It is one thing to be passionate about the ongoing violence, but prejudice is never acceptable.
Over the last several months, there has been much that has been said about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Casualties have risen significantly in the Gaza Strip since Israel began its military operation against Hamas, with an estimated 20,000 dead, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. With the heavy death toll in Gaza and the gruesome reality of Hamas’ attack on October 7th, it is unsurprising and perhaps even inevitable that anger has spread. Sadly, that anger has been misused and, in some cases, has led to openly prejudiced actions against both Muslims and Jewish people across the world.
Prejudiced Violence and Rhetoric can’t be Ignored
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, it should go without saying that using the current crisis in Israel and Palestine to attack Muslims or Jewish people is completely and utterly unacceptable. Already, we have seen incidents of violence against both Muslims and Jewish people, as well as people celebrating the deaths of 1,400 Israeli civilians on October 7th.
Edit: A previous version of this article pointed to an incident involving an Israeli restaurant in Philadelphia that faced protests from pro-Palestinian activists as an example of antisemitism and quoted a White House statement condemning the protests. However, Zach Gittrich of Agitation Rising noted that the protests were likely in response to censorship of pro-Palestinian employees and alleged funding provided to the IDF. As such, I have removed that section to avoid making false comparisons. I apologize for the error.
In another incident in Sydney, Australia, a group of pro-Palestinian protesters were heard shouting “Gas the Jews,” resulting in organizers of the protest kicking the antisemitic protesters out of the rally.
In a statement addressing the incident on social media, the organizers of the rally rightfully denounced the bigoted statements, saying, ” We are an anti-racist and anti-colonial movement, and we refuse to fight racism with racism…If you are an antisemite, you are not welcome at our rallies and are not a part of our movement. As we did today, we will ask you to leave, and we will continue to do this.”
Others, by contrast, have gone beyond the realm of vile rhetoric and have gone so far as to murder their perceived enemies. In my home state of Illinois, six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume was murdered in cold blood by Joseph Czuba, with police noting that the attack was likely tied to Czuba’s alleged hatred of Muslims and Palestinians. Czuba plead not guilty.
Nor was it the last time that anti-Palestinian sentiment has devolved into open violence. In late November, three Palestinians were shot in Vermont while they were speaking Arabic and wearing keffiyehs, a traditional Arabic headdress. The police noted that it was likely a hate crime.
Jewish Americans have also seen violence and harassment, with synagogues and Jewish homes being vandalized across the United States. Rahm Emanuel’s home was spray painted with the word “Nazis,” seemingly comparing Emanuel’s Jewish heritage to genocidal statecraft. Emanuel serves not only as a symbolic target for hate because of his Jewish heritage but also because of his role as a leader both as a former Mayor of Chicago and as a contributor to both the Obama and Biden administrations, signifying a clear view that the perpetrator of the vandalism likely held some view of Jewish control in government.
Such rhetoric is extremely dangerous and has led to an increase in an already dangerous trend of antisemitism. In October, antisemitic hate crimes in LA increased by 140 percent, a disturbing record. This trend was so disturbing that Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas warned that the rise in antisemitism since October 7th was not stopping anytime soon and further warned that anti-Muslim bigotry was also rising with little sign of stopping.
“In the days and weeks since, we have responded to an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities and institutions across our country…Hate directed at Jewish students, communities, and institutions add to a preexisting increase in the level of antisemitism in the United States and around the world.”
Homeland Secretary Mayorkas, 2023.
Unacceptable Hatred and Rhetoric Helps Nobody
The continuing spread of prejudicial violence, hatred, and harassment, while arguably an inevitable result of an ongoing war with ethnic implications, the reality is that the prejudicial sentiment that has risen out of the Israel-Hamas War is simply unacceptable. No reasonable person should make excuses for the abovementioned incidents, nor should they expect anyone to take their positions seriously if they engage in such rhetoric.
It is one thing to worry about the well-being of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. It is entirely different to attempt to seek vigilante justice against innocent people who are completely disconnected from the decisions of various leaders. Whether those leaders are non-state actors like Hamas or state actors like the Netanyahu administration.
Harassing Jewish people and vandalizing their homes doesn’t bring back the thousands of Palestinian dead or secure a Palestinian state. Nor does shooting three Palestinian students in any way reduce antisemitism or remove the suffering of Israeli family members who lost their loved ones on October 7th to Hamas’ attacks. It only increases the pain and suffering of everyday people who have to live with the consequences of a bigoted person’s actions.
Suppose the objective is to end the horrific violence in Gaza. In that case, we must ensure that any movement dedicated to that endeavor can protect itself from those who would use genuine grievances to justify hatred and cruelty. What is happening in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis, but we don’t have to spread the suffering. We have to end it.
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