CommentsALPERN AT LARGE--Something terrible happened in New Jersey--a couple of Jew-hating losers killed a police officer and several Jews at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City. And, of course, their Jew-hatred extended well-beyond Jews (of whom they believe they are the "true" Jewish people).
They were members of the Black Hebrew Israelites, the same delightful group who inappropriately taunted a group of high school students who were guilty only of being pro-life and being Catholic...and white.
Jews of all ethnicities are trained to eschew racism, bullying, and cruelty to others--actually, Jews are trained to embrace and fit in with all others who accept them, particularly if they are in a minority who wants to survive and thrive in a majority of people who have different religious beliefs than they do.
And there are, therefore, "real" Jews who are black, brown, and of all ethnicities who want NOTHING to do with the so-called Black Hebrew Israelites, who would otherwise be welcomed within Judaism but whose actions and racist beliefs (and not their skin color) prevent them from being acknowledged as followers of the Torah and Old Testament and later Jewish writings.
Ditto for any white or black or other "follower" of Christianity who bullies, harms, or kills in the name of Christianity--neither the KKK nor any black-separatist Christian group can ever claim the mantle of a true follower of Jesus' teachings...because Jesus died for the "sin" of being a pacifist.
So, when the Nessah synagogue in Beverly Hills was vandalized and ransacked, the only thing that all could agree upon was Mayor John Mirisch's statement that "this cowardly attack hits at the heart of who we are as a community. It is not just an attack on the Jewish Community of Beverly Hills; it's an attack on all of us.".
But I'm sure that...even among those reading this now...there is this "hope" or "rooting for" the Jew-hater to be on the "other side". If you're a through-and-through right-winger, you're hoping this vandalizing creep is Arab/Muslim, or a left-wing socialist; if you're a through-and-through left-winger, you're hoping this ransacking loser is a neo-Nazi Trump supporter.
But these stupid games belie so many realities that go far beyond the left-right divide:
1) A breathtaking and history-making vote in the U.K. propelled the party of Boris Johnson over Jeremy Corbyn...but inasmuch as it's a demand of Britons to promote "Brexit" it certainly was connected to Jeremy Corbyn's own anti-Semitism (arguably, it should be called "Jew-hatred" because many Arabs are also Semites), and that of the Labour Party's current leaders.
And to prove that theory beyond all doubt, former London mayor and left-winger Ken Livingstone blamed the "Jewish vote" for Corbyn's eye-popping trouncing.
2) Hailed by both liberals and conservatives, despite many who didn't like the source of the executive order, President Trump intervened on the BDS movement that increasingly threatens the policies and safety of Jews on campuses throughout the nation.
3) And then, yet again, the debate over whether being anti-Israel is the same as Jew-hatred is raised yet again by Dennis Prager.
While the debates over West Bank Jewish settlements, and the debate over the future of Jerusalem, is fair game, when one discovers and hears a rabid anti-Israel individual (arguing against its very existence), that person almost certainly (if one asks the right questions) will prove himself/herself a Jew-hater.
Even more fascinating, of course, is that extends to those individuals who are themselves Jewish!
What the heck they're trying to prove, of course, is something else to be figured out. After all, Jewish guilt comes in many flavors--the greatest capitalists, and the greatest communists/socialists, all were well-represented by Jews. Ditto for our nation's philanthropic leaders and Mafia leaders.
Leaving many outside of Judaism, and many within Judaism, to try and figure out what's going on.
But there are a few common issues that can be considered as "truisms":
1) Ignorance of, and a lack of communication with, Jews leads to anti-Semitism (again, more appropriately termed "Jew Hatred).
2) No one despises Jewish criminals such as Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and Bernie Madoff more than other Jews--they're everything that Jews are trained NOT to be, and NO ONE, Jewish or otherwise, wants to be associated with that sort of ilk. Let them rot in prison en route to Hell--and the ONLY loss associated with Epstein's suicide or murder is the knowledge he took with him.
3) Non-Jews and non-African-Americans look upon anti-Jewish or anti-black racism or other bigotry as all that goes against humanistic and rational thinking.
So, left-wingers may get heartburn over the prominence of disgusting bigots like Sharpton, Tlaib, and Omar in the Democratic Party, just as right-wingers may get heartburn over the strange outlying groups such as the Proud Boys...
...because if you're an honest, kind, and morally-upright left-winger or right-winger, or anywhere between the two groups, you don't tolerate David Duke, Al Sharpton, Ilhan Omar, or any other race-baiting bigot.
Hence Nikki Haley, as former South Carolina governor, respects what the Confederate flag means to many good-hearted Southerners (it does NOT always mean racist thoughts), but had to yank it down to not reward a deranged and bigoted shooter in a black Church.
Haley also had a lot of support, during her tenure as U.N. ambassador when she called out the U.N. for being both anti-Israel and (yes!) anti-Jewish for decades.
So, for those who want to play the game of "is the Nessah Synagogue vandal Arab or white Neo-Nazi?" it's probably better to step back and see the bigger picture.
Because anyone who's a Jew-hater, a black-hater, or a white-hater, or any other hater, has really (if unknowingly) become a hater against his/her own humanity.
And every morally-upright left-winger, moderate, and right-winger is all too aware of that, and has little to no tolerance or time to play that sort of game.
(CityWatch Columnist, Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to two cherished children and a wonderful wife. He was (termed out) also a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Outreach Committee, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee and Vice-Chair of its Planning Committee. He was co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee and chaired the nonprofit Transit Coalition and can be reached at [email protected]. He also co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
-cw
