The Threats Facing American Jewry Today
In the first part, I covered how White Supremacy is a spent force in America. Their antisemitism is mainly restricted to memes, petty vandalism, and unfolding banners over highways claiming that Ye was right. It seldom translates into actual violence*.
Yet it seems that every single other instance of antisemitism is ignored while theirs are, for some reason, magnified.
So, who is committing the violence? Why not focus on them? What's going on?
*This is a great thing, seeing as so many of them seem to eschew regular thuggery for mass shootings.
Partners In Crime
Here are things that threaten Jews in America on a daily basis:
Journalists, Politicians, and Legacy Jewish Organizations [LJO onwards] Black Supremacism/Hebrew Israelism Arab Nationalism/ Islamic Extremism Antisemitic Antizionism & Traditional Antisemitism
White Supremacism and/or Naziism is trailing far behind in the fifth position.
"Journos & Pols?!" I hear you say, "How are they the number one threat facing American Jews today? And Jewish Organizations?! That's ludicrous!"
Yet, it's not.
A man is not only a threat to you if he attacks you directly. If he simply steps out of the way and allows others to attack you when he could have prevented it, he is still a threat to you. How much more so if he also prevents you from defending yourself, and how much more so-er when he even prevents the authorities from intervening and protecting you; this man can be a much more significant threat than your very attacker.
Without enablers, you don't have enablees.
The sad reality facing American Jews is that the media, politicians, and LJO are enabling antisemitic violence due to their refusal to state the obvious. They refuse to say who are the victims (Orthodox Jews) and who the attackers are (not White Supremacists). If you don't identify the problem, how will you ever solve it?
Not only does this triumvirate refuse to address the identity of the victims, but they obfuscate who commits the attacks. That is, when they don't outright censor it. They certainly don't mention why they perpetrate them, either. As the New York Times once reported itself, looking at thousands of attacks against Jews in New York City, they couldn't find a single case that had been motivated by right-wing politics.
It's no surprise then that, after being unable to find suitable attackers who benefit their agenda, they simply threw their hands up in the air and decided that the historical rise of antisemitism in their very own city wasn't worth a second look. This is because, according to them, the make-up of the assailants makes the issue too complex because they don't "conform to an easy profile."
A Complex Amoeba
It's not too complex.
According to recent research from the Hate Crime Accountability Project:
The background of the victims are:
52% Hasidic 42% Orthodox 4% Secular 2% Modern Orthodox 0.5% Reform 0.5% Israeli
The background of attackers are:
69% African Americans. 17% Arabs/Muslim 11% Latino 3% White
The reality of antisemitism in modern America is a visibly Orthodox Jew (96% of victims) being assaulted by an African American (69% of perpetrators).
They are incredibly localized, too. Of all the antisemitic attacks, the majority happened in four sections of Brooklyn (78%):
Williamsburg (29%) Flatbush (29%) Crown Heights (25%) Boro Park (14%)
We are not merely talking about screams and insults. The vast majority of attacks are physical versus verbal, at a 4 to 1 ratio.
As I mentioned earlier, of thousands of cases the New York Times looked over, they couldn't find a single instance of them being perpetrated by white supremacists or neo-Nazis in New York City... This means that even the 3% of attacks perpetrated by non-Hispanic Whites are far more likely to be motivated by antizionism or plain old antisemitism than white supremacist beliefs.
So why are journalists, politicians, and LJO obsessed with them to the exclusion of the actual perpetrators of antisemitic attacks? Why is no one seemingly discussing the fact that the overwhelming majority of our assailants are African-American?
The Obvious, Unspoken
This is not tit-for-tat violence. There is no spate of Orthodox Jews going out of their way to attack African-Americans. There is not a single black man in America who is worried for his safety walking in a Hassidic neighborhood or that he will be victimized walking late a night past a group of young Haredi men in their 20s on their way back from the synagogue.
So, why is this happening? Why is the overwhelming majority of attacks on Jews in America being committed by African-Americans?
