Perception is everything, and it relies exclusively on context. On November 28th, a visibly identifiable Jewish-Bukharian teenager was violently beaten on 108th street. The attack came a month after America witnessed a vicious Jew-hater murder helpless Jews in Pennsylvania. Fast-forward a mere 6 months and the country witnessed another brutal mass shooting of Jews, this time in California. The few days in between have been filled with anti-Jewish incidents, especially in New York. Even a Jewish Councilwoman was not spared disgustingly Jew-hating material in her mailbox.
New York City is a wonderful place. We have great statesmen serving the public and wonderful members of certain media outlets who really offer genuine coverage. We also have a Mayor who decides to declare a public health emergency and openly direct public sentiment towards the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish population, the most obviously identifiable in the country.
Regardless of your position in the vaccination discussion, there is no denying the pressure implied by the Mayor’s behavior. Is that pressure appropriate within the current context of rising and increasingly mainstream Jew-hatred? Let’s give the Mayor the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he did consider and weigh the options, and decided that the risk to the public outweighs the subconscious notion that Jews are infectious and unclean. Unfortunately, though the spread of Measles may be countered, history has demonstrated again and again that once triggered, subconscious Jew-hatred increases until it hits the surface. Compound this with the surrounding context. Is this a time to offer the slightest implication against an entire sect of identifiable Jews? Regardless of the Mayor’s intent, perception is what results in consequence.
The crowd perceiving these events is made up of all strata of society. The average decent New Yorker may be intelligent, sympathetic and empathetic, which is aside from the fringes that are responsible for the increased Jew targeting (whatever the degree). Those who are on the verge don’t need much convincing, but would they more likely be triggered if public sentiment focuses on Jews within the above context?
Let’s shift gears. Take a look at the hateful cartoon procured by the New York Times. As clear as day, the thing was a gross and unabashed display of malicious intent. They apologized of course. You know the saying, better to ask for forgiveness than permission. When was the last time the media and members of the government were responsible for anti-Jewish sentiment? Of course, there is a huge difference. The New York Times does not represent all of the media, and the Mayor’s behavior is not at all representative of New York City. There is a vast difference in degree when juxtaposing our setting to Germany in the late 1930’s. But that doesn’t mean we should stick our head in the sand. How can we deal with this issue? Unfortunately, the answer is not so clear. What is clear, though, is that we are stronger when we are unified.
The onus of unifying rests primarily on the shoulders of the leaders of our community. But it also depends on us, the common person. We need to make it clear that unity is more important that honor, that peace is more important than power. The community has different needs, and all of them will be easier met if we work for the betterment of the community. It’s time to wake up and realize that the waves outside the boat are getting larger and the storm is getting closer.
By Adam Suionov
The Choice Before Us: Business As Usual?
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