Police outside the home of Rabbi Chaim L. Rottenberg in Monsey, where the stabbing attack took place Saturday night.

Responding to Anti-Semitic Violence

Within just a dozen days, a dozen attacks on Jews have taken place in New York. That includes the horrific machete attack on congregants who gathered for a Hanukkah celebration last Saturday, at a Chabad rabbi's house in Monsey.  

 

That’s in addition to the shooting at the kosher grocery store in Jersey City and the other assaults and harassment of Jews this year, mostly against Orthodox Jews who are easily identified by their clothing and location.  

 

Voices on the Left placed the blame for the surge in anti-Semitic attacks on President Donald Trump. The Jewish Democratic Council of America put out a statement after the attack in Monsey saying: 

“We condemn anti-Semitism in all forms, wherever it may emerge. At the same time, anyone serious about fighting anti-Semitism must also consider the cumulative impact of the most powerful U.S. elected official repeating anti-Semitic stereotypes, amplifying anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, equating neo-Nazis with those peacefully protesting them, and espousing xenophobic and hateful vitriol. Anyone serious about combatting anti-Semitism must start by condemning that which emanates from, and is legitimized by, the White House.  

The RJC pushed back on this outrageous take via social media, tweeting: 

It is absolutely deranged to blame President Trump for the attack in Monsey last night. @USJewishDems clearly doesn't care about the Jewish victims of anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York, they simply care about pushing their partisan agenda. 

The RJC also noted the responsibility of the Democratic politicians in New York to do more to stop the attacks, tweeting: 

The political leadership in New York isn't doing nearly enough to protect its Jewish citizens. This has become a daily occurrence in NY. These attacks might not be a convenient talking point for those on the left, but they still need to speak out.  

Liel Leibovitz writes at Tablet Magazine that new criminal-justice reforms, combined with restrictive gun laws, are making it “impossible” for Jews to be safe in New York. 

How to stop local pogromists from smashing, beating, stabbing, and shooting Jews—like yesterday’s attack in Monsey, or last week’s murderous assault in Jersey City, New Jersey—is not a question most American Jews imagined we’d ever have to seriously entertain. But it is now a matter of life or death.  

One thing that is clear is that the familiar avenues that our community has relied upon, namely the city’s Democratic political establishment, law enforcement, and the courts, are no longer working to protect us. Instead, they are encouraging more attacks, and escalating the violence against our community.  

The New York Jewish community has called for a solidarity march this coming Sunday, January 5, with the theme: "No Hate. No Fear." The RJC supports this effort and encourages our members to participate. People will gather at 11:00 am at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan for a march across the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by a rally in Columbus Park (near Cadman Plaza).