Have you ever made a “Jew joke,” a Holocaust joke perhaps? Now think did everyone around you laugh and did they giggle at the sense you were making such crude jokes? Finally, have you ever met anyone that is Jewish? Do you have someone close to you that is Jewish or practices messianic Judaism? If you do have someone close, you would realize that toll that it takes on one. People constantly asking insensitive questions like, “what's that ‘thingy’ you wear on the back of your head?”. Or “why do you not wear that funny star around your neck”?
With Holocaust denial and a dramatic rise in Anti-semitic events society needs to protect college age Jewish students.In the past year Anti-semitic activity has been up 86% which is staggering for such a small group represented in the United States. Five hundred and forty one incidents have been reported as of April including bomb threats to destroying of Jewish burial sites in Mount Carmel Cemetery (86% rise in Antisemitic crimes) United states college campuses have become a hotbed for anti-semitism of all forms climbing the college percent of Jewish harassment up 45%. On Cornell's on campus October 24th a group of anti-semites posted Nazi propaganda around campus including fliers that boasted the phrase “join the white gang” (Nazi propaganda covers Ezra Cornell). Where is all of this hate coming from? In the past year, Non Jewish elementary, middle and high school incidents have gone up 106%. Numbers like that are staggering and have been detrimental to many Jewish families. With daily events like these, it starts to instill a fear among families and temples across the country. Thirty-six of the past years violent events have directly coincided with the presidential campaign and including graffiti such as that contains a swastika that says “Make america white again Vote trump”. Also, a man from Florida was harassed when wearing his Kippah while out. The harasser said “Trump is going to end what Hitler started. One hundred and sixty one of this year’s events have been linked to the hoax bombing incidents at various Jewish community centers. As a country we look at the phrase Hoax but when do these hoaxes turn into real attacks. (Anti-semitic events rise for chaos)?
The threats on Jewish and pro Israel groups are very close to home with recent events happening at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan. Most recently at Ohio State, an initiative from the Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace recently co-hosted a movement to shut down campus programs that sponsor free trips to Israel. Members of these groups vowed to monitor and record students who did not take part; vowed to impeach student senators who opposed the initiative; and openly threatened those who took, or were considering taking, the trips. Though a BDS motion failed twice to pass a student government vote, the effort to promote divestment from Israel continues. As part of that effort, activists engaged in an eight-hour "occupation" of the space outside the university president's office. And only left after being threatened with expulsion and arrest.The University of Michigan has also experienced issues. Jewish students at this school have reported feeling isolated on campus. Pro-Israel and Jewish groups have come up against ten different BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) resolutions in the past few years, most recently in November 2016. Though all have failed, anti-Israel activists pledge to continue trying. One group, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), assembles annual anti-Israel displays on campus, such as mock Israeli checkpoints and an “apartheid wall.” This year, such a wall was erected on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, thereby preventing a meaningful response from the pro-Israel community, members of which were off campus celebrating the holiday. Last year SAFE members attempted to impeach a student government leader because he proposed engaging in constructive dialogue with pro-Israel students. These should not be steps that we are taking in this age. These colleges, so close to home, are rated in the top 40 worst colleges for Jewish students. According to Trinity College study, 54 percent of Jewish college students experienced anti-Semitism in 2014. By the end of 2015, nearly 75 percent of students had experienced anti-Semitism, according to a study from Brandeis University. (Anon). Bowling green has taken recent action on the concept of understanding diversity. Bowling Green has a good baseline for dealing with diversity issues but more can be done. Bowling Green's current clause states that “Diversity and Respect for the Individual: As a member of the university community we shall treat each other with civility and respect. We shall be tolerant of all individuals regardless of race, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability. We consider the gathering and association of scholars and staff with diverse personal backgrounds, human experiences, and cultures to be highly valued in our learning community. Accordingly, we shall advance diversity and treat others with civility and respect in all that we do as a member of this community and we shall consider intolerance, disrespect, and incivility to be inimical to our fundamental interests as an institution of higher education.
We also value, as a compelling academic interest of the university, the promotion of ethnic and racial diversity in our academic programs and activities and in the composition of our student body, our faculty, and our staff. The failure to provide an education with cross cultural experiences and insights will inhibit our graduates from functioning to their fullest potential in a pluralistic society. To realize this academic interest, we must engage in positive efforts to promote racial and ethnic diversity in our classrooms, in our curricula, and in all other activities that are designed to further the educational experience of our students. We also believe these efforts are supported by, and are in furtherance of our interest as an instrumentality of the State of Ohio to affirm the equal protection of law for all Ohio citizens.”(section six of the university policies) Yes, this seems to be an efficient start but more can be done the punishment for violating these clauses are just a slap on the wrist with the offending group being on “probation” and having thirty days to respond to the event. If someone one was wrong then the action should be taken care of immediately.
The community is on its breaking point from being so on alarm.
The daily lives of young Jewish adults is greatly impacted. On college classes they are faced with white -supremacy as much as any other minority group. Yet, the resources seem very limited in dealing with this . It comes to point that young Jewish adults either accept the fact they will be targeted and stereotyped or left to hide their faith. As a community we are not bringing these incidents to light. These are things that we should have gotten over this years ago. The incidents in the prior paragraph highlight major events and these events do not even come close to the minor events or daily occurrences of hate speech. Daily occurrences could be jewish jokes and holocaust denial aimed at Jewish young adults or the knocking of the kippah off the wearer's head. The kippah is a very sentimental and crucial to male Jewish life. The term kippah in Hebrew literally means a "dome", and whoever wears this dome acknowledges the constant divine presence that covers them. So taking away a kippah is taking away their divine presence. When events like this happen it is necessary to think “would you run up to someone and rip their burka off of them?” This is the exact same instance but people treat it like that is different and less significant thing. Hate is happening everywhere. It is working its way back into our system polluting a once semi-calm society. The world has gone down in its minority related incidents by 38% (ADL audit). Yet in the United States they have risen dramatically. It comes down to the idea of what is going wrong in our system? What are we doing as Americans that is causing such a stir in these types of acts?
As addressing this topic I am not undermining any other minorities. Minority incidents have been on the rise. Outside of the antisemitic targeting actions as of February 2017 The Southern Poverty Law Center, which has aggregated media reports and gathered submissions from its website, recorded 1064 such incidents, 13 of which were later debunked as false reports. 1064 incidents logged only 2 months into the year. The actions included swastikas at schools, racist taunts, and other hate-fueled attacks and acts of intimidation.(ADL audit) As groups of people all in the United States brought here by immigration I feel as if we should be more tolerant of minorities. The rise in elementary and middle school events cause an alarming fact that kids are being taught racist and hateful ideas towards others at a younger age. This is a desperate cry for help. We need to be educating younger children about other religions and races. Young children need to be exposed to diversity. Diversity training and exposure is the first step to a non biased child. Diversity and knowledge needs to be at the forefront of our learning system. Just because a change in office changes the order of the United States does not mean we revert back to old ways. Minorities are people too. They are apart of your workplace your school and they are your neighbors. They have worked just as hard as you have to get to where they are today and need and deserve respect.