Interesting article you posted, Bodad.

I just sent this off to my local paper. Note that the person being attacked is not Jewish but is receiving antisemitic attacks. Clearly, you don't have to be Jewish to be attacked by anti-Semites. The political atmosphere here in the US is getting more and more toxic.

To the editor:

It is Yom Kippur and, for the second time during the High Holy Days, I am disappointed in my local rabbi. Last night, I approached him and told him that a local candidate for the House of Representatives, Peter Jacob, had been subjected to one blatantly racist and two anti-Semitic attacks within the past week. His campaign manager had told me that he had contacted the rabbi and asked him to make a statement about this. He says he was refused. The rabbi says that he had not heard of this. His next question surprised me: "Is he Jewish?" Mr. Jacob is Orthodox Christian but the question is irrelevant. These attacks threaten all of us, not just Mr. Jacob. They are a symptom of the increasingly overt intolerance for anyone who is different, such as Jews, Muslims, anyone with dark skin and anyone from Asia. Make no mistake, we are on the list.

As it says in the Yom Kippur service, in every generation enemies rise up to attack us. How can we not speak out against these enemies. Should we sit in silence and hope they will go away? They won't. Should we appeal to their nonexistent better nature? They have none. The totalitarian spirit that gave rise to the Nazis is always among us.

It is present on the left as well as on the right. How many have heard that Black Lives Matter and other progressive groups support BDS because "the Palestinian brothers are suffering under Zionist Israeli occupation." Many progressive groups refuse to allow Jews to participate in worthwhile causes unless they disavow Israel and Zionism. This is especially common on college campuses.

We are being isolated as part of a larger effort. We cannot accept this and must act against the inherent antisemitism of these attacks. Let us all examine our souls and make it clear that an injury or insult to one of us is an injury to all of us.