The reason is evident: I'm assuming even many of you reading recoiled at this question. It's uncomfortable. It opens up accusations of racism. Yet, why should it?
If 70% of antisemitic assaults against Jews were committed by whites, wouldn't we discuss it openly? If 70% of antisemitic assaults against Jews were committed by Italians, wouldn't we discuss it openly? If 70% of antisemitic assaults against Jews were committed by any other ethnic group, or any other group period, we would discuss it openly.
Why should this be any different? Statistics are not racist, nor is it racist to state them.
Racism only comes if you say African-Americans are naturally predetermined to be more violent than other races. This is clearly untrue and racist. No violence gene differentiates them from White Americans, or Jews for that matter, as far as violence goes.
Like the rest of humanity, African-Americans were created in the image of their Creator, endowed with free will, the choice to do either right or wrong, and the vast majority of them do the right thing.
Simply because a majority of attacks against Orthodox Jews are being committed by African-Americans does not mean that a majority of African-Americans have or will attack Orthodox Jews. It's clearly a tiny proportion who will do something like this.
Yet, the fact that it's only a tiny proportion still needs to be addressed if we can ever hope to reverse the tide, re-establish proper relationships between our respective communities, and improve the lot of everyone in America. Or at least in New York City.
The Uncomfortableness of Being
The ugly truth is that the silence around this is because the victims, perpetrators, and motives of the violent attacks are all too unpalatable for journalists, politicians, and LJEO to even mention, much less discuss.
The attacks against Orthodox Jews cannot be blamed on perceived systemic racism or privilege. Is anyone going to pretend that these same Hassidim who have been constantly derided by the same triad as poor and uneducated, who are not represented in politics, media, entertainment, etc., are part of a class that is subjecting African-Americans? That exercises power over them? Even the old (and inaccurate) antisemitic trope of the Hassidic Jew as a land/slumlord doesn't explain the levels of violence happening. Gentrification? It was African-Americans who moved into traditionally religious Jewish neighborhoods, not the other way around (not that there would be anything wrong with religious Jews moving into a new area).
It's more than that, though. The same could have been said about Asian Americans, and yet the rise of anti-Asian violence was well covered and publicized. It took social media by storm with its hashtag. Of course, the perpetrators and their motives were once again nowhere to be found, but at least the victims were heard.
The difference here is that Asian Americans are seen as a model minority, as they are hard-working, family-oriented, highly focused on education, have very low crime rates, and have embraced the American dream.
The very same thing, of course, also applies to Orthodox Jews. On the other hand, our strong religious views, lifestyle, and refusal to assimilate mean we're the wrong kind of minority for politicians to embrace or journalists to extol. Even in the Jewish community, we're known as the Jews of the Jews. Tens of thousands of visas were rejected when their claimants were Orthodox Jews before World War II, and almost all of them died. Their crime? They weren't the "proper fit" for the kind of society that the Jewish Agency wanted to create in the British Mandate. At the same time, these Jews were being refused safe passage to Palestine; German Jews spoke disdainfully and deeply ingrained shame about the Ostjuden who refused to assimilate and created so much antisemitism by clinging to its backward way. If only they had adopted modern dress and mores, the German would finally love the Jews.
Things haven't changed much today. If the Jews being assaulted in the streets of New York lived on the Upper East Side, you can bet their friends in the media, political institutions, and LJEO would raise the alarm. Since it happens a few blocks over, and to the 'poor, uneducated, unassimilated' Haredim, it's much easier to close their eyes. After all, when do they ever come in contact with any of us? For many, the closest they'll come to is some off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.
It's not just that they close their eyes; there's also a segment that just downright hates Haredi Jews. This is why the New York Times, which refuses to cover historically high levels of antisemitic attacks in their own city, is more than happy to write more than a dozen articles over three months about the state of Haredi educational institutions while completely ignoring the failing public schools. In fact, they published an article this morning where they falsely declared that a new upcoming bill banning the use of corporeal violence in all New York Schools was because of the prevalent violence against pupils in yeshivot.
