Standing Up to Antisemitism
Once again, violence, prejudice and hate, this time right in our own neighborhood. On Tuesday night, several people were attacked outside a restaurant near Cedars-Sinai by a group shouting, “Death to Jews.” The night before that, an Orthodox Jewish man on foot was chased by several cars that appeared to be pursuing him.
It pains me deeply to have to say this yet again: There is no place for violence of any kind, no place for racism or prejudice. All of us must stand up against this hatred, as it affects us all.
These antisemitic hate incidents are especially painful because Cedars-Sinai, as a Jewish hospital, embodies a core value of welcoming and treating all people with dignity and respect, especially anyone who has felt excluded or victimized. This core Judaic value remains visible today, as evidenced by the diversity of people and communities we care for, the diversity of our employees, and our commitment to strengthening the health of communities across the Los Angeles region.
It is important to recognize the difference between freedom of political expression and incidents of violence and hate. There is a time and place for nonviolent political expression, regardless of viewpoint. But make no mistake, when a person is physically attacking someone because of their religion, race, or other personal characteristic, that is not in any way an expression of political view. It is prejudice, racism and hate, plain and simple.
Over the past 12 months, we have witnessed so much violence and hatred in our nation and our world that it is easy to feel numb. But in ways large and small, it is crucial that each of us remains vigilant in our collective goal of equity, justice and respect. I am thankful that we work at an institution that demonstrates those values every day for the broader community.
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2 年Well said Tom! And bold too! We sadly give our differences far too much oxygen. The only thing more astounding than Judeo-Christian-Muslim commonalities is our shared ignorance of them.
Chief Operating Officer at AHMC Healthcare
3 年Thank you for your post Tom. The recent hate crimes remind me of 40 years ago when I arrived in NYC as an immigrant in search of freedom due turmoil at Tehran university and became a target of hate crimes in NY due to my national origin. I saw the violence against the Jewish people at the restaurant on the news and it made me feel sad that this is happening in my neighborhood. I would have thought as a nation with our history we would improve by now and be kinder to each other. I am glad you called out this hateful act towards our Jewish families and friends. Thank you for your leadership.
Founder & CEO, Life Strategies Advisors, Inc.
3 年Thank you for the courage not to be silent!
We need more leaders like you. Well said! Thank you for taking a stand
Senior Healthcare Executive (ret.)
3 年Thanks, Tom. We have to call out this prejudice and hatred for Jews and all others whose freedom to live is jeopardized.