By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — “The tone of the Trump campaign, the appointment of Steve Bannon (as White House chief strategist), and the discussion of immigrants has provided a license for people to express their hatred in a way that is inappropriate,” Congressman Scott Peters (D-San Diego) charged Wednesday in a telephone interview with San Diego Jewish World.
“We see that with the desecration of the St. Louis (Jewish) cemetery. We see that with the threats against the (Lawrence Family) JCC; and we see that in the disrespect toward people who are immigrants or who look like immigrants,” he added. “It is a disturbing thing. It is very un-American.”
The congressman, whose district includes the Lawrence Family JCC, said the proper response is for people to speak out against it.”
Peters was asked about the President’s statement on Tuesday in which Trump declared: “”The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil.”
Peters responded that “I’m glad he spoke up but he will have to say a lot more to match the ugliness of the rhetoric of the campaign. But I think it (the President speaking up) is good, certainly not bad.”
In a written statement, Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) also addressed the upsurge in anti-Semitism, saying: “There seems to be a license in this country to engage in these kinds of acts that we have not seen in this country for a long time. It’s creating a sense in people that they are being targeted for who they are. The President’s comments were certainly stronger than we have heard in the past. I’d like to see more of them and actions to back up those words.”
In his interview with San Diego Jewish World, Peters also addressed the controversy over a request by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union that a Chanukah menorah be permitted to be erected at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot next December even as a crèche was erected last year for Christmas.
The Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) also is located in Peters’ 52nd Congressional District.
The Marines had responded earlier this month that the request was “premature.” Peters said “I don’t think this is a hard question, but I do hope they (the Marines) will come up with the right answer sometime before the Fall.”
Asked specifically what the right answer is, the congressman responded, “ I think that the idea is that we promote the free exercise of religion whatever that religion may be. I think that is a very American thing.”
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
Peters is quoted as imputing “…the desecration of the St. Louis (Jewish) cemetery…(and)… the threats against the (Lawrence Family) JCC” to “The tone of the Trump campaign, the appointment of Steve Bannon”, etc… That is as worrisome as what he accuses Trump of doing: i.e to draw conclusions without even waiting to find out who desecrated the Jewish cemetery or made threats against JCC. He dishonestly implied that it must have been pro-Trump anti-Semites. And what will he say if it is found out that the culprits are Muslims? Has anybody noticed the extent of the damage done to the cemetery? This cannot possible have been done by one person. A whole gang was a work here. As for the JCC, where have threats come from in the past? Not from Trump followers, as far as I know. So Peters should be more careful before making wild accusations that he can’t back up with facts.