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Antisemitism is the lazy man’s racism. It’s the gateway drug to all other forms of racism, and it’s been forever thus.
I am a Jew. I'm proud of my heritage and of my community. Over the last few years there has been a rise in antisemitism akin to the 1930s. University presidents equivocate. Politicians who fear the censure of their constituents stay silent. Too many of us are absorbing misinformation from critically unintelligent memes that pollute our social feeds and mental health. And so, more and more we see incidents of racial intimidation without consequence, and it is becoming increasingly dangerous.
As the world simmers in conflict, protest is the fundamental obligation and bedrock of democracy. The range of opinions and passions around current global crises warrant protest, but not prejudice. In Toronto, and across Canada, pro-Israeli protests haven’t made news. Why? Because they’ve been peaceful. In contrast, anti-Israeli protests have been plastered across social media like infomercials for chaos and broken-down norms by egregiously entitled people who block traffic, crowd hospital entrances, threaten and intimidate those who have nothing to do with it, vandalize properties and burn down local shops—all under the banner of genocidal antisemitic hate.
There is no other issue in the world that inspires such hate; no other global conflict, of which there are many, that elicits an equivalent response. The ignorance is staggering. The hypocrisy of selective outrage is obvious. None of it creates anything positive, promotes any kind of peace, or endears anyone to its cause. It only serves to inflame even more rage and vigilantism. When the mayor of Toronto, and the majority of Toronto’s city council, and the premier of Ontario, and the Prime Minister of Canada all say nothing about it, their silence means complicity and gives permission to continue. Cowardice in the face of crisis allows it to spread like a virus. It should not be about taking sides. It cannot be about apathy. It is up to every one of us to speak out against antisemitism, against every form of ignorance and racism, and more so, to demand accountability for it.
As the German Pastor and Nazi sympathizer-turned-critic Martin Niemöller famously wrote: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.”
In Stratford, instances of antisemitism within our schools have been met with tepid response by administrators. Why? It’s not complicated. It is serious. And we cannot let that continue. It requires courage and firm conviction. Our children—of increasing diversity—need to feel safe. That demands proper education on the subject, too. No matter what is going on in the world, no matter what one’s position may be, that does not grant the right to vandalize anything or intimidate anyone. No one should have to hide who they are for fear or insecurity, particularly our kids.
Wiping out antisemitism starts by speaking out against it; combating all forms of ignorance by fully committing to amplifying positive voices over negative ones, to protect every community that weaves the social fabric of our home. We’re all a minority somewhere. In Canada, we’re stronger together.
Adam Waxman is a Stratford resident.
