Another Jewish cemetery desecrated; what will the President say? Isn’t the government supposed to help?

‘…establish justice, insure domestic tranquility…’– From the preamble of the U.S. constitution

By Bruce S. Ticker

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Just Sunday afternoon, I was gazing at an internet photo of cemetery headstones, some overturned, bearing names like Singer, Weiss, Goldstein and Markowitz three miles southeast of my apartment in Northeast Philadelphia.

The desecration of nearly 100 headstones at Mt. Carmel Cemetery over the weekend is the latest crime directed at Jewish cemeteries, community centers, synagogues and other facilities during the past few months. Mt. Carmel is part of a collection of cemeteries across the street from the Frankford Transportation Center, the northern terminus of the city’s elevated train – which I ride frequently.

It is disturbing enough that American Jews are targeted so much at this time, but it would be far scarier if the government refused to address this problem. The introduction to our constitution states that we enforce the law and keep all of us as safe as possible. This is a contract between the American people and our government.

The Jewish community has been able to rely on this premise, as have all other racial, religious and ethnic groups – at least in modern times. So-called President Trump managed to disrupt this comfort zone when the issue arose at his first presidential news conference and he persisted in stumbling through this episode when he sought to reassure American Jews.

Let us give him the benefit of the doubt that Trump’s response was due to sloppy governance, not cynical pandering to anti-Semites who form part of his base. Idiocy is scary enough.

Certainly, every American must be protected by the government, but starting on Feb. 16 the Jewish community experienced a five-day period of confusion over the government’s reliability to ensure as much as possible the safety of America’s estimated 5.3 million Jews.

This is personal. Despite my exposure to anti-Semitism, I have always felt I could depend on the government at all levels to address illegal actions toward Jews – be it physical assault, vandalism or job discrimination.

That is so fundamental. Jews throughout history have been vulnerable to anti-Semitic acts because the government either sponsored them or was lax in addressing the offenses. Not in America. In fact, my people have been relatively fortunate here in the past 227 or so years.

The system cannot prevent all anti-Jewish acts nor control the thinking of anti-Semites, but it can and does address these incidents as they happen.

Today, police automatically investigate reports of criminal acts against Jews. Moreover, vandalism of synagogues and other Jewish facilities often prods our non-Jewish neighbors to come out in droves to repair the damage. Agencies on the state and federal levels routinely respond to claims of workplace bias. The FBI usually investigates nationwide crime patterns that victimize Jews as well as everyone else.

As The New York Times reported it, Trump muffed an ideal opportunity to reinforce the government’s role on Feb. 16 when reporter Jake Turz asked, “What we are concerned about and what we haven’t really heard being addressed is an uptick in anti-Semitism and how the government is planning to take care of it.”

As Turz recounted the spate of bomb threats at Jewish facilities and similar incidents from Maine to California, Trump interrupted him in mid-sentence, saying, “I understand the rest of your question…”

(Hmmm…Trump revealing his psychic skills.)

“I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” Trump continued.

(Apparently, our president did not even “understand” the initial part “of your question.”)

“I find it repulsive,” Trump went on. “I hate even the question because people that know me…”

He admonished Turz for ignoring Benjamin Netanyahu’s friendship with Trump whom the Israeli prime minister regards as a friend of Israel and the Jewish people “instead of having to get up and ask a very insulting question like that. Just shows you about the press, but that’s the way the press is.”

Like many allies of Netanyahu, Turz is Orthodox and reports for Ami Magazine, an Orthodox Jewish weekly based in Brooklyn. He is conspicuous at White House news conferences by his Orthodox-style attire. To clarify, more of the Orthodox are prone to vote Republican, press for hardline Israeli actions and even take Christian right-type positions such as opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

The response from mainstream Jewish groups was swift and biting. Summing it up well was David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, who said, “…Use your bully pulpit not to bully reporters asking questions potentially affecting millions of fellow Americans, but rather to help solve a problem that for many is real and menacing.”

In short, Trump shattered the contract between American Jews and government protection from oppression.

Practically speaking, Trump’s response to the reporter will probably make no difference in the lives of American Jews, but officially it was a breach. Maybe he intentionally ignored the real thrust of the question to please his anti-Semitic supporters, or maybe he had such a lapse in concentration that he simply misunderstood the question. This was the president talking about constitutional policy and traditional routine practice. As George Costanza of “Seinfeld” asked about pigeons who historically fly away when cars approach until one such bird flouted tradition, “Don’t we have a deal with the pigeons?”

Of course, Trump has threatened the security of Muslims, Hispanics and others, but his breach with Jews was done in a sharper manner. He could not tout any excuses that Jews might be dangerous and he acted in a more specific, categorical manner for no discernible reason. Especially, consider his staunch backing of Israel and his family relationship (his daughter as convert to Judaism).

His efforts to fill the breach were downright tepid. He waited five days after the confrontation with the reporter before offering an easy answer. In a flat, static tone of voice, he said, “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.”

Another Trump comment was nice but a tad mystifying. As The New York Daily News reported, he said, “Anti-Semitism is horrible. And, it’s gonna stop and it has to stop.”

Anti-Semitism is horrible? Is this a matter of debate? As for stopping anti-Semitism, Trump would surpass the likes of Oskar Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg and Meep Gies as gentiles who saved Jews during World War II should he accomplish this feat.

It will be sufficient if Trump can end acts of anti-Semitism. American Jews will appreciate that deal.

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Ticker is a freelance writer in Philadelphia.  He may be contacted via bruce.ticker@sdjewishworld.com.