Jews threatened by rampant coronavirus-fueled anti-Semitism

Since then, anti-Semitic acts have continued and perhaps even escalated.

Two separate hate groups spread hundreds of anti-Semitic fliers around Butte and Livingston, Montana, in April. On May 7, a couple in San Diego, California, shopped while wearing swastika face masks.

Throughout April and May, signs with anti-Semitic or Nazi-era imagery were displayed at anti-shutdown rallies in Columbus, Ohio; Lansing, Michigan; and Chicago. In Idaho, a state representative and an extremist anti-government militia leader made infuriating and inaccurate comparisons between the Holocaust and the COVID-19 pandemic. Though not overtly anti-Semitic, these remarks minimized the atrocities of a horrific period of history that resulted in the loss of 6 million Jewish lives and millions more non-Jewish lives.

Since early April, anti-Semitic graffiti has been discovered on a temple in Sarasota, Florida; in Bedford, Massachusetts; on a Los Angeles synagogue; on two Huntsville, Alabama, synagogues; and on two buildings in New York City. Around April 13, a Westville, Connecticut, synagogue was hit with BB pellets. The Hillel at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was defaced with graffiti reading “Palestine,” written in Arabic, on Yom Hashoah, Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Acts of assault and attempted terrorism were also recorded throughout April. In Massachusetts, a man possibly associated with white supremacists attempted to blow up a local Jewish assisted living facility. Several black teenagers punched a Jewish woman in Crown Heights after a funeral procession obstructed traffic flow. A man told a Jewish Dunkin Donuts customer in New Jersey that he “does not want Jews in his neighborhood and bump[ed] his chest into the victim.” Two males shouted anti-Semitic slurs and hurled debris at a pair of New York City Jewish teenagers in Williamsburg.

One of the most explosive incidents of coronavirus-related anti-Semitism came from an elected official.

On April 28, the same day when hundreds in New York and New Jersey failed to adhere to social distancing guidelines while watching the Blue Angels’ flyover, a Hasidic funeral in Williamsburg for Rabbi Chaim Mertz drew tight crowds of thousands of mourners. In response, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted “to the Jewish community” that “the time for warnings has passed,” and that he had advised the police to “summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups.”

His remark, which conflated the actions of thousands of Jews with those of New York City’s Jewish population of more than 1.1 million, drew swift condemnation from Greenblatt, numerous Jewish groups, politicians, and media commentators. Many warned that his words would fuel the anti-Jewish prejudice that coursed through New York City throughout 2019.

As Greenblatt explained, comments like the mayor’s “contribute … to the overall environment where Jews again are seen as different … [or] are seen as uniquely or singularly responsible for the spread of the virus.” “It’s critical in these times,” he added, “when there is so much anxiety, when there is so much uncertainty, for our leaders to lead and to resist the temptation to resort to scapegoating or to stereotypes.”

In the days after de Blasio’s tweet, as New Yorkers shirked social distancing guidelines unmolested by police, Jews continued to be targeted.

On Sunday, a man and woman approached a crowd of Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn, many of whom wore masks. The couple shouted anti-Semitic slurs and berated the Jews for being “the reason why we’re getting sick.” The man attempted to rip the masks off of three Jewish men but was detained by the crowd until the police arrived.

In response to the event, which police are treating as a hate crime, de Blasio told reporters, “We don’t accept bias in New York City. We don’t accept hate in any form.” Unfortunately, de Blasio’s own words manifested both, and their full effects have yet to be seen.

At a time when acts of anti-Semitism seem ubiquitous and hate is being stoked by national leaders, people may feel incapable of making a difference. In such conditions, anti-Semitic hate will continue to thrive.

A vocal and hateful minority is hellbent on terrorizing Jews. It is not too late for the majority who believe in tolerance to stand up against their hate.

There are myriad ways for individuals to fight anti-Semitism, including reporting any incidents of hate witnessed in person or online to the ADL, which can harness the resources to assist the affected and advocate for change. Most importantly, people must not be silenced by fear or by the presumption that we need not vocalize our disgust with anti-Semitic prejudice. If a handful of faceless people can make headlines by spraying graffiti, committing assaults, and waving hateful signs, imagine the power of millions of people raising our voices in a united condemnation of anti-Jewish prejudice.

Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.