Yesterday’s events were a stain on our country and a wake-up call to all who care about the fight against white supremacy in America––a uniquely evil force threatening Jews, Black people, LGBTQIA individuals, Muslims, Indigenous people, immigrants, refugees, and members of every marginalized community.
As we move forward, we must continue talking about law enforcement’s response to white terrorists seeking to destroy our country, as compared to Black protestors seeking to help it realize its inherent promise. We must dedicate and rededicate ourselves to ending white supremacy by empowering and uplifting those who bring beautiful color and diversity to our world.
We must continue the fight against anti-Jewish racism, which is the animating force behind white nationalism in America. For those who stormed the Capitol, Jews are the #1 target. They carried swastika flags, wore “Camp Auschwitz” shirts, and carried signs that said “6MWE” (6 million wasn’t enough). For them, Jews have “impure blood,” and are “perverting the white race.” They slaughtered 6 million of us for it only 80 years ago, in a country in which Jews had previously felt safe and assimilated.
For anyone who doesn’t understand why Jews need Israel, why we are so committed to Zionism as our movement for liberation and security in our world that constantly shows its contempt for Jewish life: yesterday should be instructive for you.
When the President of the United States equivocates on neo-Nazis in Charlottesville; when he tells the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”; when he tweets a supporter yelling “White Power”; when he endorses racist, antisemitic QAnon conspiracy theorists for Congress––our community is put at indescribable risk.
When the President of the United States incites those very people in an attempt to violently overthrow the government of history’s most powerful democracy, marginalized communities feel piercing fear. Jews experiencing intergenerational trauma saw neo-Nazis in the Senate chamber. Black Americans fighting for the value of their very lives saw Confederate flags surrounding a noose erected on the Capitol grounds.
Memories of yesterday will induce trauma for years to come.
There is only one way to defeat these forces of hate: together. Zioness stands with Jews of color and with our siblings in other oppressed communities, aware that many of them cannot hide the features that make them most vulnerable. We are here and ready to do the hard work of rebuilding our society––and building it better, and more equitable, this time.