much in the open. There was nothing politically incorrect about it. Whether one looked at restrictive covenants in real estate development that prohibited selling property to Jews or the segregation of Jews in various professional organizations such as law firms or country clubs that barred Jews or the popularity of the anti-semitic radio personality Father Coughlin in the 30s, or the openness of Henry Ford’s anti-semitism in his widely read Dearborn Independent, the openness of anti-semitism was in all areas of society.
But after WWII and the holocaust, as well as Supreme Court decisions outlawing things such as restrictive covenants, being anti-semitic was no longer socially correct. That does not mean, however, that the attitude disappeared. It just went below the surface.
Violence against Jews, however, was never part of the American experience. Jews were never subjected to the violence that Blacks experienced, probably because Jews had power despite their being discriminated against. They were never dehumanized as Blacks were. Bigots and anti-semites are cowards. They only beat up on people who they know are weak and whom no one will defend; so they won’t get in trouble.
And the latter is what has changed since Trump has come to power. Anti-semites, be they white supremacists or Black Hebrews or others, know, or at least believe, that they can act out their hatred against Jews with violence without fear of being attacked because the person in the White House, Donald Trump, is their man. Because in his weakness, he has supported the white supremacist movement despite the fact that his daughter is a converted orthodox Jew and his grandchildren are Jewish. (The Kushner’s have not broken with Trump over this, but that’s another matter for another post.)
Although Trump has not personally spoken out against Jews, his violent speech against all other suspect immigrants (mainly Hispanics and Muslims) together with his implicit, and at times explicit, support for white supremacist organizations, has lead such individuals to believe that they have the permission to commit violence against all those who they consider to be different, non-American. And so there was an observed rise in hate crimes immediately after Trump assumed the presidency. So direct was the connection.
What has to happen to reverse this recent trend are two things. First, Trump must not just disavow his support for white supremacist organizations, he must clearly state that no violence against any group of people, be they undocumented Hispanics, Muslims, or Jews, will be condoned in the United States. It is un-American. So as not to appear hypocritical, he should do a mea culpa apologizing for his past rhetoric. He can say that illegal immigration must be stopped and undocumented people here should either become citizens or be deported, but violence must stop. And he must stop dehumanizing Hispanics and Muslims. He must say that they are mostly good people.
Second, he must publicly and with ceremony activate the full force of the Federal government to fight this scourge of violence. Hate-based violence is a Federal crime, whether the victim is Jewish, Muslim, Hispanic, or LGBTQ.
Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that Trump will do either of these things. He will tweet that an attack on Jews is horrific, as he did after the attack in Monsey, NY. But that is meaningless.
So that leaves good-hearted Americans with only one choice … removing Trump from office. As part of the 2020 campaign, the Democratic candidate must speak out forcefully against hate crimes against all groups. Think what you may about a group or a person, but do not commit an act of violence against them. Force voters to put that issue in the equation as they decide for whom to vote. And once in office, the new President must do what I just suggested Trump do.
The values and greatness of our country have been diminished by the actions and rhetoric of the Trump presidency. We must make America truly great again by defeating Trump at a the ballot box, hopefully decisively.
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