By Joseph Marshall
We were told again this week that the anger is about Israel, then someone fired at a Jewish bakery in Toronto. Another location belonging to the same Jewish-owned chain had its window smashed. In Florida, a man threw a brick through the window of a Chabad synagogue. Near Paris, more than a dozen Torah scrolls were stolen from a synagogue while other valuables were left behind.
In Montreal, Nöam Restaurant was destroyed by a deliberately set fire. A visibly Jewish man was assaulted in Outremont. A Jewish family at La Fontaine Park was told that Jews were not allowed there. At Saputo Stadium, an Israeli soccer player was met with chants of “Death to Israel” and had objects thrown at him.
In Crete, Israeli tourists were chased back to their hotel by a mob. Bottles were thrown, one person was struck and the attackers reportedly searched the hotel for Israelis and Jews.
That was just this week.
None of this had anything to do with changing Israeli policy. Nobody shot at a bakery because they thought it would influence the Knesset. Nobody stole Torah scrolls to bring peace to Gaza. Burning a kosher restaurant in Montreal does not help a single Palestinian. The people carrying out these attacks are not confused, they are targeting Jews. Israel is simply the excuse.
It has become acceptable to attack Jews as long as the attacker shouts “Free Palestine” first. A synagogue can be vandalized, a Jewish business can be shot at and a family can be harassed in a public park, Jews can be stabbed in the street, beaten in the street and have their streimels stolen and we are still expected to discuss the political context.
There is no political context for telling Jewish children that they do not belong in a Montreal park, nor is there political context for attacking a man because he looks Jewish. There is no political context for setting fire to a kosher restaurant.
The Jewish community has spent nearly three years listening to politicians insist that criticism of Israel must not be confused with hatred of Jews and it’s true, criticism of Israel is not automatically hatred of Jews. Shooting at Jewish businesses, attacking Jewish people, desecrating synagogues and chasing Jews through hotels is.
It’s not hard to tell the difference.
Calling it anti-Israel activism sounds better than admitting that an old hatred has returned to the streets. It allows public officials to issue careful statements, share thoughts and prayers, condemn violence in general terms and avoid saying who is being attacked and why.
Jews are not being targeted because every attacker has carefully studied the Middle East and reached a political conclusion. They are being targeted because hatred of Jews has once again become fashionable and governments have allowed it to be normalized.
The Jew buying a bagel in Toronto is blamed for Israel, the Jew praying in Florida is blamed for Israel, the Jewish family in a Montreal park is blamed for Israel, the kosher restaurant owner is blamed for Israel, and the soccer player is blamed for Israel. It does not matter whether any of them supports the Israeli government. Nobody asks or cares.
Israel is the permission slip. It is the word used to make hatred sound political, moral and even righteous. It allows people to do things to Jews that they would never admit were motivated by hatred.
This week, the targets were a bakery, a synagogue, Torah scrolls, a restaurant, a family, a visibly Jewish man, tourists and a soccer player. The attacks happened in Canada, the United States, France and Greece.
Different cities, different victims, same target…Jews.
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