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By Penny Blake I hate talking about anti-Semitism The above link refers to an article that strikes a chord: I also hate talking about anti-Semitism. I’m well aware that, thank goodness, my friends and acquaintances don’t harbour the vice, and that I’m far away from the hot spots in Europe and the USA. And yet, and yet … It seems that every Jewish holiday lately seems to be marred by some serious, violent incident somewhere. So, after celebrating the seventh candle of Chanukah with my son and his partner’s family in Toronto, a rare and precious moment of family togetherness, I learn of the machete assault at another get together in a New York community on the very same day. Where does that leave me, here in small-town Canada? Well, new security measures are in place, even here. At the synagogue kitty-corner to us you have to clear it with the office first if you want to visit or someone wants to invite you. There is some security out front as well. It’s a far cry from what’s in place in some places in Europe. Recently, I was reading a letter from a young student who had just moved from Belgium. To her, security meant armed police, even the army outside her Jewish school. The lack of that here felt positively liberating. Whereas, to me, the small but real increase in security measures we have here feels oppressive. The cause of all this sometimes feels mysterious, but in some ways it’s not rocket science. The times are out of joint, and anti-Semitism is playing the role it always has. For those, such as white supremacists, who believe they are losing privileges to which they believe they are entitled, Jews become a threat. For those that are marginalized, who feel powerless, anti-Semitism proves an easy conduit for their anger and resentment. The real shame is that this increases fear and anger in all of us, and this can divide and polarize us even more. Too many of my Facebook friends are using these events to point fingers, left vs right and vice versa. In truth, we’re all more powerful than we realize. We all have the power to break the sometimes all-too-fragile bonds of human solidarity. Here are two other articles that I found helpful. The first goes more into the specific circumstances and communities that this affects. The other, by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, is more spiritual and should give hope to us all: Do not politicize anti-Semitism, says New York's new Jewish security czar The Keys to Understanding American anti-Semitism - and Fighting Back
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