Editorial

No time for hate

Posted 3/3/23

It appears that the so-called “National Day of Hate,” scheduled for this past Saturday, has passed without incident, at least locally.

The Jewish Federation of Orange County issued a …

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Editorial

No time for hate

Posted

It appears that the so-called “National Day of Hate,” scheduled for this past Saturday, has passed without incident, at least locally.

The Jewish Federation of Orange County issued a warning last Friday of the potential for violence and hate crimes that, thankfully, never came to fruition.

“This ‘National Day of Hate’ was originally proposed by a tiny Eastern Iowa-based neo-Nazi group in early January,” noted Wendy Cedar, Executive Director, in a press release. “Over the past few weeks, individuals associated with other white supremacist groups and networks have indicated they will participate. These groups and networks have membership and supporters scattered around the country including the Goyim Defense League, Active Clubs and National Socialist Movement. Since 2021, white supremacist networks such as White Lives Matter have popularized designated ‘days of action’ as a tactic to unite fellow white supremacists and draw attention to their cause. On these days, participants primarily conduct white supremacist and anti-Semitic propaganda distributions, banner drops, and hold small demonstrations. Collecting footage of such actions from different small groups across the country is a strategy they use to give an inflated sense of participation and to suggest wider acceptance of antisemitism and white supremacy; actual participation in these events is usually very small.”

While Saturday was apparently calm, our region is not without incidents of hate:

In January, the discovery of hateful, anti-Semitic graffiti was found in various bathrooms at the Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus. The school administration pledged cooperation with local law enforcement to assist the investigation and determine if the individual or individuals could face criminal charges. In addition, the district stated it would “take necessary action to hold those responsible based on the district code of conduct.”

- A hamlet of Wallkill man was arrested last August after attempting to disrupt a religious service at Chabad of Orange County in Goshen. The man was arrested after photographs of his vehicle were widely distributed via the internet and the local news media.

- Last July, an anti-Israel demonstrator stood outside Temple Sinai in Middletown. It was determined that he was within his First Amendment rights to be there, but his presence did increase awareness of the potential threat.

- While we are warned never to confront anyone engaged in hate speech or distributing propaganda, we need not tolerate it. Call 911 to report any potential threats. We must work to protect one another.

Visit JewishOrangeNY.org to learn how we can support anyone who has experienced an anti-Semitic incident and how we can prevent them.