OP-ED: What more do they have to do before we realize it is too late?
By ALAN SMASON
The terrible last two years of rising antisemitism has become ever more problematic for the Jewish people. Please note, I did not say for the Reform Jewish people, the Conservative Jewish people or the Orthodox Jewish people.
This is a problem that affects us all.
Synagogue security (Getty Images.)
The horrible terrorist actions of October 7, 2023 that killed more than 1200 Israeli citizens and foreign nationals were soon followed by the empathetic and callous embrace of Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and other Iranian proxies on October 8.
There can be no political justification for killing, raping and perpetrating the most heinous of acts. Protests and legitimate pushback from Palestinians and their supporters against the Israeli government are acceptable when working towards permanent solutions. Praising murderers, kidnappers and rapists can never be tolerated.
Student protests erupted across college campuses in response to the Israeli decision to no longer allow terrorists to have more opportunities to kill more Jews and Israeli citizens. Understandably, their military campaign was brutal, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians placed in harms way by embedded Hamas terrorists.
When we talk about human shields, we need only look to some of the sites excavated by the Israel Defense Forces to see rocket launchers placed in schools and bases of operations staged within hospitals.
What started out a few years ago as “harmless” graffiti on the sides of synagogue walls or on sidewalks was radically transformed on January 1, 2025 as a Islamic jihadist with ties to Daesh (also known as ISIS) plowed his truck through the New Year’s Day crowd along Bourbon Street, killing 14 innocents in the process. The terrorist, who was killed by responding N.O.P.D officers, had planned to kill even more by detonating coolers packed with explosives and shrapnel stationed along the street. While he was not specifically aiming to kill Jews, he was seeking a soft target that would give him the highest number of victims at that hour as some sort of demonic game of achieving score.
Keep in mind one more fact. This radicalized terrorist got into his car in Houston and was so focused on killing in the name of his religion that he drove straight from his home for more than six hours to carry out this tragic action.
This past Thursday another driver in a truck loaded with explosives drove into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, a building which houses a Jewish day care center, and after ramming the building was killed by a self-inflicted wound following a shootout with security guards trained to respond in such a situation.
Some apologists argue that the terrorist was inspired to strike after several of his Hezbollah relatives were killed by the Israeli Defense Forces in Lebanon.
Once again, we need to note that there is no justification for the attempted murder of 140 children and dozens of employees at the Temple Israel building, just as there was no justification for the murder of 15 Australian Jews who happened to be celebrating the first night of Chanukah at a Chabad event at Bondi Beach.
San Jose State University recently found graffiti advocating for the deaths of all Jews. Every day European news reports reveal more and more antisemitic activity.
It is now acceptable for mainstream media to embrace antisemitism, claiming they are reflecting the political landscape and using the First Amendment to present some of most scurulous of tropes against the Jewish people. Perhaps the most famous example is Tucker Carlson, who has allowed his platform to spew the hate of avowed antisemite Nick Fuentes.
The clock is literally a ticking bomb. We must first call upon all of our true friends and ask for their support during this difficult time. We must also stop kidding ourselves.
There are radicalized people out there who hate us so bad, they want to kill us. We need to be fully aware and be vigilant. We need to get behind our Secure Community Network professionals and be on the lookout. If you see something, say something.
After all, your life or mine may depend upon it.
