What can one say about the massacre of Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue? That it was devastating? Senseless? Horrifying?
In case anyone had any doubts about the consequences of stoking the flames of fear, we see it here in plain sight. A man described as “unremarkable” opened fire on unarmed people who were immersed in Shabbat prayers. Convinced that Jews and Jewish organizations are committing genocide on “his people” (presumably the “white nation”) he “wanted all Jews to die,” according to police.
And as shocking as we find a shooting rampage in a shul on Shabbat, the realization that it is only the latest in a series of killings in North American houses of worship is even more disturbing. And the shooting follows quickly on a pipe bomber who was targeting people who oppose U.S. President Donald Trump.
How did we get here?
Overheated rhetoric embodying fear and conspiracy theories has polarized our neighbour to the south. The extremes have eclipsed the centre. On the right, misogyny, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and – yes – anti-Semitism have moved from the periphery to the mainstream. On the left, a misbegotten version of “intersectionality” has gained steam, construing aboriginal peoples, descendants of slaves, Palestinians and victims of select genocides – but never Jews – as interchangeably oppressed, absolutely just and in incontrovertible alliance.
Apparently, tapping into pools of fear and hate wins elections. And there are so many viable targets – immigrants, refugees, Mexicans, women, LGBTQ, Muslims, globalists (a code name for Jews), “termites” (Jews, again) and so on. So pacts of expedience are forged. You hate my folks, I’ll hate yours.
Exploiting hate as political currency has its price. We are not only seeing an increase in violence, but the tolerance of violence under the current American administration turns verbal and physical acts of hate into the new normal. If we think that hitching our wagon to a fear monger will pay off – in terms of support for some issue or another that we hold dear, or our own self-interest – we are mistaken. As Jews – and as human beings – we have every reason to tremble at the current political landscape.
Immersed in the events of Holocaust Education Week in communities across Canada, we recognize, perhaps more than most, that the fires of hate cannot be deployed strategically and remain contained. Conspiracy theories that shrug off facts, hyped up emotions at staged rallies, playing the fear card, diminishing the press – the power that these things unleash cannot be controlled.
READ: ROSENSWEIG: PITTSBURGH SHOOTING SHOULD SERVE AS A WAKE-UP CALL
When I was a teenager and first began to travel to countries outside of North America, I remember my shock at the security detail in front of synagogues and other Jewish sites. What a contrast, I thought, to the free and easy life of Jews where I come from. And yet, today, the question of security is at the top of the agenda for synagogues and other Jewish organizations in North America.
Ironically, in the wake of all of this armed violence, the president’s best suggestion is not for tighter gun control, but for more armaments: set armed security guards at synagogues and other houses of worship; arm teachers, principals and parents; arm everyone, because you never know.
And lest we in the True North think that we are impervious to the politics of hate, fear and conspiracy – we are not. Ideas – good and bad – know no borders. Buffered by our universal health care, diversity, tolerance, good governance and vaunted niceness, we are nevertheless not immune to populism. Our own dark pockets of history and injustice are there to trap us if we do not stand on guard – for thee, for me, for all of us.