A passionate group of Jewish activists and Hindus from Bangladesh gathered to show unity and stand up against hate and terror just blocks from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday.
“What is happening in Bangladesh should serve as a warning to us in America,” said Josh Weiner, co-founder of the Chicago Jewish Alliance, which organized the event along with help from the Israeli American Council.
The latest unrest in Bangladesh began after students protested a controversial quota system for government jobs, and, earlier this month, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“Islamic extremists have filled that vacuum and are perpetrating violence against the Hindu ethnic minority in Bangladesh. By some reports, there have been over 200 incidents of violence, including the burning of temples and religious sites, and what some are calling a Hindu genocide,” Weiner told the group.
As he spoke, Hindus from the South Asian country held a giant banner calling for an end to “Bangladesh Hindu genocide by Islamists” and a boycott of “blood-stained Bangladesh garments.”
None of them would speak publicly for fear of retribution, but one man said he sought asylum in the US 12 years ago, “People were trying to kill me,” he said, “They burned our house and vandalized our business.” His mother, father, wife, and two children remain in Bangladesh where they are living in hiding.
Joined forces following antisemitism at protests
The groups came together after tense demonstrations the previous evening when pro-Palestinian protesters marched on the Israeli Consulate.
“75 of them got arrested while we were working with the Chicago Police,” said Daniel Schwartz, co-founder of the Chicago Jewish Alliance.
“The Hindu community, Assyrians saw it and wanted to do something,” said Schwartz.
Schwartz and Weiner created the Chicago Jewish Alliance earlier this year as a grassroots movement to show up for Jewish people.
“We were seeing all of this encampment and antisemitism fermenting on college campuses, and nobody was really showing up for the kids,” said Schwartz. “We started creating events to celebrate Jewry… and we saw that when we do something like this and shine a light, it kind of works.”
Less than one mile away at Union Park, pro-Palestinian protesters held a third day of rallying and marching through the neighborhood. Tanaja Williams, a local resident, stood on the sidewalk as the crowd passed by. “It’s cool to see,” she said but offered no opinion on the ongoing conflict in Israel.