When never again is again and now

Marina Berkovich, JHSSWF President

Let’s be frank, nothing Jewish will ever matter if antisemitism in the U.S. is allowed to fester as it did in Europe over the past two decades, when desperate cries of the Jewish communities in countries that had barely recovered from the Holocaust, were being ignored and dismissed. BDS and other anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments were fueled, Jewish citizens were terrorized, Jewish businesses vandalized, customers held hostage or killed, and in one very famous case, an elderly Holocaust survivor was raped and tossed off her balcony.

The misconception of the relative tranquility between World Wars is that the Holocaust is over. It never stops. Antisemitism is a mental illness with ancient roots. Why else would the world allow, for example, groups with 20% or more of the world’s population to repeatedly call for the extermination of all Jews, a minority group that should, based on its history and sufferings, have earned “most protected” status from the said world community?

Because the world has not been truly interested in the eradication of antisemitism, not the Old World, not the New World. This mental illness is being cured one case, one patient, one escalation at a time. It is one of the oldest and wellinstitutionalized types of bullying.

There are times, like the present, when it is so scary, it turns many Jews away from being Jewish, as if that ever saves Jews. It is so scary, that it seems hopeless to fight, to educate, to build bridges of understanding, acceptance and tolerance with other groups of people. It seems easier, or at least not as scary, to placate, to let them win now, just this time, even if the voice deep inside says, “Don’t give up an inch, stand proud, fight back.”

How do we fight the ugly issue of antisemitism at Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida? Head on. It is important to the Society to enlighten residents, visitors and onlookers of the Southwest Florida region that Jews are now — and have been for more than half a century in Collier and more than a century in Lee and South Manatee — an integral, and in many ways inseparable, part of the overall community.

The transformation in attitudes that has happened over such a short time, historically speaking, has been wonderful, as the non-Jewish community made an about-face from “show me your horns” comments in mid-20th century to Stand with Israel celebrations in the 2000s.

The JHSSWF is proud to have many Christian members who support our mission and continue to spread the word about our work. The eyewitness stories in our virtual museum and our SWFL Jewish Pioneers film series educate people, Jewish and non-Jewish, about the difficulties and challenges of early Jewish residents. They shed light on the activities the community undertook to establish itself in this, then remote, area of Florida, the accomplishments of the pioneering families, the pride in the diversity of our Jewish practices and the range of our Jewish values, as well as our united love for our people everywhere and our historic homeland, Israel.

Help us fulfill our mission of historical preservation and education by joining JHSSWF. The cost of membership for a family is $54. Individual membership and student membership are $36 and $18, respectively.

Please join us online, or mail checks to The Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida, 8805 Tamiami Trail North, Suite 255, Naples FL 34108.

Reach us with questions or for more information at 833-547-7935 (833-JHS-SWFL), www.jhsswf.org or office@jhsswf.org.

Visit the Virtual Museum of SWFL Jewish History at http://jewish historysouthwestflorida.org.

The Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida is a section 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Contributions are deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.