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| Image of Kiryas Joel for illustration purposes (Times of Israel) |
It is also important to recognize when a government policy impacts
Jews negatively, it is not always because of antisemitism. Sometime that policy
makes eminent sense despite of how it impacts us. Of course sometimes there
might be a little of both in such polices. Which makes it almost impossible
to recognize whether a government policy is really antisemitic or just good public policy.
That being said, let me reiterate what I believe to be the
case in our day. I believe that the majority of European society still harbors
some degree of antisemitism - even after the Holocaust. That it existed in spades during the Holocaust need not be said. It didn’t suddenly go away. It’s still there.
This of course does
not mean all Europeans hate Jews. Far from
it. Just as I am convinced that most of Europe harbors at least some
form of latent antisemitism I am equally convinced that a sizable number of Europeans do
not have an antisemitic bone in their bodies.
This scenario has been reflected in numerous
ways on the European continent where Jews have established thriving Jewish communities (in places like Berlin, no less). And on the other hand - where some European countries have anti Shechita and anti Bris laws are on their legislative tables. And in places like Poland where its current leaders refuse to recognize their past history of violent antisemitic behavior which was reflected by the fact that so many Poles were eager participants in Nazi genocide.
The US does not have an especially glorious past regarding
antisemitism during that period either. Without going into detail all one has to do
is see how the US State Department handled Jewish
refugees trying trying to flee the Nazi genocide taking place in Europe. What was happening then was well reported in the press. So that not only did government officials know what was going on, so did anyone that read a newspaper. And yet
existing quotas immigration remained unfilled – leaving Jews to the slaughter.
But things are different now in the US - post Holocaust and
post Vatican II.The Jewish people are no longer considered pariahs. They are
now the most admired people in America. Which is one of the reasons there is so much assimilation and intermarriage now. The freedom we enjoy today is unprecedented even factoring the Golden Era of Spain and of Germany. Nothing comparable has ever happened to us going all the
way back to the second temple era.
This does not mean it
doesn’t exist at all. It surely does. On the right there are fringe groups that
still parrot the Nazi slogans of the past. But they are a minuscule number with
no practical impact on our lives today. Hardly a blip on the radar screen of relevance to us as Jews On the left, universities are filled with
antisemitism masquerading as anti Zionism.
I don’t mean those who are just opposed to the current Israel govenrment. I am talking about those that embrace BDS. They believe that Israel is an abomination; Israelis are the the new Nazis; it should be destroyed and replaced by Palestine taken over by its rightful owners. Their influence should be a concern to all of us. But I digress.
I don’t mean those who are just opposed to the current Israel govenrment. I am talking about those that embrace BDS. They believe that Israel is an abomination; Israelis are the the new Nazis; it should be destroyed and replaced by Palestine taken over by its rightful owners. Their influence should be a concern to all of us. But I digress.
But as bad as that kind of antisemitism is on those campuses, it has thankfully not filtered out to the general population. too does not really impact what
mainstream America thinks about the Jews. Which should be obvious to anyone that lives here.
Which brings me to an article in the Times of Israel:
A Quebec court on Sunday ordered a group of Hasidic Jews to leave their summer homes by the end of the month for violating zoning laws by using a residence as a place of worship.
The decision came amid complaints from local residents of late-night disturbances from the group.
Town Mayor Denis Chalifoux told local media that the group was taken to the Quebec Superior Court because they were using the residence as a place of worship, which is in violation of local zoning laws.
There were also complaints from the town that the group hold rowdy gatherings until 2 a.m., and fail to keep properties according to the cleanliness standard of the site.
True - Quebec is not the United States. But Canada is America’s kissing
cousin. In many ways indistinguishable from us. Hard to tell the difference
between an American and a Canadian. I
assume that their attitudes about us are the same. No reason to make them an
exception. (Although I admit that Quebec is a bit of an outlier in terms
of how American they feel. But let us assume that at least as it applies to the Jewish
people they are the same.)
Is what happened there antisemitism? I don’t think antisemitism had
anything to do with it. The description of what happened speaks for itself.
Chasidic Jews have lived in Quebec for many decades under circumstances similar to
those of the US. Free of any persecution; free to live their lives as they choose.
What they did in Quebec is break the law. Doing so in ways that had a negative impact on their non Chasidic neighbors. Those neighbors were well within their rights to try to preserve their neighborhood’s character from the Chasidic attempts to change it to their liking. The right of Chasidim to live as they choose does not extend to inconveniencing others.
What they did in Quebec is break the law. Doing so in ways that had a negative impact on their non Chasidic neighbors. Those neighbors were well within their rights to try to preserve their neighborhood’s character from the Chasidic attempts to change it to their liking. The right of Chasidim to live as they choose does not extend to inconveniencing others.
But that didn’t stop the Chasidim from screaming antisemitism. It seems that the antisemitism card is always pulled out when the government gets in their way.
Their right to build a Shteibel (multiple ones in multiple houses) does not
override the noise and commotion that it generates that disturbs their neighbors. The neighbors have rights too.One of which is to not have their
way of life disrupted by some noisy Chasidic Shteibels. Not to mention the
fact that zoning laws that forbids using a house for a public place
of worship were completely ignored!.
What is happening in Quebec is that those Chasidim did what was comfortable for themselves without thinking – or perhaps even
caring what ‘the Goyim’ think. And they cry ‘antisemitism’ without giving it a second
thought. So self centered are they that they might even believe they have done
nothing wrong despite the obvious fact that - to everyone else that they have.
This scenario has been playing itself out in American enclaves
as well. I have a very close relative that lives in Monsey. He is a hard core Charedi. He has mentioned many times with pride how zoning laws there are ignored. Stealth contractors will appear overnight to demolish a building
so that they can build a multi-unit building and profit handsomely from them.
True there might be a housing shortage in those neighborhoods which should be
no surprise considering the exponential growth
of families that live there. But that does not excuse ignoring the complaints of - not only their gentile or non observant Jewish neighbors - but even many
of their religious neighbors. They don’t like seeing the peaceful serenity of a
country lifestyle they sought when they moved there turn into a suburban version of Boro Park.
Is that antisemitism? Clearly it is not. I
wouldn't like to see my neighborhood turned into Boro Park either. If I wanted to live in Boro Park, I’d move there.
If I – as an Orthodox Jew am not comfortable with a change
like that, I can only imagine what non Jews that are used to living in the wide
open spaces of their communities where until recently the only houses of
worship were a few churches widely dispersed.
I agree with Rabbi Yosef Bechhofer who said the following in a Facebook post on
the subject:
This is a problem all over. Many Orthodox residents see such occurrences - daily in Monsey, Lakewood and elsewhere - as antisemitism rearing its ugly head.They decry ordinances against building shuls as discrimination.
I counter such positions by explaining that ordinances against building shuls are not inherently antisemitic. The tendency we have towards the proliferation of multiple shtiblach rather than central shuls is understandably vexing to neighbors to whom central churches are the norm.
To which my interlocutor would continue to question whether protests against shuls are based on real concerns, or are just thinly veneered efforts to "keep the Black Hats out."
To which I would respond that even in "Black Hat" neighborhoods the shteibels are incredible nuisances. I know. I live in Monsey.
