Facing Reality: Are We Prepared for Anti-Semitic Violence in North America?

We Israelis heard the enemy's threats loud and clear over many years, but the security establishment assuaged us and put us to sleep. Our enemy did not have the capacity to carry out a massive attack against us, they said. Besides, they would never dare to attack us, even if they could.

Then the unthinkable happened: October 7th, 2023.

Looking back, it's clear we were living under the unfounded conception that our leaders had the situation under control. As a nation, we are still trying to shake this "mind parasite" out of our system - admittedly, with mixed success. It is widely understood, however, that our complacent pre-October 7th mindset almost led to our physical decimation at the hands of marauding barbarians.

When reality hits you in the solar plexus, you feel off balance. It's difficult to think straight - your thoughts become jumbled. Even when you decide on a course of action, it stems from a sense of survival rather than having the luxury to analyze the crisis, generate options, weigh strengths and weaknesses, and make a responsible decision.

Being attentive to one's surroundings, identifying potential threats and generating contingency plans before they materialize is a much better policy. In view of the situation on American campuses, this is an opportune time to engage in risk assessments.

Growing up in North America in the 70's, I experienced antisemitism firsthand - ugly slurs in high school classrooms when the teacher wasn't looking, physical attacks on public transit, and racist "jokes" at parties. However, there was a universal understanding, even among the perpetrators, that antisemitism violated accepted societal norms.

What a difference half a century makes. As of April 2024, mark that date, it has become legitimate to publicly foment hatred towards Jews in the United States of America. People are sharing videos of themselves calling for Jews to be killed, unafraid of legal consequences. A person can stand next to a group of American Jews holding a sign with an arrow pointed at them reading "The next victims of Al-Qassam (Hamas)," while police officers stand idly by. This is now a fact we must face - the new normal. The genie is out of the bottle.

The question is: What comes next?

Will American Jews opt to assume that this surge in antisemitism will peter out eventually? Or is this, perhaps, just the beginning, and eventually words will transform into deeds? Is it at all conceivable - as a possible scenario - that this incitement to murder Jews will lead to the murder of one Jew? Of ten? Possibly 100 or more? Perhaps kidnappings of Jews? While we sincerely hope these remain hypotheticals, we must confront these potential realities.

One option is to irrationally deny the possibility of such a horrible scenario ever taking place. After all, this is the USA! That would never happen here!

It's called burying one's head in the sand. In Israel we tried that strategy leading up to October 7th. It didn't work out well for us. Another option is to willfully bend our mind and consider such a horrible scenario.

Fact: police officers from Paris to London to New York are all saying the same thing to concerned Jewish citizens: We can't guarantee your safety. Don't cross the street, you may provoke the mob; don't go to campus, you may be physically harmed.

Let's consider the unthinkable for just one moment: what would happen if 100-500 campus-cult goons organize themselves on a simple messaging app and simultaneously arrive at a predetermined location frequented by visibly Jewish people and go on a killing rampage with the various weapons at their disposal, from guns to knives to hatchets? Will the impotent, obviously challenged police departments in major Western cities manage to protect the intended Jewish victims before any of them are hurt? Very unlikely. Will the perpetrators be brought to justice? Possibly, if the police can manage to immediately deploy a surge of manpower to identify hundreds of perpetrators and simultaneously conduct numerous forensic investigations to prove in a court of law the suspect's guilt.

There is room for skepticism. In Toronto, Canada, local police have yet to prosecute a single suspect for the brutal 2017 murder of two high-profile wealthy Jews. It seems ridiculous to posit that the stretched and kowtowing police departments in Western cities would be capable of contending with such a large-scale massacre.??

But, what if?

Important lesson we learned in Israel: don't assume "someone" will protect you. When the gates of hell open up, you are on your own. Better to be proactive - prepare for this scenario ahead of time.

Hopefully it will never happen, and you'll chide yourself for having been paranoid. That's a low price to pay for having been too uptight. But what if the unthinkable happens, and you didn't prepare? How will you feel then? I can tell you how we felt here in Israel: like a bunch of idiots, who swallowed all the assurances and empty promises of the security services, and we were once again turned into sheep for the slaughter.

Contact your local American Jewish Federation and ask them if they are taking any steps to protect the physical welfare of Jewish individuals in your city. If yes, then get involved and lend a hand. If not, then start thinking of Plan B and C.