There were 12 cases recorded of corporeal punishment in Yeshivot in the last 5 years. There were 18,000 alleged cases in public schools over the same period. Even one of the bill's writers, Rep. Julia Salazar, came out to chide the New York Times on their lies, pointing out it was not written about Yeshivot and that she had never seen any evidence that violence was a problem in yeshivot. [screencap]
Considering there are around 200,000 Hasidic Jews (of all ages) in New York State and not all of the yeshivot are failing to live up to the New York Times' Standard, how does it make sense to spend over a dozen articles on a few tens of thousands of students who are part of a community noted for its lack of criminality and with high participation in the labor force? More crime is committed per capita by New York High School students than by adult Haredim by a large margin, so what's the obsession?
Uncomfortable Conversations
If the troika were to focus on the issue of African-Americans who attack Jews, it would mean addressing why it's happening. This means addressing the fact that the vast majority of attackers believe either that:
They are the real Jews.
Harbor antisemitic views are similar to either Farrakhan or Jackson, and those views are inherently part of rap culture, etc.
Attack Jews for being "white."
That would force them to come out and publicly say, "No, Africans are not the real Jews. This is a ludicrous idea. Jews have kept their lineage, and their culture, know who they are, where they come from. This is the very definition of cultural and historical appropriation."
Very uncomfortable.
It's also a shame that this idea is also taking root because it prevents so many African-Americans from being proud of their history, culture, and achievements, and celebrating who they truly are. Instead, it makes them assume an identity that is not theirs and creates a self-inflicted victim mentality where they are not only prevented from the recognition of their rightful heritage but also forced to adopt a 'lesser one.' This, in turn, diminishes their own heritage in their eyes.
Addressing this issue would force them to point out that Kanye is far from the only prominent African-American celebrity or public figure to have expressed antisemitic views, and it's actually endemic in a specific section of the African-American community. ADL surveys for decades have found that amongst the various ethnic groups in America, antisemitism was highest among African-Americans. If people like Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton had been white, they would have been banished from polite society for their expressed views instead of being lauded for it. Rap music is filled with antisemitic lyrics, references, and rappers who embrace and propagate those views on and off their records.
Very uncomfortable as well.
The third reason is, weirdly, often used as a defense for antisemitic attacks. "They don't hate Jews; they see them as white people."
Oh.
Not that there is any truth to this excuse, either. 96% of the victims are visibly Orthodox. It's clear proof that the victims are not randomly selected. But let's take them at their word:
To discuss these attacks would force the triptych to also notice that if a Jew is beaten up for being "white," this is also an example of racism. Attacking someone for their skin color is bigotry, not the "language of the unheard."
It's very uncomfortable because they can't come out and say, 'No, no, don't attack those people with lighter skin. All other white people are fair game, just don't touch the Jews.' So, instead of condemning conspiracy theories, the spreaders of antisemitism and anti-white racism, staying silent is much more comfortable.
After all, who cares if an anachronistically-dressed melanin-deprived guy gets knocked out every day in Brooklyn when the triune's daily lives are unaffected?
After all, the victims are not them or their neighbors. They are not closely related to them. They don't see them at dinner parties. They are not dating them; they are simply not a part of their lives.
So, they can safely shut their eyes and forget that almost every day, a Shulim or Yankel is getting attacked a few blocks down. As long as they, or those around them, are unaffected, there's no need to cover that thorny issue so darn uncomfortable.
It's analogous to how the media and politicians have wholly ignored the opioid epidemic that has engulfed Middle America, but the second young upscale professionals died after being ubered fenty-laced cocaine, they took notice and complained. Now that it could happen to them, it's a problem worth mentioning.
The only ones who have dared raise their voices publicly on the issue have been people like Congressman Richie Torres, Pastor Dumisani Washington, and others neighborhood activists discussing the rot happening in their community. G-d bless their souls. They are a few lone voices in the wilderness. We can only hope that more will join them soon, and eventually, brave enough Jewish leaders will also call attention to the problem and for dialogue.
