Jewish students are scared with good reason

It is still difficult for many of us to grasp what took place on Oct. 7, 2023. If you receive mail from the World Jewish Congress (WJC), you probably recently received an envelope that contained a “Hate on Campus Map.” The examples noted included Columbia University, George Washington University, Ohio State University, Cornell University, UC Berkeley School of Law, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Cooper Union and Stanford University. At Stanford, an “instructor was accused of telling Jewish students to stand in the corner of a classroom, saying, ‘This is what Israel does to the Palestinians.’” At The Cooper Union in New York City, “Jewish students sheltered in a library as anti-Israel demonstrators banged on the doors of the building.”

Certainly, many of you receive emails from organizations with updates about the current situation in Israel as well as the rise of antisemitism throughout the U.S., Canada and internationally.

The following are all from recent reports that were in emails or on the internet: “Open hatred of Jews surges globally, inflamed by Gaza war,” (Reuters); “As a Jew, I’m scared for the first time in my life. After Oct. 7, Jewish persecution is no longer just a part of history,” (Congressman Dan Goldman); Ted Deutsch, CEO of The American Jewish Committee stated that a study showed that “antisemitism that was really just a simmering flame is now, especially since Oct. 7, a 5-alarm fire.”

The U.S. Jewish community is facing a threat level that’s unprecedented in modern times. The ADL Center on Extremism, which tracks, gathers and reports antisemitic incidents, recorded more antisemitic acts in the first three months after Hamas’ massacre in Israel on Oct. 7 than normally seen in an entire year.

An ADL email stated, “In these dangerous times, antisemitism is spreading and mutating in alarming ways. This onslaught of hate includes bomb threats, swatting, vandalism and physical assaults that have put communities across the country on edge. Meanwhile, 73% of Jewish college students say they have experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism since the start of the 2023-2024 school year. These students feel unsafe, and on many campuses, unprotected by the leaders of their universities.” An ADL email that was recently sent said that white supremacist propaganda incidents have reached historic levels.

During many meetings of descendants of Holocaust survivors, this question is raised, “Our parents must have known how bad things were, why didn’t our parents leave?” It is often followed up with, “If we feel danger will we know when to leave?” In the past, when this discussion occurred, most attendees at the meeting of descendants did not feel scared, rather they felt secure where they lived in the U.S. or Canada — and they felt they have someplace to go; they have Israel.

How do we now answer the question, will we know when to leave? Since Oct. 7, where will we go? We are bombarded by statistics and articles about the international rise in antisemitism, violence against Jews, and that a place where our children felt safe — colleges — are no longer necessarily safe. Are we alarmists? Jews have often been accused of being alarmists and told not to worry, that things would be fine. The 2Gs say that Jews were told that in the ’30s and things were certainly not fine. Perhaps there will be an answer soon.

If you want to meet with other 2Gs in the area, stay in touch with GenShoah SWFL at genshoahswfl@hmcec.org. There will be an opportunity for 2Gs, 3Gs and survivors to get together at 3 p.m. before the Yom HaShoah commemoration on May 5 at the Nina Iser Cultural Center, 4720 Pine Ridge Road, Naples.