By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — Jews have always possessed this ability to reorient themselves to the challenges of a changing world. Our ancestors demonstrated a certain toughness when it came to survival. Mark Twain expressed this idea best in 1897:
- “If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one quarter of one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.
- His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine and abstruse learning are also very out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world in all ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself and be excused for it. The Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greeks and Romans followed and made a vast noise, and they were gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, and have vanished.
- The Jew saw them all, survived them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities, of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert but aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jews; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality? “
But nowadays, here in the United States, I am seriously beginning to doubt whether the American Jew has what it takes to survive as a minority faith in our country.
On May 30th, 2020, the nation witnessed a spectacle that was reminiscent of the time Hitler and his brownshirts seized power in Germany. As my fellow writer, Bruce S. Ticker observed in his penetrating article, “Rioting in Los Angeles was an anti-Jewish pogrom” for San Diego Jewish World, “The Jews of the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles were exposed to a modern, American-style pogrom on May 30 that should enrage us all. Not only were Jewish businesses sacked but five synagogues and three Jewish schools were reportedly vandalized in George Floyd’s name by thugs.” Ticker drew inspiration from Daniel Greenfield, who wrote on his blog, “One small business owner described a ‘Late Saturday night with people driving down the Fairfax district streets screaming effing Jews.’”
Close your eyes.
Imagine listening to the sound of broken glass.
Can you visualize the horror the peaceful Jewish community of Fairfax experienced?
With the eye of your imagination, think back to the date of November 9-10, 1938, when the German paramilitary led their thugs to initiate a pogrom against the German Jews throughout Nazi Germany, as the German population looked on. Some were cheering, most were probably shocked, and others chose not to get involved.
Now open your eyes to our present.
This time, the pogrom took place in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles. And the local Jewish reaction?
Jewish leaders have gone out of their way to show support for the wrongful death of George Floyd. This is very understandable.
But our fellow Jews have gone out of their way to show complete solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, ignoring the fact this movement calls Israel an “Apartheid State” and in a manifesto, accuses Israel of perpetuating a “genocide” against the Palestinians.[1] In addition, Jews are considered “racist” by virtue of being “white.”
And the Jewish reaction?
What reaction?
Call it “Silence of the Lambs.”
One local rabbinical colleague, whose name I will keep anonymous, claimed that “we must honestly and genuinely address the root causes of the local protests — the inequity in enforcement and the systemic racism.”
I must take issue with my esteemed colleague.
The conflation of looting and peaceful protests is antithetical to one another. The looting in many of the country’s inner cities have harmed Black and other minority businesses. Several Black officers have been shot by the militant anarchists.
Did their lives matter?
Let’s be honest. Many of those who scream, “Black Lives Matter” are among the most racist people you can find in our country. They have demonstrated by their words and by their deeds, they do not care about their fellow Black Americans. This is a movement that has done nothing to address the problems of Black on Black murders. In cities like Chicago, sometimes hundreds of innocent people are gunned down by their fellow Blacks.
Apparently, the inner city’s “Black lives,” do NOT matter.
Until the social activists start addressing their legitimate grievances at the leaders who continue to exploit their community’s misery, it is doubtful there will be any kind of meaningful change. Black Lives Matters is a movement that continues to demonize “white people” for their skin color. Throughout this past week, one could see white Americans admitting they are racist because of their skin-color; some paraded wearing chains, to be yoked like animals.
What can be more racist than that?
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., who condemned this type of behavior throughout, had this to say:
- Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction … The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. (1963)
- I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream – a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man’s skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.
Hillel used to say, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי “If I am not for myself, who is for me? When I am for myself only, what am I? And if not now, when?” Jews can be active in helping other minorities by championing civil rights.
But we cannot turn a blind eye to this retrograde form of anti-Semitism that exists in the Black community.
And the rest, my friends, is commentary.
[1] https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/from-left-to-right-jewish-groups-condemn-repellent-black-lives-matter-claim-of-israeli-genocide
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Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista. He may be contacted via michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com
I don’t think you can criticize BLM without acknowledging that the organization does not exist except as a slogan: no 501c3 status; no website; no structure to respond to questions.
Having an unpopular opinion is brave and likewise it is brave of sdjewishworld.com to give yours a voice.
Someone who would appreciate a note of support from you:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2020/06/theres-an-effort-to-get-me-fired-at-cornell-for-criticizing-the-black-lives-matter-movement/
BLM is indeed an organization with a website and a clearly defined list of beliefs on their agenda.
https://blacklivesmatter.com/
Tara, I disagree. A website is not the same as an organization. I see goals on the web-page that are in flux. Can you find a link to something called “mission statement”? I found https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/ , but am unsure whether that is the over-riding mission statement.
