Anti-Semitic threats are on the rise according to the AMCHA Initiative, a site dedicated to protecting Jewish students in America. Their statistics show a jump from 469 incidents in 2015 to 613 in 2016 and 30 already reported this year.
The Anti-Defamation League released a report showing a 50 percent increase in violent anti-Semitic assaults since 2014. This past month, a rash of bomb threats plagued Jewish centers around the country --- 57 threats in 26 states to be exact.
Some have been quick to point the finger at Donald Trump for this uptick in violent rhetoric and threats. Lauren Levey wrote this for The Huffington Post:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that of the 1,402 victims of anti-religious hate crimes reported in the United States in 2015, 52.1 percent were victims of crimes motivated by anti-Jewish bias. Based on the dramatic spike in hate crimes following the recent presidential election, there is reason to suspect the 2016 figures will be even higher.
But others on the left recognize the problem runs deep on both side of the aisle. Emily Shire from Bustle wrote:
The deeply disturbing and frustrating reality is that there is a problem with anti-Semitism on the left as well as the right. It often seems to get less attention and, frankly, criticism.
Much to the amazement of many conservatives, America somehow managed to survive the Obama administration. Now, the left is petrified a Trump administration will burn the republic to the ground and fundamentally transform America just as radically as Barack Obama did for their side.
Throughout the Obama years, many tossed around the idea he was a dictator in waiting and some even compared him to Hitler. Mike Huckabee once said quite harshly, "[Obama] will take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven."
Thanks to a president who is self-admittedly "loose" with his language, many on the left pounce on Trump's poorly worded ramblings and reassemble them to fit their paradigm of "Trump is Hitler."
In resisting "Trumpism," the left has awoken from their dismissive slumber over the past eight years and the change is quite refreshing. A social media campaign featuring New Yorkers removing anti-Semitic graffiti on the subways has gone viral, showing people come together in a powerful way.
Shire explained why this coming together had nothing to do with "resisting Trump":
The subway incident this weekend in New York included a specifically anti-Israel message among the Swastikas, "Destroy Israel." I bring that up not to claim that the horrible anti-Semitic graffiti came from someone on the far left. There is absolutely zero evidence that it did --- but there's also zero evidence that it came from a far-right Trump supporter.The fact that we simply do not know the motivation behind the person or people who defaced the New York subway with such revolting graffiti may be the best reason not to consider it --- or the response --- to be a partisan issue.
It turns out while he was a poor friend to Israel and stabbed them in the back every chance he could, Obama was not Hitler despite the admonitions of many on the right. While there is still a long way to go and a lot to be nervous about with Trump, he is not Hitler and probably won't be either.
What's dangerous about throwing these accusations around so carelessly is that while chances are slim a Hitler would end up in the White House, real anti-Semitism is running rampant around the world. It is becoming more and more prevalent, even here in America.
Swastikas are being left with political messages and anti-Semitic leaflets are spreading across college campuses, and what do we do? We try to tie it to the other party, the other side --- because our side could never be so vile. If a swastika shows up with Trump scrawled alongside it, it must have been a liberal trying to frame "our guy" and make him look bad.
The left, on the other hand, thinks, "See? Those conservatives really are evil --- let's get 'em."
In most cases, the truth is something entirely different. Option C just might be an anarchist --- not a D or an R --- following the same path of destruction that led to Hitler and the Holocaust.
The evil that possesses someone's heart to threaten or commit acts of violence is not a political ideology, it doesn't belong to a party and it doesn't wear a team jersey. It can infiltrate either side, wrap itself in a flag and further divide an already divided house.
"Never Again" has more to do with our own hearts than who is in office. It's time to stop looking for the next Hitler and time to eliminate hate.
