I am a proud second-generation American Jew. My grandparents immigrated here in the early 1900s to escape the pogroms of Europe. America offered my family and many others like them a safe haven from Jew hatred. But did it?
In the late 1960s, I transferred from a public school on the North Side of the city to a private Jewish day school because I was physically assaulted by schoolmates for being a “dirty Jew “and a “Christ killer.” Our family chalked that incident up to ignorance, but nonetheless, they knew they had to transfer me to a safe environment.
As an adult, I have lived the American dream. I married my high school sweetheart, had four healthy children and moved to a northern suburb. I’ve always had a job I enjoy. We raised our children as observant Jews and attended synagogue every Sabbath/Saturday. We worked to shield our children from Jew hatred, even as it didn’t seem so prevalent then. But 30 years ago, my eldest child, then 10, stood outside the synagogue when a driver stopped and threw hot coffee at her. He called her a dirty Jew and sped away. Luckily, she wasn’t seriously burned. Again, we chalked it up to an unfortunate isolated incident. But was it?
Here I am today in America. Our synagogues have tight security, and we have volunteers in heavily populated Jewish areas, serving as additional security advocates, so that we may walk safely in our neighborhoods without the fear of attack for being Jewish.
During a recent week, my 9-year-old grandson went on a field trip with his camp to Lincoln Park Zoo. They are visibly Jewish, as the boys proudly wear their skullcaps. A group of third and fourth graders from another camp spat at them and yelled, “Free Palestine.” Luckily, there was no physical altercation, as the Jewish camp employs security to protect our children.
There is no question that hatred of any kind is taught. How would young children know to denigrate a Jewish group unless they are being indoctrinated by adults?
I can no longer chalk this incident up to isolated, willful ignorance. I can no longer turn the other cheek when confronted with antisemitism and Jew hatred.
America, you are failing your fellow citizens, your Jewish neighbors. I no longer feel that this country is a safe haven for my community. Why aren’t other communities standing up against hatred of Jewish people?
Your silence is deafening.
— Alison Pure-Slovin, Skokie
Netanyahu’s lack of remorse
I fully support those members of Congress including U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin who decided to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress.
As an American Jew, I must say that it is sad that Israel has lost its moral high ground by its overly gross and destructive actions in Gaza, and the responsibility lies with Netanyahu and his governing coalition.
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has requested an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, and while Netanyahu mentioned the killing of Israel babies by Hamas on Oct. 7 during his address to Congress, he has said little about the killing and maiming of thousands of Palestinian children who had nothing to do with the Oct. 7 attack.
There seems to be no remorse on the part of Netanyahu for these young and innocent Palestinians.
Meanwhile, while everyone’s attention is focused on the war against Hamas in Gaza, Netanyahu continues to countenance Israeli land grabs in the West Bank, further threatening the establishment of a Palestinian state, even though the International Court of Justice has ruled that these settlements and outposts are illegal. Seems to be nothing more than an Israeli version of lebensraum, a concept endorsing expansion made infamous by Germany.
— Larry Vigon, Chicago
What about ensuring safety?
Pending charges stemming from the encampment at Northwestern University earlier this year have been dropped, and Cook County prosecutors have decided not to go forward with the case against four individuals charged with crimes.
The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern, or CAAN, is astounded by yet another miscarriage of justice.
Earlier this year, the same jurisdiction failed to move forward with a case against students who were accused of tampering with the school’s newspaper, The Daily, bowing to pressure.
While we strongly supported the university pursuing charges against any individuals who were found to be in violation of codes of conduct, specifically at the encampment on Deering Meadow earlier this year, we fail to comprehend the lack of accountability.
The Deering Meadow encampment reeked of virulent antisemitism as participants harassed Jewish students. Violators must be held accountable for abhorrent behavior and threatening acts that result in the intimidation of their peers, faculty, supervisors and law enforcement officers.
Rules are not made to be broken. Guidelines are intended to keep peace and order and maintain a safe environment for the entire university community.
— Wendy Khabie, national co-chair, Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern
Store’s prices horribly high
My wife and I recently attended a memorial service for my aunt at the University of Chicago. We rented an Airbnb south of 61st Street in the Hyde Park area. For groceries, we went to the only local grocery store, a Jewel Osco store on 61st. Because of its location, it is mainly frequented by the Black residents of the area.
We were shocked at the high prices of the groceries and medications at this store. The prices were on average 20% higher than what we are accustomed to paying in our local grocery stores in a suburb of Minneapolis.
It pained us that many of the low-income people I saw in the store were being overcharged for their everyday needs.
The store seems to have a monopoly on this area, and perhaps it feels this gives it the right to charge what it wants, but we just think it’s wrong.
— Ilja Gregor, Wayzata, Minnesota
The high costs to our earth
Recently, I read an article about Indonesia and how it is stripping forests to get at deposits of nickel to make millions of dollars, perhaps billions, on the sale to supply the need for electric vehicle batteries. I’m quite sure there are other countries including our own that are stripping the land to supply whatever minerals are needed to create these wonderful environment-saving batteries.
In the meantime, we are destroying the earth itself.
It seems to me that we need to come up with a better solution to our environmental problem. Has anyone in our government actually studied the impact? Or are they just jumping on the bandwagon to get votes?
Hydrogen has been mentioned in some studies on fossil fuel alternatives. It might be better for us to slow down the EV push and start looking at this as an alternative!
— James Palewski, Lockport
Anti-gun culture in the UK
In a photo after the election, new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife are shown with crowds behind them and no apparent guards. Is the reason for this the strict anti-gun laws in the United Kingdom? Is it safer to be a politician there?
There is a lesson for us!
— Carole Bogaard, Oak Lawn
Happily upgraded to ‘young’
One silver lining of the current political turmoil from my middle-age perspective — 59 is suddenly and miraculously considered young!
— Stacy Seiden, Northbrook
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