Antisemitic graffiti in the South Mountain Reservation - Horrible

From Facebook:

"Hopefully done by pre teenagers............which excuses nothing but when they are caught there will be the opportunity

for some education. Also I understand cameras are being installed

The extent of the graffiti makes me think this was not pre-teens trying to shock people. There seems to be a lot of anger behind that.

pre-teens? More fanciful pollyanna thinking.

We've got a freaking problem here. bigly. and it's growing.

I wonder why?

I'm sure it can't be due to the pure hearts of the Trump voter.

They's feeling so oppressed by us, after all.

drummerboy said:

I'm sure it can't be due to the pure hearts of the Trump voter

Sometimes it's the reverse...apparently.

Combine the graffiti in South Mountain Reservation with the recent bomb threats to JCCs and Jewish schools, and the recent desecration of Jewish cemeteries and you have a serious problem that is escalating daily. There is no way preteens are responsible for all this.

Do I not see some initials and sigs on there?

I had no doubt it would come again. At some point in history. In my wildest dreams I didn't think it would be barely 70 years after the Holocaust.

The history of Antisemitism from the time of the Middle Ages should teach us the lesson that it is one cancer not

easily eliminated

Exactly.

joan_crystal said:

Combine the graffiti in South Mountain Reservation with the recent bomb threats to JCCs and Jewish schools, and the recent desecration of Jewish cemeteries and you have a serious problem that is escalating daily. There is no way preteens are responsible for all this.

Although I agree that these were probably tweens/teens, the problem is not the age of the culprits, it's their new, safe freedom of expression in which they feel that they aren't alone in their hatred of a group and that they will find others who not only like what they did, will identify with their hate and anger. That's the problem.

author said:

The history of Antisemitism from the time of the Middle Ages should teach us the lesson that it is one cancer not

easily eliminated

Yes. But why? I ask, why? Why are Jews so reviled? We have been good citizens in all our host countries. We value education. We value philanthropy (Has anyone seen the named institutes and pavilions at hospitals in NY? Almost all Jewish.) Yet, we are hated.

shoshannah said:
Yes. But why? I ask, why? Why are Jews so reviled? We have been good citizens in all our host countries. We value education. We value philanthropy (Has anyone seen the named institutes and pavilions at hospitals in NY? Almost all Jewish.) Yet, we are hated.

I'm sure there are many books on that subject. My own observation is that while we are certainly not perfect by any measure, we tend to fare, as a group, better than average, in any milieu.

Muslm-Americans have now raised over $125,000 to help restore vandalized Jewish cemeteries

Good evening all-

After reading about this horrible act (which I do not think to be kids), I want to ask a simple question- Where are the members of the Community Coalition on Race on this issue? I have not seen a statement from them or a request for a town hall meeting to discuss or anything else that would seem to suggest that the organization is interested in standing with the members of the community, both Jewish and non-Jewish. I have seen the members asking for town meetings and action be taken when it involves other bias actions, but on this issues they sit silent. Now, some would correct me and mention that being Jewish is a religion and not a race, but should that stop the members of the CCR from standing together with the Jewish community. I applaud the members of the Village of South Orange as well as Maplewood for making their statements, but once again where is the support from the Taxpayer funded CCR?

Author- That is a nice fact and it is great to see people of various faiths supporting one another, but I don't this is a Jewish-Muslim issue.

JamesGJ said:

Good evening all-

After reading about this horrible act (which I do not think to be kids), I want to ask a simple question- Where are the members of the Community Coalition on Race on this issue? I have not seen a statement from them or a request for a town hall meeting to discuss or anything else that would seem to suggest that the organization is interested in standing with the members of the community, both Jewish and non-Jewish. I have seen the members asking for town meetings and action be taken when it involves other bias actions, but on this issues they sit silent. Now, some would correct me and mention that being Jewish is a religion and not a race, but should that stop the members of the CCR from standing together with the Jewish community. I applaud the members of the Village of South Orange as well as Maplewood for making their statements, but once again where is the support from the Taxpayer funded CCR?

Author- That is a nice fact and it is great to see people of various faiths supporting one another, but I don't this is a Jewish-Muslim issue.

Don't know what you mean by a Muslim-Jewish issue. I see it as an affirmation of the " Brotherhood of Man"

Adults do crazy things but spray painting graffiti is not top of their list when it comes to hate crimes. Sorry. Still think it's teens and would like to know where the CCR stands on this issue.

kibbegirl said:

Adults do crazy things but spray painting graffiti is not top of their list when it comes to hate crimes. Sorry. Still think it's teens and would like to know where the CCR stands on this issue.

