His View: Anti-Semitism rears its ugly head again
April 8 was Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, and Jews there and around the world are recoiling in horror as America’s right-wing extremists, inspired by ex-president Trump’s bigotry, openly express their hatred of Jews and blame them for a plot to replace the white race with people of color.
On Dec. 11, the Anne Frank Memorial in Boise was found defaced with swastikas and a warning “we are everywhere.” On Feb. 9, Temple Beth Shalom in Spokane was vandalized, the second time in seven years. Neo-Nazi Raymond Bryant, who earlier was seen distributing antisemitic literature in Spokane neighborhoods, was arrested for the crime.
On Oct. 28, 2018, Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh during Sabbath services and shot dead 11 worshippers, wounding six others. After he was arrested, Bowers admitted that he “wanted all Jews to die,” because they were “committing genocide to his people.”
At the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, a man identified as Robert Packer was wearing a sweatshirt which read “Camp Auschwitz — Work Brings Freedom.” (This is a translation of a sign that hung above the entrance to the death camp.) Rioters were yelling “where’s the Jew,” a reference to Sen. Chuck Schumer, as he was hunted along with former Vice-President Mike Pence.
On Dec. 12, at a Black Lives Matter rally in Washington, D.C., Proud Boys were seen wearing a sweatshirt with “6MWE” on it. It stands for “six million (Jews) weren’t enough.” On the shirt was another acronym “RWDS,” which stands for “right wing death squad.” One man yelled out “f******g Jew” as he attacked a protester.
Former Proud Boy leader Kyle Chapman declared: “We will confront the Zionist criminals who wish to destroy our civilization.” Proud Boy Indiana chapter president Brien James is a former neo-Nazi as are many other members.
Proud Boy Jason Kessler helped organize the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. One marcher told a reporter: “This city is run by Jewish Communists and criminal n*****s.”
Trump called these anti-Semite thugs “fine people,” and during the 2016 campaign, he tweeted a picture of Hillary Clinton next to a Star of David awash in $100 bills.
One of the chants of those who marched was “the Jews will not replace us.” Given the small number of Jews in the world, this makes sense only within the insane theory that Jews, who are seen by these miscreants as nonwhite, are leading a worldwide conspiracy that promotes the immigration of Muslims and people of color.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson supports the “replacement” theory: “The Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate with new people, more obedient voters, from the third world. Every time they import a new voter, I become disenfranchised as a current voter.” The Anti-Defamation League has urged Fox News to fire Carlson, but its executives say that they are just fine supporting antisemitic lies.
At a recent congressional hearing on Central American migration, GOP Rep. Scott Perry stated: “Many Americans believe we’re replacing native-born Americans to permanently transform the landscape of this very nation.” Trump has used the word “invasion” 19 times to warn about perceived undesirables coming into the country.
People with military training performed a maneuver called “the stack” as they moved through the crowd at the Capitol. Nearly 20 percent of the rioters were active-duty military, veterans, or policemen with military experience. Dressed in a helmet and body armor, Larry Brock, Jr. said that he was preparing for a “second civil war.”
According to Bloomberg News, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is committed to “rewriting the definition of prohibited extremist activity in the military and updating questionnaires on past activities for new recruits.” He also “ordered a mandatory day of extremists training.”
The general public, especially our young people, also need a refresher course on the basics. A survey of nillennials and Generation Z-age people found that 63 percent did not know that 6 million Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust, and only 48 percent could name a single death camp.
We, especially the teachers among us, must rededicate ourselves to confronting biases, even within ourselves, correcting misinformation, and exposing lies about others different from ourselves.
Gier is professor emeritus at the University of Idaho. Email him at ngier006@gmail.com.
