Time To “Circle The Wagons”
By Joseph Frager, MD
In the 1800s, Americans traveling in Conestoga wagons towards the West would circle the wagons at night to act as a shield against their enemies and maintain order in the encampment. It is time for the Jews in America and worldwide to circle our wagons as the raging fire of antisemitism burns out of control.
There is not a Jew on this planet that has not felt the heat of this irrational and addictive conflagration. It is not just the antisemitism of the far left and the far right. It is not just the antisemitism of Zohran Mamdani and Tucker Carlson. It is the antisemitism of the complacent, silent, and seduced public that is more dangerous. It is the 1,036,051 voters who voted for Mamdani for mayor of New York City even if a recognizable number were Jews. This is a direct expression and example of Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil” in the 21st century. The day after one of the worst days of human existence that took place on October 7, 2023 the newly elected mayor of New York City, in essence acting as a mouthpiece for Hamas, had the gall to criticize Israel. Over 1,200 Israelis were massacred on October 7. 250 were taken as hostages. Men and women were raped. Children were tortured and babies were placed in microwave ovens.
The horrors of that day and the ensuing two years are just beginning to be told in detail that the world must hear even if they don’t want to. This was the face of evil the world had not seen since Treblinka. If Hamas had done this in America, the American response would have been a thousand times harsher, and more severe. One does not have to look further than the American reaction to Al Qaeda’s murder of 3,000 innocents on 9/11/2001. America was never accused of genocide for striking Afghanistan and Iraq and killing Osama bin Laden. Mamdani has accused Israel of genocide. This is pure and outright antisemitism. The lie has been repeated so often, the average American no longer can distinguish the truth. In essence truth has been buried. It is Barbara Tuchman’s The March of Folly. The masses just go along with the prevailing winds. Evil has a field day. Israel has done more to prevent evil from reaching the West than any nation in the world. Mamdani’s victory sets the world back to the Middle Ages. He gives Hamas a boost. He now makes America vulnerable like never before.
The Jews are always the ‘tip of the spear’. As antisemitism metastasizes, the outlook darkens for all Americans. It is why we must circle the wagons. It is time to regroup. We have many friends in America, and we must ask all of them to help us now. This is that critical moment when we can still defeat evil. I have faith that our friends will come forward and not allow America to become Nazi Germany.
