New surge of anti-Semitism must stop. Our religions are sacred | Opinion

It seems we are being bombarded with violence on every side. It is not enough to have Blacks dying at the hands of unfit police officers, leaving families in inconsolable pain. A new surge of hate crimes is permeating our country.

Hate crimes against Blacks are nothing new. As a Black American, who has lived for more than eight decades and has had to maneuver her way through the crowded waters of Jim Crowism and lynchings, awful put-downs and name-calling, I learned early in life how to weather the racial and hate storms. In doing so, I emerged as a stronger person.

And, yet, it still hurts when one of our Black sons or daughters is killed senselessly by a hateful police officer, who never should have been allowed to wear the honored uniform and badge. Over the years as we have cried out for justice, our voices have become hoarse, but never silent.

Lately, however, the latest surge of violence has made even a war-worn soldier like me weary. I speak of the latest wave of anti-Semitism permeating our country.

Recently, a group of men were seen marking up a van with anti-Semitic slogans, including “Hitler was right,” on an afternoon at Southwest 27th Street near 24th Avenue. Miami police later arrested one of the men in an unrelated incident although that case was dropped.

To me, freedom of speech doesn’t mean I have the freedom to attack anyone who is different from me, verbally or otherwise. To single out a group of people because of their religious beliefs is wrong, and sinful.

In another recent incident, a Black man was arrested and charged with stalking and for littering human waste. The arrest stemmed from an incident in which he allegedly left a bag of human feces at a Broward chabad.

This incident caused me to take a look back over the history of the relationship between Blacks and Jews in America.

I am reminded of the early days of the civil rights movement, when many Jews marched alongside Blacks, singing with us, holding hands and praying together. Some even died helping to bring about voting rights for Blacks in the South.

For as far back as I can remember, for the most part, Jews and Blacks have always been kindred spirits in The Struggle. Today, the gap between the two groups has widened.

I am appalled at the turn of events, where some Blacks have become perpetrators of violence against our Jewish brothers and sisters. I cringe when I read about this in the newspaper, or see it on the television news, the desecration of a synagogue or temple.

These incidents remind me of the bombing and burning of Black churches — one, in particular, that happened during the civil rights movement.

In that 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, four young Black girls never lived to grow up. They were killed by the bomb, planted by whites who hated Blacks. The bomb was timed to go off during Sunday morning worship services. It did. Decades later, I can still feel the pain.

It is just as wrong to burn or deface a synagogue as it is to burn a church. They are all acts of hate. Although anti-Semitism is in the news lately, it is not the only issue of violence we are facing today.

There is road rage, where innocent people, including children, are killed simply because an angry person left home with a gun and a chip on his/her shoulder.

There is violence against Asian Americans, where little old ladies are assaulted in broad daylight.

There is violence in the workplace. On Wednesday, a crazed man showed up at his workplace — a rail yard in San Jose, California — and killed nine people before taking his own life.

I cannot write this column without mentioning the violence in our communities where armed gunmen shoot up houses and parks and front yards, killing adults and children at random. Some of the shooters are still at large.

My friends, this is a serious and sad time that we are living in. We are a nation of people who have taken pride in our freedom and how we have fought to keep that freedom.

Now, it seems that we are a nation divided, hell-bent and determined to do away with the very foundation America was built on — freedom.

Do we want to come to a place where we won’t be able to worship? Our churches and synagogues and other houses of worship have always been places of solace and safety. They have been places where our life’s traditions have been carried out.

America became a great nation because of these sacred traditions. Now, they are threatened. And because our sacred traditions are threatened, violence seems to be the order of the day.

As Christians, Jews, Muslims and whatever religion you happen to be, we must come together to combat the common enemy that is tearing our country apart from within. We must find the road to peace among ourselves.

We need to remind ourselves every day that a house, or a nation divided will not, cannot stand. Hating someone because they are of a different religion, or a different nationality or a different color won’t bring about peace. We, each of us, must see others as we see ourselves. It is called respect.

Whenever I am led by the Holy Spirit to write about such issues as anti-Semitism, I am reminded that the people who really need to consider what I am writing probably won’t read this. However, I’m encouraged to know that enough people will read and respond in such a way that the message will be passed on.

Each one of us needs to reach one more person today and spread the good news of unity. That’s how we will stop the anti-Semitism, the violence against Blacks at the hands of unfit police officers, and the assaults against Asians and other nationalities.

Each one, reach one. That is the only way we will combat the hate and bigotry facing us today. Can we at least try?