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Jewish leaders say antisemitism in NY is like ‘Nazi playbook’ coming to life: 'Going to see Jews killed in the streets?’
Some Jewish leaders have compared antisemitism in New York to the 1930s and the rise of Nazism.
Some Jewish leaders have compared antisemitism in New York to the 1930s and the rise of Nazism. This comes after the home of Brooklyn Museum director and Jewish board members was vandalised with antisemitic graffiti, including a red triangle symbol that Hamas usually uses to denote targets marked for death.
“You let people spray paint the homes of residents because they sit on the board of the Brooklyn Museum. What does it lead to? This is what the Nazis did in the 1930s,” said Michael Nussbaum, former president of the Queens Jewish Community Council, according to New York Post.
‘Seeing the Nazi playbook come to life in 2024’
The rising antisemitism in the city was referred to as a “crisis” and “emergency” by the head of the Jewish Community Relations Council, Mark Treyger. “We are experiencing and seeing the Nazi playbook come to life in 2024,” Treyger told the outlet.
“There is a concerted effort underway to disassociate Jews and Jewish identity from schools, curriculum, universities, museums, hospitals, organizations, and everyday life — which was a tactic employed by the Nazis in the 1930’s,” he added.
Matthew Schweber, a lawyer with the Columbia University Jewish Alumni Association, said that the pro-Palestinian movement’s actions in New York s the “modern manifestation of the Ku Klux Klan.” “These protests are not protected under the First Amendment because they are engaged in targeted harassment and incitement of violence,” Schweber said.
‘We’re going to see Jews killed in the streets?’
A Jewish Republican, Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov claimed that the city hit a “crisis point for antisemitism a long time ago.” “It’s a scary time for the Jews,” she said.
Vernikov said that the demonstrators, instead of just protesting, feel entitled to engage in hateful behaviour. “What’s next? We’re going to see Jews killed in the streets?” she said.
Several other disturbing antisemitic incidents took place this week. Anti-Israel protester unfurled a ‘Long live October 7’ banner in Union Square and an agitator told Jews he wished “Hitler was still here” because the Nazi leader would have “wiped all you out.”
“Protesters are chanting `No Zionists.’ That means no Jews,” Vernikov said. “Jews are going to leave New York.”
“They’ll go to Israel,” she continued. “That’s why we need to support Israel. The antisemitism is now in our face and out in the open because of weak leadership.”
