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To Be Jewish Is to Know Adversity - and to Thrive in Spite of It

(Jerusalem Post) Ronald S. Lauder - We were brought to the brink of extinction by the Nazis, but even the greatest evil was not enough to stop us, and out of the ashes rose a new state for our people, Israel. Through innovation and moxie, multiple generations of Israelis have changed the world. Even as Jews have thrived around the globe since the end of the Holocaust, an ominous undercurrent of anti-Semitism has remained. Now that current is a rising tide, one that threatens to plunge us back into the darkness. Once again, Jews are being persecuted for the simple reason that they are Jews. In the U.S., nearly 60% of religion-based hate crimes committed in 2018 were against Jews, who make up 2% of the population. Given our understanding of how hatred toward Jews can quickly escalate to concerted violence, one might think the reaction to this threat would be swift and decisive. But governments around the world have been slow to grasp the threat, and even slower to respond and counter it. We must ask more of the world. Today, I am calling on all heads of state, on all business leaders, on the people who run media and social media companies, on ambassadors and artists and those who shape opinion around the world, to reject anti-Semitism and to work to prevent crimes of hatred against Jews and all people. We Jews have always stood tall, even when we've been forced to stand alone. But today we must not stand alone. Now, let people of good conscience around the world join us. The writer is President of the World Jewish Congress.
2019-06-14 00:00:00
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