10 hate crimes that shattered 2019, 10 angels who put it back together
The Anti-Defamation League has compiled lists of the top 10 moments of hope and hate in 2019.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSPlacards placed following the shooting at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue(photo credit: ADL/COURTESY)
2019 has been a year marred by a number of targeted mass shootings around the world, leaving minority populations reeling from the hate flung their way. But in the face of such darkness, it has also produced some remarkable moments of outstanding courage and determination not to let hate win.The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have listed their the top ten moments of hope and hate this year, with mass shootings in El Paso, Texas Christchurch, New Zealand, and Jersey City topping the list; mass shootings account for half of the hate list. Three of the shootings took place in mosques and synagogues; one occurred on Yom Kippur.On the hope list, it is the moments of human kindness that stand out: a Muslim woman defending a Jewish family against antisemitic hate on the London underground, while in Oregon a teenager inspires a new law to mandate Holocaust education in schools.In August, 22 people were killed and 26 injured after a gun-man drove for more than 11 hours specifically to target Mexicans at a Walmart in El Paso, an attack which the ADL’s Center on Extremism noted was "the deadliest white supremacist attack in the U.S. in more than 50 years."Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the U.S after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso U.S. (Photo: REUTERS/CARLOS SANCHEZ)The attack came just months after a similar onslaught against Muslims in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March which left 50 dead. In both Christchurch and El Paso the shooters posted messages to web chat board 4Chan, stating white supremacist views."The attack on Christchurch underscored the fact that white supremacy is a global terror threat whose ideology manifests around the world and results in acts of violence in many instances," the ADL said in their report.The Orthodox Jewish community in the New York Metropolitan area has been the target of a number of attacks over the last year, culminating in the killing of three people at a Kosher supermarket in an attack in which a policeman also lost his life. The targeted attack was tied to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, which has professed antisemitic beliefs.Synagogues were also the targets of the next two events on the list, at the Chabad Congregation of Poway, California, and in Halle, Germany. The Poway shooter was another who posted a manifesto online, speaking of his hatred for non-Christians and holding up the Christchurch shooter as a role model.But as difficult as these attacks are, the top event on ADL's hope list is a timely reminder that hate can be overcome.
A crowd attends a vigil outside the Tree of Life synagogue, marking one week since a deadly shooting there in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. (Photo: ALAN FREED/REUTERS)"It’s hard to fathom how such a horrific hate crime – the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in which a white supremacist targeted three Jewish congregations at prayer – could inspire an act of love so huge that it overwhelms the loss of 11 people in a deadly act of hate. But when the Pittsburgh community came together to mark the date of that tragedy on Oct. 27, 2019 with a full day of prayers and projects that embraced the city’s Jewish community with a huge hug - it did just that," ADL wrote."Whether it was making blankets for refugee families, working at food pantries or holding blood drives, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and people of other faiths and of no faith came together to send a message that a community could emerge stronger in the face of an unthinkable act of hate."The Poway shooting was also the inspiration for an incredible show of resilience, as more than 4,000 people joined forces for a 90 minute interfaith vigil sponsored by ADL and the Poway Unified School District. Two weeks later, the ADL's Walk Against Hate in San Diego saw a record turnout of 3,500 people including the victim's daughter, students, and teachers from 65 schools.Individual acts of courage and friendship also shine brightly on the list.In London, Asma Shuweikh stepped in when a man on the London underground started yelling antisemitic abuse at a family, frightening the young children. In an interview she said that her own experiences of anti-Muslim discrimination had moved her to say something. “Being a mother of two, I know what it’s like to be in that situation and I would want someone to help if I was in that situation,” she said.Iran's Saeid Mollaei, who defected to Germany after Iranian authorities tried to pressure him in not fighting an Israeli opponent (Photo: Reuters)Meanwhile as the year drew toward and end, sport engendered an unlikely friendship. Israeli Judo champion Sagiv Muki congratulated on his first competition since Mollaei defected from Iran to Germany in response to being pressured by the Iranian authorities to lose the semi-finals of the World Judo Championships in Tokyo so that he wouldn't have to face the Israeli in the finals.Muki took to Instagram to call Mollaei's participation in the competition “a triumph of sports over politics.” In response, Mollaei called Muki “my best friend.”View the full reports on the ADL website: hope and hate.
