We Must Do Better

BCK FILE--Saturday, congregants in Poway, California’s Congregation Chabad, north of San Diego, gathered to celebrate the last day of Passover, the Jewish Festival of Freedom.

Twenty minutes later, a lone gunman was firing shots into the synagogue, leaving congregant Lori Kaye dead and three injured. The congregation’s rabbi Yisroel Goldstein will likely lose his right index finger from defensive wounds and a 34-year old man and girl suffered shrapnel injuries. 

Exactly six months ago, a Pittsburgh synagogue shooting left 11 dead, believed to be the most significant anti-Semitic attack in recent U.S. history. San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore disclosed to media that the department’s investigators were looking into the 19-year old suspects social media accounts, as well as an anti-Semitic “open letter” the suspect had published in an online forum just 8 hours before the attack. In the letter, the suspect who identified himself by the name John Earnest referenced the attack on two Christchurch, New Zealand mosques, as well as the Pittsburgh synagogue attack. The suspect, in police custody, is under investigation for a mosque fire last month. 

Following the shooting, Earnest called to report the shooting. When an officer reached him, he pulled over and jumped from his car with his hands up. He was taken into custody. President Trump told attendees at a Wisconsin rally, “Our entire nation mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded and stands in solidarity with the Jewish community. We forcefully condemn the evils of anti-Semitism and hate, which must be defeated.” 

The rise in hate crimes since the 2016 election cycle has been significant. According to the FBI, anti-Semitic hate crimes rose 37% between 2016 and 2017. Hate crimes targeting Jews account for 58% of religious-based hate crimes in the United States. About 18.6% of religious-based hate crimes target Muslims. (Religious-based hate crimes account for approximately 20% of hate crimes in the United States;) 

Now more than ever, we need strong leadership and not just “thoughts and prayers” to confront all hate crimes. Divisive rhetoric from the president at his rallies and on Twitter flames hatred and emboldens people like Earnest. As long as the president continues his attack mode and intolerant policies, the divide will continue to grow, instead of healing in an authentic way.

(Beth Cone Kramer is a professional writer living in the Los Angeles area. She covers Resistance Watch and other major issues for CityWatch.)

-cw