Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 30, 2020

The recent vandalism of two synagogues in Huntsville is a timely reminder of the anti-Semitic violence that experts say is on the rise in America.

According to a January survey by the Anti-Defamation League, the number of Americans who hold intensely anti-Semitic feelings has held steady over the last several years. Associated violence, however, has spiked as people are more emboldened than in the past to act on their hate.

Among other things, the poll found that 19% of Americans feel Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.

The spike in violence and the polls findings go hand in hand with the Holocaust message one rabbi planned to share at this years Remembrance Day event at Redstone Arsenal.

Chaplain Larry Bazer is the deputy director of the National Guard Bureau Office of the Joint Chaplain in Arlington, Virginia. He was scheduled to discuss the power of remembering at the April 25 event which was canceled amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

He was looking forward to sharing his message and returning to Huntsville.

Nearly 30 years ago, a young Bazer was a student rabbi at Etz Chayim, one of the two local synagogues vandalized with hate slogans.Bazer said while some people would rather forget the brutality of the Holocaust, he urges active remembrance in order to help prevent such heinous acts from ever happening again.

He explained active remembrance as the conscious energy you put into remembering thinking, for example, what it would feel like to experience an event or identifying with survivors.

Its hard to imagine something so atrocious, but the Holocaust was the systematic murder of millions of Jews and other religious, cultural and ethnic groups by the Nazis during World War II. Their intent was to exterminate these groups from the entire face of the Earth, Bazer said.

As its outset, the Holocaust was so unimaginable, people could not believe it was happening, or that it simply would not continue.

But long before the Holocausts mass roundups and death camps, citizens stood idly by silent and afraid as synagogues were vandalized and the rights of Jews were slowly and systematically taken away.

Much like what can happen again today, it started out small, and no one took a stand against it, Bazer said. We must remain vigilant today and find the courage to call people out when we hear racial, ethnic or religious slurs.

If left unchecked, acts of hate like the recent vandalism in Huntsville can lead to bigoted violence and grow into more widespread extremism.

He urged community members to practice active remembrance, reflecting on the past, and asking themselves how they can be an agent for change. Speaking out against hatred, he said, is one of the simplest ways to make a difference.

By the numbers: Bias against Jews today

31% of American adults believe Jewish employers go out of their way to hire other Jews.

27% believe the Jews killed Jesus.

24% believe American Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the United States.

19% believe Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.

From an Anti-Defamation League survey in January.

For the full report, visit http://www.adl.org/survey-of-american-attitudes-toward-jews.

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Speaking up is powerful weapon against bigotry, hate - Theredstonerocket

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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