Radio Recap: The Rise of Anti-Semitism

This weekend, we were once again reminded that hateful anti-Semitism is on the rise.

On today’s broadcast, we discussed multiple topics, all of which are disturbing, beginning with a shooting at a California synagogue on Saturday, the final day of Passover.  The attack at Chabad of Poway Synagogue in Poway, California left one woman dead, and injuring three others, including the Rabbi.

The alleged-shooter is an anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, white nationalist also suspected for involvement in an arson attack on a California mosque.

We couldn’t help but recognize this horrible attack happened on the six month anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pennsylvania, where a gunman killed 11 Jewish congregants and injured 7 – the worst attack on Jewish people on U.S. soil to date.

President Trump took a moment during a rally in Wisconsin to offer his condolences and publicly condemn anti-Semitism:

“America’s heart is with the victims of the horrific synagogue shooting in Poway, California. Our entire nations mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded, and stands in solidarity with the Jewish community. We forcefully condemn the evil of anti-Semitism and hate which must be defeated.”

We also discussed the offensive so-called political cartoon that ran in the New York Times, featuring a caricature of a “blind” President Trump being led by a dog with the face of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wearing a Star of David hanging from its collar.

Aside from criticizing President Trump as blindly loyal to Israel, the artist used one of the oldest, most repulsive slurs against Jewish people – calling them dogs – against Israel’s leader. It’s pure, unveiled anti-Semitism.

The paper issued a half-hearted apology, admitting the cartoon was anti-Semitic but placing blame on one “single editor working without adequate oversight.”

There’s no excuse for this. How could one lone anti-Semitic editor manage to published such a hateful piece in a newspaper this size which has multiple senior editors in place to monitor its content? The only conclusion you can draw is that it must have been published intentionally.

We all agreed the apology the New York Times issued was empty. What I want to hear the New York Times say is “This was horrific. We have fired the people responsible. This does not represent the position of the New York Times. We do not believe Prime Minister Netanyahu is a dog leading around a blind President of the United States.”

Not passing the blame on a single, nameless rogue employee. But that’s all they’ve done.

Anti-Semitism is running unchecked globally, even in our own Congress. It’s thinly veiled as anti-Israel statements, as opposed to overtly anti-Jewish, like those we’ve told you about made by Rep. Ilhan Omar. But the intended message seems to be the same.

When we have politicians making anti-Semitic comments, and mass media outlets publishing anti-Israel, anti-Jewish cartoons like this, and there are no consequences, it’s no wonder we see vile, deadly violence against the Jewish community.

You can listen to the entire episode here.