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Two Years Since Tree of Life Shooting,
Anti-Semitism Persists in Politics
BY STEVE ROSENBERG
IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS since the Jewish
community in my hometown of Pittsburgh was
the target of violent anti-Semitism. A deranged
gunman, radicalized by online hate groups
and outraged by Jewish values of equality and
acceptance, killed 11 innocent people. It’s a
day we will always remember, and one that the
next generation of Jews will know as the day
everything changed.

While anti-Semitism had been on the rise
for the past few years, the Tree of Life tragedy
was in some ways a catalyst for the hate and
terror still to come, such as the violent acts in
Poway and Jersey City. Now, in the COVID-19
era, dozens of Jewish synagogues, schools,
and community centers have been targeted by
vandalism and Zoom bombers. In 2019, the
Philadelphia chapter of the Anti-Defamation
League counted 109 anti-Semitic incidents in
Pennsylvania, a 22% increase from the year
before. The loss of life in Pittsburgh, and our
nation’s response, didn’t repress anti-Semi-
tism — it added more fuel to an increasingly
hot fire.

The 2020 election cycle, thankfully now
concluded, offered yet another vehicle for
hatred of Jews to thrive. Jewish candidates
for public office were targeted with threats 
and other anti-Semitic messages, including
having their nose enlarged in ads or leaving anti-Semitic threats at their own
front door, as happened to Pennsylvania state Rep. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne
County). While Jews in both parties continue to be targets of hate, our votes are highly
courted. While we are only 2% of the U.S. population, we are reliable voters,
with an estimated 85% turning out on a given election, much higher than the
national participation average. To attract us, the two major parties tend to claim
the high ground, telling us we should vote as they do because the other party is
unwelcoming and inhospitable for our people.

The truth is that both the Democratic and Republican parties are home to
anti-Semitism. The extremist views of the far-left and the far-right are no longer
on the fringe: A QAnon candidate, who has espoused a plethora of dangerous
Jewish tropes, won a congressional Republican primary in Georgia. Candidates
who support the anti-Semitic boycott, divestment and sanctions movement are
gaining ground in Democratic circles. The U.S. House of Representatives will be
home to members with anti-Jewish views next year, a fact that’s alarming to Jews
of all political persuasions.

Our leaders’ failure across the board to address this problem is wildly disap-
pointing. Elected officials and party leadership frequently refuse to address
anti-Semitism, as well as racism and other forms of bigotry that pop up within
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Photo by Sabrina Rubin Erdely
their own caucus. More often than not, they act to distract, by pointing to
anti-Semitism on the other side. By not acknowledging this problem, or
attempting to dismiss it, our political leaders are allowing the hate to flourish,
and placing Jews in the, sadly familiar, role of the outcast.

The only way forward is for our political leaders to acknowledge, accept and
make a plan to eradicate the anti-Semitism that exists within their own ranks.

As the election winds down, and the votes are tallied, there will be a new or
altered governing body that will be tasked with uniting a divided country and
combating the pervasive bigotry within our midst. Anti-Semitism is thousands
of years old; it will take a worldwide effort to eradicate it entirely. But if America’s
political parties can critically examine their own role in incubating and
spreading anti-Semitism, the rest of the world might just follow suit.

As we gather to commemorate and mourn the lives lost two years ago in
Squirrel Hill, let’s hold the thoughts and prayers. It’s time for leaders in the
Democratic and Republican parties to show their support to their Jewish
communities by confronting and eliminating the anti-Semitism in their own
backyard. Steve Rosenberg is the chief operating officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia. This op-ed first appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

JEWISH EXPONENT
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
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