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Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israel and Hamas war reveals ugly antisemitism in America. It's scary to see.

It's alarming to see antisemitism so broadly on display in the United States.

Ingrid Jacques
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On Tuesday, to participate in the March for Israel at the nation鈥檚 capital. All they wanted to do was show their support for Israel and call for the release of the held by the terrorist group Hamas.听

They also wanted to stand against the rise in antisemitism and incidents of violence against Jews since Hamas attacked Israel and slaughtered more than 1,200 people on Oct. 7. to support Israel.听

That message is desperately needed. Case in point: Many in the group from Michigan didn鈥檛 get any farther than the tarmac of the airport outside Washington ... because of antisemitism.

The buses arranged by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit to take the group from Dulles International Airport to the National Mall didn鈥檛 show up. Why? Because once the drivers found out who they were picking up, they called in 鈥渟ick.鈥澛

You don鈥檛 need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what happened.

鈥淭his was a peaceful march, with nothing negative or violent, just an attempt to share our values and viewpoint in a normal American way,鈥 Mark Miller, senior rabbi at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township, told the Detroit Free Press. 鈥淎nd we were prevented from doing that by people who harbor hatred of us.鈥

Antisemitism on campus:Jewish Cornell students are afraid. So much for college diversity, equity and inclusion.

Not an isolated incident

It would be bad enough if this were an isolated incident. But it鈥檚 not. It鈥檚 part of a much bigger trend that must have been brewing for a long time.听

Israel supporters rally during the March for Israel in Washington.

Earlier this month, a Jewish-owned New York City coffee shop because of the business鈥 support of Israel. It was heartening, however, to see the Jewish community鈥檚 response. Many volunteered to work shifts and others stood in line around the block to buy something.听

Last month, an ice cream shop was vandalized in San Francisco. The perpetrators broke out the store鈥檚 front windows and left pro-Palestinian and antisemitic graffiti.听

Since Hamas attacked and killed innocent civilians last month, the impulse at colleges (including top ones like Harvard and Cornell) was for students and professors to blame Israel. Jewish students at .听

Harvard loses its way:Harvard for Hamas? Something is very twisted on America's university campuses

Our society constantly pits one group against another, whether it鈥檚 dealing with race, sex or gender. It鈥檚 a big part of what conservatives mean when they talk about 鈥渨oke鈥 ideology in classrooms and workplaces.听

In this worldview, there is always an oppressor 鈥 and those they are purportedly oppressing. Today鈥檚 young people have bought into the argument that Israelis are the oppressors 鈥 the and the Palestinians who live there.

Protesters march on campus in response to the Palestine and Israel conflict, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

In a culture and is echoed everywhere, it鈥檚 startling how easily people justify their open discrimination against Jews.

Antisemitism is on the rise聽

Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told senators that antisemitism is reaching 鈥溾 in America after Hamas鈥 Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and that Jewish Americans are now much more likely to be the target of religious-based hate crimes.听

Jewish students are being vilified.When will our allies stand up to antisemitism?

Similarly, Anti-Defamation League Director and CEO recently that there has been a in America since last month.

U.S. Muslims also have reported a . receiving more than three times as many complaints about bias and requests for help from Muslim Americans from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4 than during a normal month.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., speaks during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, Oct. 18, 2023, near the Capitol in Washington. On Monday, Nov. 6, Tlaib responded to criticisms from fellow Democrats regarding a video she posted Friday, Nov. 3, that included a clip of demonstrators chanting 鈥渇rom the river to the sea.鈥 Tlaib said in her response that her 鈥渃olleagues鈥 are trying to silence her and are 鈥渄istorting her words.鈥

Even a member of Congress recently got in trouble for antisemitic remarks. Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is Palestinian American, earned a rare censure from her colleagues, including fellow Democrats, for repeating a slogan that is a 鈥.鈥

It鈥檚 alarming to see this kind of antisemitism on display so broadly in this country. It must be called out for what it is.听

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at 潘金莲传媒映画. Contact her at聽ijacques@usatoday.com聽or on X, formerly Twitter:聽@

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