New York Times op-ed praises solidarity march against anti-Semitism

According to police crime data, more than half of the 421 hate crimes reported in New York City in 2019 were against Jews.

By World Israel News Staff

An op-ed in the New York Times on Wednesday stresses the importance of the march planned for this Sunday in protest of the recent rise of anti-Semitism in the city.

The editorial, titled “It’s an Old and Insidious Hatred. And New Yorkers Can’t Stand for It,” begins by saying that New York has been home to Jews ever since the first Jewish congregation in the United States, Shearith Israel, was founded in 1654.

“New York has been indelibly shaped by their presence. And yet now, some would claim that Jews are no longer welcome, that they do not belong,” the editorial says.

“In New York, a city of immigrants and refugees, anti-Semitism is a threat to everyone. Just like white supremacy, it flourishes like a plague when cynics and bigots inflame painful divisions and spew hate for political gain.”

On January 5, a solitary march titled “No Hate. No Fear” will leave from Lower Manhattan and cross the Brooklyn Bridge, to be followed by a rally in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza.

“In New York, a city of immigrants and refugees, anti-Semitism is a threat to everyone. Just like white supremacy, it flourishes like a plague when cynics and bigots inflame painful divisions and spew hate for political gain,” the editorial says.

“To protect all of us, New York needs to show up against anti-Semitism. We need to march in the streets, together.”

The march is being sponsored by the UJA-Federation of New York along with the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Anti-Defamation League of New York, the American Jewish Committee of New York and the New York Board of Rabbis.

“The event, organized as a response to the skyrocketing anti-Semitism in Jersey City, Monsey and Brooklyn, is intended to “send the message loud and clear that we are one,” tweeted Americans Against Antisemitism’ founder Dov Hikind.

According to police crime data, more than half of the 421 hate crimes reported in New York City in 2019 were against Jews.

The ADL’s Tracker of Anti-Semitic Incidents reports that since the Dec. 10 massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey, there have been over a dozen of anti-Semitic incidents in New York and New Jersey.