There is simply no reason for Orthodox Jews and African-Americans not to get along in the first place. Not addressing the issue, on the hand, will only lead to a further schism between our two communities.
The Count Down
Suppose the ternion decided to address Arab Nationalism & Islamic Extremist-inspired attacks. In that case, it would require highlighting the fact that there's an alarming growth of antisemitism in that community (often masquerading as against zionists in English but somehow translating as "yahood" in Arabic).
A pretty uncomfortable subject, especially when you look at some of the darlings of the triplicate:
One of the reasons why it is so is because it forces them to highlight the genuine link between non-Judaic anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
Not every single non-Jew who criticizes the State of Israel is antisemitic, obviously. No one has ever claimed that. Almost every single non-Jew obsessed with the State of Israel in the name of "Justice," on the other hand, is an antisemite. Worldwide, thirty six ongoing armed conflicts are deadlier than the current confrontation between Israel and the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria. Somehow these people know enough to constantly attack and condemn Israel (some make it their entire identity) but could not tell you the first thing about what's happening in Myanmar, Somalia, or the Maghreb.
For some reason, those thousands of dead are far less important than the handful of terrorists killed in Judea and Samaria, tragically alongside accidental civilian casualties being used as human shields.
Finally, the fourth type of attackers is the old-school antisemites who simply hate the Jews for being Jews without being white supremacists. There can be a plethora of reasons, from bigoted religious views to bad prior personal interactions, or merely being a hateful person. The list goes on.
Even they don't get called out because the perpetrators are also, for the most part, other minorities and not white men.
This is why the triunity concentrates on the "threat" of White Supremacy and Nazis. They are effortless to hate, they are very pathetic, and they are very much a non-threat.
If you say, "We need to eradicate white supremacy and stop their violent actions!" no one will bat an eyelid. Is there a single less controversial position to take than to stand on your soapbox to declare 'Nazis bad! Hitler bad!'?
Not only is it not controversial, but it requires you to do absolutely nothing. Their numbers are so small, their influence so minuscule, so far from the mainstream consensus that even a third-degree connection to such a group or views is enough to banish you from polite society.
That's why they make the perfect obsession for the media.
That doesn't mean we should ignore them. We shouldn't. Law enforcement is doing a great job of preventing them from carrying plots in general. Heck, if we listen to them, half of their memberships are feds, another half are informants, and a third half are provocateurs anyway.
We will not be able to stop antisemitism, or at the very least protect the victims of antisemitic violence, until the media, politicians, and Legacy Jewish Organizations are willing to go out of their comfort zone and state the uncomfortable situation we're in.
When Kathy Hochul decides to address antisemitism in New York City, she decides to visit… a reform temple. Even though an Orthodox Jew is over 200 times more likely to be the victim of a hate crime than a reform Jew. Couldn't we at least get a visit to both there and to an Orthodox synagogue?
Nothing will happen as long as they keep their head in the sand and ignore who the victims are, who the perpetrators are, and what their motives are.
Only then will we be able to hope for a better tomorrow. As long as we close our eyes and pretend that Jimbob in Arkansas or little Billy on 4chan is why a non-descript Jew is beaten up by a non-descript assailant for a non-descript reason in a non-descript neighborhood, things will only get worse.
Your research and analysis is as usual solid but it may be understandably personally influenced by the fact that Orthodox Jews are being beaten up in Brooklyn. I think you underestimate the increasing online Jew blame and hatred from the new right, isolationist, pro Putin etc right. Yes it is just online but they are slowly taking over the Republican party. When Israel and Iran go to war soon and if the US gets involved even minimally, we will see that crowd come into force blaming another war on the "Jews."
A large portion of attacks involve gaslighting. Unproven events cannot be reported. I've had to call upon police a number of times for aid but, for the most part, was unable to report for lack of evidence.