Following the incident, a group of community leaders released the following statement:
This is now the third such incident in our area of Brooklyn in the past month. Once again, we support and encourage our City's Law Enforcement to do everything possible to apprehend and punish these individuals responsible for these acts of hatred which have no place in our community or in our city.
Marine Park is a neighborhood where people of all faiths have lived side by side amicably and peacefully. We will not stand for acts of hate, acts of anti-Semitism, acts of bigotry of any kind-or for that matter, any act of vandalism-in our community. We call upon anyone who has any information about the perpetrator or perpetrators of this act to come forward and contact the 63rd police precinct or any one of us immediately. Our neighborhood will never allow itself to be characterized by the act of a single hateful act. We are a community and we will continue to stand together as a community where we can all live in peace and harmony.
A video from the local cable news channel, News12, may be found here.
When the previous incidents occurred, each time I said that I hoped this did not represent a new and emerging trend. Unfortunately, I believe that time has passed. These incidents are now occurring several times per week, although, thankfully, none has risen to the level of the firebombing from earlier this month. Despite that, these incidents are not occurring in a vacuum and they are representative of the antisemitism that continues to linger out there just below the surface. It may no longer be considered socially acceptable, but, make no mistake, antisemitism remains and in times like these it is more than ready to rear its ugly head. As I wrote following the "Avenue Jew" incident:
These incidents come less than two weeks after the Anti-Defamation League released the results a survey showing an increase in antisemitic attitudes amongst Americans. The survey found 15 percent of Americans hold deeply antisemitic views, which represents an increase of 3 percent from when the survey was last conducted two years ago. Additionally, the FBI released its hate crimes statistics from 2010 a mere two days ago. 1,322 incidents were categorized as religiously motivated. 887 of them, some 67 percent, were antisemitic. Compare this to the fact that Jews make up only 2 percent of the US population.
Thankfully, no one has yet been injured in any of these incidents. Unfortunately, so long as they continue, it is likely only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured. And yes, I am aware that the reporting of these incidents is likely to spawn some copycats who seek to get something they've done in the news, but we still have the responsibility to report on them. Our history has taught us that we cannot afford to do otherwise. I am a proud Jew. I stand up. I am counted. |