There are 9 regional organizations that use the phrase “black lives matter” in their names.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=black+lives+matter&state%5Bid%5D=&ntee%5Bid%5D=&c_code%5Bid%5D=
The site you found calls itself “a US nonprofit global organization” without clarifying that it lacks 501c3 tax status. Last I checked, BLM receives 501c3 donations from other organizations and lacks its own IRS number or 990’s, treasurer, or financial accountability.
For example, the Donate link on the page goes to
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
Here are some attempts I’ve found to understand more about where donations go. Please post what you can find. Thanks.
This 2018 article points out the lack of *any* 990’s (tax disclosures) at that time:
https://medium.com/marleyisms/hijacked-who-is-the-leader-of-the-black-lives-matter-movement-1b53519c3178
This short observation was written June 2020 https://medium.com/@dtod95/the-black-lives-matter-organization-is-a-money-laundering-scheme-d11abba4547e
This organization also collects funds on behalf of Black Lives Matter
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/300044814
From the 2018 article:
doesn’t address any safety or principles for men and boys.
lacks 990’s
from interviewer and documentarian https://medium.com/@dbell_63595/though-a-very-difficult-conversation-it-is-clear-that-you-did-a-lot-of-research-to-attempt-to-29c39f3369f5
Most BLM activists are still paying off exorbitant college loans [so can’t form a structured organization]
BLM activists reject
— the notion of having just one person lead, because they will more than likely be assassinated and the movement will fall into disarray.
— every entity like corporations, donor funding, etc. [which] is to be looked at as a part of the system of white supremacy that got POC into this mess
Michele , how come stores, businesses, organizations are donating millions of dollars to BLM if it is not an organization. Where is the $ going?
Tara. My bad. I was looking for blacklivesmatter.org
The .com site has been around for since at least before this first archive October 2014:
http://web.archive.org/web/20141008133241/https://blacklivesmatter.com/
That archive points to another site:
http://web.archive.org/web/20151208174332/http://blacklivesmatter.com/blacklivesmatter.tumblr.com
This is the Official #BlackLivesMatter Organization founded by Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza.
#BlackLivesMatter is an online forum intended to build connections between Black people and our allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue among Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement.
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I find this most resonating with my experiences.
As a Jew from former Soviet Union, who found liberty and opportunity in the US, I feel that the country is almost as a train with no controls rapidly moving towards the darkness we came from.
World history not well thought in the US. Is this the reason learning from the history not something that Jewish community considering?
Jews were a part of Communist Party at its’s beginnings only to become the enemy of the same people they were trying free. They became victims of pogroms, killed, and sent to Gulag.
We brought our children to US. Unfortunately seeing the country of the freedom and democracy sinking into totalitarian with full blown media propaganda and fully control expression of opinion.
Where do we go next? If this is the movement that directs the politics, Israel would not be supported, I fear will cease to exist.
Thankyou for speaking and warning people ! MILLIONS of people see what’s going on !! Stay Strong , I will pray for you 🙂
Great piece, Thank you for saying what needs to be said, even though I’m sure you will be labeled a racist, including by many in the Jewish community. And the mainstream media and the majority of the Jews in America, as expected, will not mention any of this. Many executives in the media are Jewish. Why they allow this to go unnoticed is beyond comprehension. Give them the rope…..
Why have prominent black politicians been given a decades long pass on their association with the likes of Louis Farrakhan, a true racist and Jew hater? On the stage with Farrakhan at Aretha Franklin’s funeral in September 2018 were Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Bill Clinton. Franklin, apparently untroubled by Farrakhan’s Jew hatred, had a friendly relationship with him, and he was at the funeral for that reason. Those who defend Farrakhan and the people who shared the stage with him at Franklin’s funeral act as if victims cannot be oppressors. This is simply not the case.
Of Farrakhan’s many vile quotes, this one is eerily timely: “The Jews have been so bad at politics they lost half their population in the Holocaust. They thought they could trust in Hitler, and they helped him get the Third Reich on the road.” Saviours’ Day speech, Chicago, February 1998. And just two years ago, he proclaimed, “[t]he powerful Jews are my enemy” and “white folks are going down.” Saviours’ Day speech, Chicago, February 2018.
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of major French cities yesterday to demonstrate against racism and police violence, following the death of George Floyd. The Paris demonstration added virulently anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments to its ranks with people holding likes of signs that read “Israel, laboratory of police violence.” Among the 15,000 or so demonstrators, racial slurs such as “Dirty Jews,” were also heard.
Blacks constitute 13% of the US population. Jews constitute one quarter of one percent of the entire human race. Who is the minority. And who will speak up for us if we don’t do it ourselves?
The silence is deafening.
Come on. If any one group’s experience on this planet should guide them towards rooting out evil in all forms for ALL people, it’s the Jews. We need to look at the black American experience and recognize how horrible it’s been and do everything we can to fix that. We know how bad it gets. If we say never again, it should refer to preventing ALL discrimination, ALL hatred. This is why Jews have always been aligned with American civil rights efforts. Look at the NAACP. You’re peddling your own conspiracy here and it’s offensive. Comparing the riots that came out of these protests to pogroms is shameful. This has nothing to do with us. Don’t try and make it. This is as offensive as the people who can’t comprehend the meaning of the statement “black lives matter” and need to clarify that all lives matter. No, this is worst. They’re not anti Semitic. They’re crying for help and we should come running to help. We should be out there on the streets fighting for the cause. What if the Germans took to the streets to oppose the treatment of Jews? This is shameful and embarrassing.
