WhatsappHearing about the violent riots firsthand from a Jewish store owner is terrifying. It’s real. People have lost their businesses. People are afraid.
Personal Story – Jewish Store Owner
People have already suffered enough economic loss due to COVID-19. And just when some people were beginning to open up again, violent rioters have destroyed, burned, and looted those same suffering businesses. Hearing what this Jewish store owner saw with his own eyes gives a face to those that this destruction is affecting.
Jonathan Friedman’s retelling of the events over the weekend is heartbreaking, frightening, and painful. And what is even more frightening is that hatred of Jews was somehow brought into this totally unrelated issue.
The Antisemitism in the Riots
Why were synagogues vandalized? The Jewish people were not involved in what happened to George Floyd. But the fact that rioters wanted to go after Jews as well reveals some important information. First of all, it shows that these rioters are not doing what they’re doing to protest anything. They are just using George Floyd as an excuse to destroy America.
And secondly, antisemitism creeps up into situations where Jews were not even involved. Jew-hatred is baseless.
It does not mean that America as a whole is an antisemitic country. And Jews do not think that! There are just those within America who are antisemitic. And likewise, America is not a racist country. Police officers in America are not after the Black community. And any rational person should be able to see that.
Instead of ruining such a free and democratic country, maybe these rioters should be thankful they live in a land with so much opportunity.
