Beinert notes the shootings in Pittsburgh and California as well as the Texas incident, but there's a lot more lower-level hate crime against Jews in the US. (He forgot the Jersey City incident in 2019, which could have been a lot worse if the school that appears to have been the real target hadn't locked its doors.) The most recent FBI numbers have 60% of religiously-motivated attacks being against Jews, and there are other such indicators.
All that said, I'm an American Jew and have lived in the US my whole life and Beinert has a point, that Jews generally feel secure and *American,* and I don't walk around in fear.
20 years ago I happened to be in Guadalajara Mexico and wanted to attend services there. I was first met at the door by an escort who brought me to the Rabbi's private office. I was then asked what congregation I belonged to and what the Rabbi's name was ( this was difficult for me since I am a twice a year Synagogue attendee). I managed to remember the Rabbi's name whereupon Rabbi Lior from Argentina looked up my Chicago Rabbi in some very large Rabbi book ( prior to www) and subsequently gave me his blessing to attend the service!
All of your last paragraph was particularly resonant, but these sentences cut deep: " I don’t worry that the fate of Jews in early twenty-first America will resemble the fate of Jews in early twentieth century Europe. I worry that the fate of democracy in early twenty-first century America will resemble the fate of democracy in early twentieth century Europe (or late nineteenth century America)."
I think the act was anti-semitic because it assumed that Jews had power to to get this person released. Any Jew has power. It's part of the whole idea that Jews run the world.
From here in the non-democratic UK, the question is not whether American democracy will survive, but "What American democracy?". The USA has always had a two-party political oligarchy in which both have exactly the same goal - the preservation and promotion of capitalist accumulation - with merely slightly different ways of achieving it. I was hardly surprised, let alone appalled, by the Jan 6 2020 riot in the Capitol; for many on the Left, to my disappointment, it was plain that they were disgusted mainly by the presence of badly-dressed ordinary American people running unsupervised around what those Leftists mis-describe as the hallowed sanctum of American democracy.
Thank you for these insights. The necessary caveat about reflecting so promptly is that it has become generally accepted that there was no antisemitic motivation in this attack. That is an opinion that relieves me; I hope it will also reassure you and other Jews in US.
Are you serious? I try to be sensitive to all kinds of racism, and I think it's the cause of many of our political disagreements, but I'm naturally relieved when it is not automatically assumed to be the motive for a police shooting or perhaps an "honor" killing.
I’m being serious in the sense that in this country attacks on Jews are only considered antisemitic if it can be blamed on white supremacy. Otherwise, it’s shoved to the middle of the paper as an aside
And, I know Bari Weiss is a contentious figure and to the Right of Peter but she has a very good piece today if you want to add another Jewish voice to this latest incident. It’s a great distillation of how some Jews (myself included) are feeling about this https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/being-jewish-in-an-unraveling-america
" If American democracy falls, the United States will be a hazardous place not just for Jews but for us all."
Thank goodness that in the case of that falling happening, there is a safe place for Jews to go to where they will be accepted and protected.
Helpful & clarifying, as usual! Thank you.
Beinert notes the shootings in Pittsburgh and California as well as the Texas incident, but there's a lot more lower-level hate crime against Jews in the US. (He forgot the Jersey City incident in 2019, which could have been a lot worse if the school that appears to have been the real target hadn't locked its doors.) The most recent FBI numbers have 60% of religiously-motivated attacks being against Jews, and there are other such indicators.
All that said, I'm an American Jew and have lived in the US my whole life and Beinert has a point, that Jews generally feel secure and *American,* and I don't walk around in fear.
https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/based-on-2019-fbi-data-jews-were-2-6x-more-likely-than-blacks-and-2-2x-more-likely-than-muslims-to-be-victims-of-hate-crimes/
A very clever piece. Beinart manages to skirt around all of the issues.
20 years ago I happened to be in Guadalajara Mexico and wanted to attend services there. I was first met at the door by an escort who brought me to the Rabbi's private office. I was then asked what congregation I belonged to and what the Rabbi's name was ( this was difficult for me since I am a twice a year Synagogue attendee). I managed to remember the Rabbi's name whereupon Rabbi Lior from Argentina looked up my Chicago Rabbi in some very large Rabbi book ( prior to www) and subsequently gave me his blessing to attend the service!
wow
Why was Malik Akram killed by police? Mentally disturbed he had released one hostage and had not physically harmed the others.
He was a violent criminal and racist who deserved his fate.
All of your last paragraph was particularly resonant, but these sentences cut deep: " I don’t worry that the fate of Jews in early twenty-first America will resemble the fate of Jews in early twentieth century Europe. I worry that the fate of democracy in early twenty-first century America will resemble the fate of democracy in early twentieth century Europe (or late nineteenth century America)."
Thank you
Thank you for the helpful insight into the duality that we feel.
Thank you
Brilliant! Writing and thinking. Thank you!!!
Thank you
I think the act was anti-semitic because it assumed that Jews had power to to get this person released. Any Jew has power. It's part of the whole idea that Jews run the world.
Amen-
Perceptive account, and beautifully written.
From here in the non-democratic UK, the question is not whether American democracy will survive, but "What American democracy?". The USA has always had a two-party political oligarchy in which both have exactly the same goal - the preservation and promotion of capitalist accumulation - with merely slightly different ways of achieving it. I was hardly surprised, let alone appalled, by the Jan 6 2020 riot in the Capitol; for many on the Left, to my disappointment, it was plain that they were disgusted mainly by the presence of badly-dressed ordinary American people running unsupervised around what those Leftists mis-describe as the hallowed sanctum of American democracy.
Thank you for these insights. The necessary caveat about reflecting so promptly is that it has become generally accepted that there was no antisemitic motivation in this attack. That is an opinion that relieves me; I hope it will also reassure you and other Jews in US.
It’s only antisemitism if it comes from the Right
Are you serious? I try to be sensitive to all kinds of racism, and I think it's the cause of many of our political disagreements, but I'm naturally relieved when it is not automatically assumed to be the motive for a police shooting or perhaps an "honor" killing.
I’m being serious in the sense that in this country attacks on Jews are only considered antisemitic if it can be blamed on white supremacy. Otherwise, it’s shoved to the middle of the paper as an aside
Born a WASP, I still have much to learn. Thanks for your help.
Apologies for being snarky, it’s been an irritating weekend. I love that you read Peter’s Substack
And, I know Bari Weiss is a contentious figure and to the Right of Peter but she has a very good piece today if you want to add another Jewish voice to this latest incident. It’s a great distillation of how some Jews (myself included) are feeling about this https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/being-jewish-in-an-unraveling-america