Criticisms of Israel are not anti Semitic. Sure there can be a fine line, but you can’t cry antisemitism when someone criticizes Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. I’m sorry. You want to be oppressed so badly. It’s sad. Get over it.
If a pogrom isn’t when police stand by while crowds loot Jewish-owned property and vandalize synagogues, then what is ?
A pogrom is a violent riot aimed at the massacre or persecution of an ethnic or religious group, particularly one aimed at Jews. The Slavic-languages term originally entered the English language in order to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russian Empire.
–Wikipedia
Some looting of some businesses happen to be owned by Jews is not that. Blacks, whites, asians, etc… all had businesses destroyed. No one else is yelling “pogrom”. Riots and looting of a small percent certainly not good. Peaceful protest of millions from all races and religions and backgrounds was wonderful!
Mark & Bob… is it just a coincidence that BLM organizers are tweeting & writing articles for newspaper publication with anti-Semitic statements around the globe? Is it a “coincidence” that BLM cofounders have recently admitted to being “trained Marxists”? Probably trained by the Black Panthers, Muslim Brotherhood & Nation of Islam! For a “loosely organized” group, BLM leaders have allowed their racist, anti-Semitic masks to slip in revealing who they really represent! Wake up Jewish *white* people and don’t wait for these “oppressed crocodiles” to eat you last!
For doubting Jewish Democrats, post one article here showing a BLM organizer anywhere around the world who has said something positive about Israel and the Jewish people in the past 4-5 years since BLM came into existence. Bet you can’t find any! Let that spin your dreidels!
Sources: https://jewishworldnews.org/letter-rally-for-civil-rights-avoid-blm/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/06/26/the-silent-american-jews/
https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/jewish-watchdog-calls-out-black-lives-matter-for-anti-israel-tweets-633146
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2020/06/30/st-petersburg-protest-leader-needs-to-explain-anti-semitic-remarks-letters/
https://nypost.com/2020/06/25/blm-co-founder-describes-herself-as-trained-marxist/
You are so right, Rabbi Samuel. As the daughter of two Holocaust survivors from Poland, I am continually amazed at the blindness of so many Jews, including rabbis, here in the U.S. Yes, there is a need to reform policing in the U.S. However, something much more sinister is taking place here and many Jews refuse to see it. There is a poster hung in the student dorms at Columbia University that says: ENDING WHITE PRIVILEGE… Privilege is the special rights and advantages that are available only to a person or group of people. IF JEWISH AMERICANS MAKE UP 2% OF THE POPULATION…Why do they get a special PRIVILEGE when it comes to top universities? (they posted a chart w/ 4 columns: Universities (4 ivy leagues and U of Chicago); the # of Jewish Students; Total # of Students; and % of Jewish Students at those universities. Then they continue) …INTERSECTS ENDING JEWISH PRIVILEGE Challenging White Privilege is not anti-semitic. It is not defamatory. It does not insult anyone. It is Social Justice. #BlackLivesMatter #WeAreAllMuslim #WhitePrivilege
It seems to be a challenge to show compassion and love to the cause when it seems to create more problems than it solves.
Thank you, Rabbi Samuel for this thoughtful and (alas) courageous piece
Hello Rabbi Samuel. I live in the UK, where government, opposition and various Jewish organisations and synagogue bodies here who have twisted themselves out of shape and presumed to apologise to Black Lives Matter in my name, but without my permission, for our alleged anti-black racism in apparent, perhaps even wilful, ignorance of the alliances between Black Lives Matter and Jew-hatred.
This article is splendid in its recognition of the possible outcomes of doing that. In its wisdom and empathy rather than mindless over-enmeshment with the struggles of black people it sheds much-needed light rather than heat upon the situation. I am proud to be a Jew. I welcome all people regardless of colour, race or creed and engage with them as I find them and listen to them, and most of them are human just as I am. I need prove nothing to anyone, and I deeply resent any attempts to manipulate me into doing so.
I wholeheartedly believe that unless all lives matter no lives can. Therefore when I am confronted as I have been in the past week with the ridiculous notion that some lives matter more than others, my heart sinks.
I have forwarded the link to your article to my family and friends.
Thank you again for the great mitzvah you have performed here . Be safe and well.
I enjoyed reading your cogent and timely article. Thank you for not apologizing for what you believe to try to placate a group who promulgate only what they “don’t believe”. I agree it is prudent to listen carefully to what BLM says about “everyone else” who they, at best, think they are owed something from and at worst want to violently take something from. I don’t think it is incorrect not to see the threat.