Agreed

If it weren't for the pentagram and anarchy symbols, I might go with the theory it was adults. But come on, it was teenagers.

RobB said:

s. But come on, it was teenagers.

And what does this do to the equation? Forgive them because they are kids? I don't care whether it was adults 19-year-olds or 10 year olds. This is awful and where is the CCR? No statement from them yet That disappoints me

I don't care who did it, it's WRONG! When you have the likes of Bannon (an anti-Semite) as a top advisor, there are folks who feel emboldened to call in threats, turn-over Jewish tombstones, and write swastikas. I'm just sickened by the growing hatred and racism in this country. SMH

While Trump is certainly not helpful, I think people in our area are more likely influenced by all the casual antisemitism of the left on college campuses and elsewhere. All that is making Antisemitism cool again.

kibbegirl said:

Adults do crazy things but spray painting graffiti is not top of their list when it comes to hate crimes. Sorry. Still think it's teens and would like to know where the CCR stands on this issue.

Kids may have done the actual spray painting (don't know for sure) and were likely the ones who damaged the menorah in SO and performed the antisemitic acts in the district's middle schools; but, it is the adults who are creating the environment which leads the kids to do these things.

Gilgul said:

While Trump is certainly not helpful, I think people in our area are more likely influenced by all the casual antisemitism of the left on college campuses and elsewhere. All that is making Antisemitism cool again.

Yes, all those college educated high school students.

And for the "I don't care if it was teenagers!" crowd. You don't? You know how easy it is to change the mind of a 40 year old bigot? Not easy. A 14 year old? Doable.

You know where to find the people who did it - in local middle/high schools. I'd be looking for action there before I complained too much about the CCR (unless of course you have a separate axe to grind with them - but what are the chances of that?)

I have only 6 Facebook Friends..........deliberately. And half the contributions on my page are in Greek, I just posted

"Peat Bog Soldiers"..............as done by Pete Seeger. "Never Again"

RobB said:

Gilgul said:

While Trump is certainly not helpful, I think people in our area are more likely influenced by all the casual antisemitism of the left on college campuses and elsewhere. All that is making Antisemitism cool again.

Yes, all those college educated high school students.

And for the "I don't care if it was teenagers!" crowd. You don't? You know how easy it is to change the mind of a 40 year old bigot? Not easy. A 14 year old? Doable.

You know where to find the people who did it - in local middle/high schools. I'd be looking for action there before I complained too much about the CCR (unless of course you have a separate axe to grind with them - but what are the chances of that?)

Many have older siblings they want to be cool like.

What planet are you living on?

Gilgul said:

While Trump is certainly not helpful, I think people in our area are more likely influenced by all the casual antisemitism of the left on college campuses and elsewhere. All that is making Antisemitism cool again.

tjohn said:

What planet are you living on?

Gilgul said:

While Trump is certainly not helpful, I think people in our area are more likely influenced by all the casual antisemitism of the left on college campuses and elsewhere. All that is making Antisemitism cool again.

Planet Earth. And there college campuses have become the major hot bed of antisemitism. It is what all the cool kids do today.

For instance

http://nypost.com/2017/02/05/columbia-ranked-as-worst-college-in-us-for-jewish-students/

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/anti-semitism-is-the-new-social-justice/

It would be great if those on the left who are not antisemitic would wake up to the reality of the situation. Instead they strongly supported an anti Semite to be the Chairman of the Democratic Party.He did not become Chairman but he did become the deputy.

I guess we need to work on the Palestine thing or peace will be the peace of the grave.

Gilgul said:

tjohn said:

What planet are you living on?

Gilgul said:

While Trump is certainly not helpful, I think people in our area are more likely influenced by all the casual antisemitism of the left on college campuses and elsewhere. All that is making Antisemitism cool again.

Planet Earth. And there college campuses have become the major hot bed of antisemitism. It is what all the cool kids do today.

For instance

http://nypost.com/2017/02/05/columbia-ranked-as-worst-college-in-us-for-jewish-students/


http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/anti-semitism-is-the-new-social-justice/


It would be great if those on the left who are not antisemitic would wake up to the reality of the situation. Instead they strongly supported an anti Semite to be the Chairman of the Democratic Party.He did not become Chairman but he did become the deputy.