Refusing To See The Writing On The Wall

The murder of 15 Australian Jews in the Sydney massacre is in the words of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the actualization of “globalize the intifada.” What is perfectly clear to Mayor Adams is somehow lost on so many of New York’s Jewish organizations and their leadership. Islamic organizations and their radicalized supporters, who have turned out in the hundreds of thousands over the last two years, dismiss the idea of coexistence. They pay no lip service to the two-state solution, and proudly express their desire to annihilate the Jews, all the Jews, wherever they are, whether in downtown Manhattan or downtown Jerusalem. It seems that the limits of the First Amendment and the legal constraints of incitement have no relevancy when Jews are concerned.

Despite this Islamic desire to eradicate the Jewish people, New York’s Jewish leadership are still spewing out the same outdated, politically correct messages in the name of the New York Jewish community. They refuse to see the writing on the wall; they refuse to acknowledge that support for Hamas plants the seeds of Islamic terrorism against Jews in America and all over the world.

Over the past two years since the October 7th massacre, Hamas’ Islamic terrorists and their outspoken supporters have enjoyed the status of celebrities and have been welcomed in the corridors of power and intelligentsia throughout Europe and the United States. The Judicial system has not demanded accountability and they have not provided any legal or financial deterrence to their activities, thereby quietly condoning the rage, violence, and calls for the annihilation of Israel and the Jews.

So how have New York’s Jewish leadership, with their progressive political agenda, responded? Below are just a few examples of their useless and condescending rhetoric: 

• “The pain is beyond description”
• “Our spirit is not broken. The Jewish response to challenge has never been fear or retreat. The Jewish response is to add more light”
• “[The massacre] made me feel my Judaism even stronger.”
• “We still have to be proud of who we are, we still have to celebrate. That’s why we’re all here”
• “Good will always outshine hate”
• “Together, we must work to build a world in which Jews and all people can celebrate their faith and their identities without fear of violence.”
• “Wishing you light, strength, and safety as we enter Hanukkah.”

The clear and present danger for Jews demands that the Jewish leadership of New York stop pandering to the progressive elite in the media, within the corridors of Congress, and within the Democratic Party at all levels. Democratic Congressmembers such as Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) have given their full support to the incitement and violence sweeping the streets of America against American Jews. They have refrained from condemning the calls to eradicate the state of Israel, and have not condemned the acts of violence against American Jews during the demonstrations. These powerbrokers of Jew-hatred must be exposed for what they are supporting: The rage and hatred expressed by Hamas supporters will not stop with the Jews and will slowly take form against all non-Muslims, meaning everyone else in the United States who is not of the Islamic faith.

Over the past two years since the October 7th massacre, New York’s Jewish leadership have raised more than one billion dollars. A sizeable portion of this incredible amount should be siphoned to create a whole new strategy to combat Jew-hatred. A whole army of Jewish and non-Jewish lawyers, investigators, social media specialists, must be enlisted to go after every politician, every district attorney, every police commander, every Hamas supporter who have enjoyed immunity and have not been held accountable for enabling the public discourse to threaten, intimidate, and promote violence against Jews and their communal institutions.

Only by going on the offensive can the tide be turned in the war of nihilistic anti-Semitism. Political correctness and pandering to the progressive left are no longer tolerable. Going after the inciters, the attackers, and the supporters who enable an atmosphere of intimidation against Jews is the only solution to change the chilling direction that America is heading in.

For the past thirty years, the people of Israel were force-fed a steady diet of progressive messages that the Palestinians will eventually turn a new leaf and embrace a “two-state solution,” and that peace is just around the corner. Victims of terror, were rebranded as victims of the peace process. Every effort was made to avoid taking the offensive; military strategies were based only on a defensive posture, and “mowing the lawn” became the pervasive panacea for all security threats. What we got in response was not a true partner for peace, but the massacres of October 7, the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

New York City’s Jewish leadership must be willing to declare war against these extremist Islamic global movements and organizations, which are highly funded propagandist machines that encourage mass protests, antisemitism, and waves of Jew-hatred on university campuses and the streets of America.

Israel has been turned into a symbol of evil for an entire generation who have no idea where Palestine is even located. Now is the time to make a joint declaration of war, a joint front for the Jews of the world and the State of Israel. Together we can defeat nihilistic Jew-hatred and turn the tide of history. n

Ron Jager grew up in the South Bronx of New York City, making Aliyah in 1980. Served for 25 years in the IDF as a Mental Health Field Officer in operational units. Prior to retiring was Commander of the Central Psychiatric Clinic for Reserve Solders at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring has been involved in strategic consultancy to NGO’s and communities in the Gaza Envelope on resiliency projects to assist first responders and communities. Ron has written numerous articles for outlets in Israel and abroad focusing on Israel and the Jewish world. To contact Ron please email: [email protected] or visit: RonJager.com.