‘Shver tzu zayn a Yid!” My grandmother used to tell me in Yiddish all the time: “It is difficult to be a Jew.” As a child, I heard her say it so often that I thought it was English.
From my grandmother’s perspective, it was a truism, it was as undeniable as gravity. She did not understand it, but she knew that it was there – it was everywhere.
Shalom Aleichem wrote a play with the phrase as its title. It premiered on the Lower East Side of Manhattan on October 1, 1920, in the Yiddish Art Theater on Second Avenue. The play was a comedy about the difficulties of Jewish-gentile relations. It took place in Russia. The play was funny, but the reality was more than challenging.
In my grandmother’s eyes, the expression was not humorous. My grandmother’s expression was meant to be a warning. She understood Jew-hatred. She wanted me to be on the lookout for people who hated Jews simply because they were Jewish.
During the episode of my childhood when my grandmother was giving me lessons on life, the Nazis were attempting – and eventually succeeded – to march in the village of Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Skokie was a town with a very large Jewish and Holocaust-survivor population. The village and its residents did not want Nazis marching down their streets. The village said no. The case went through the courts. The Nazis eventually won and marched. At the same time, however, there was also a gargantuan counterprotest.
These were not the neo-Nazi skinheads of today. These were actual Nazis, members of the Nazi party in the United States, who were allowed to march through the streets. They had the constitutionally protected right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly even in Skokie, where so many Holocaust survivors lived.
Skokie was a milestone. Not just in law, but for the Jewish community. As a child I remember debates around the Shabbat dinner table for and against the Nazi’s right to freedom of speech. In 1977-1978, the court cases took months to decide.
Antisemitism at DNC
Fast forward to Chicago during the Democratic National Convention (DNC). I watched the anti-Jewish/anti-Israel protests and marches outside the convention center. I watched the vitriol, the hatred of Israel and of America. I watched them burn flags. Burning a US flag is a protected right. The courts have ruled that although there are federal laws protecting and caring for the US flag, these are merely suggestions, and burning the flag is a form of protected expression.
I was shocked to discover that lovers of Israel were denied permission to rally and march during the DNC. No explanation was given. The group, The Chicago Jewish Alliance, applied twice, or more, and got no answer to their request for permits.
Witnessing the injustice, a private person stepped in and donated space for the lovers of Israel to gather. This was no problem because municipal permission is not required to rally on private property.
The irony cannot be lost. The double standard is infuriating. The Nazis were able to march – haters of Israel were able to march – but lovers of Israel were denied that right.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has said that he supports the anti-Israel protesters. Not their right to speak – that goes without saying – but that he supports their hateful cause.
The First Amendment guarantees the rights of people with repulsive points of view and opinions that are abhorrent.
Chicago needs to answer as to why the pro-Israel rally was denied.
One inadequate answer so far has been that the permit request was not submitted on time. But, according to the Chicago Jewish Alliance, the permit request was submitted at the beginning of June and Chicago law only requires two weeks for a permit.
Another reason offered was that the police could not keep both groups safe. Yet, there was enough space in downtown Chicago for both – and there were certainly enough police on hand.
The only explanation is that officials in the city who made the decisions are blatantly anti-Israel and support the pro-Hamas rallies.
UNFORTUNATELY, IN the 46 years since Skokie, my grandmother’s understanding of Jew hatred is still valid. Although there was a period when I was hoping that it had changed, it has not. There are some people in power in both political parties who simply do not like Jews and do not like Israel. These haters of Israel have been given platforms and megaphones. They are heard and they are very loud. While it was once impolite and inappropriate to articulate such hateful views, today they are acceptable
Yet, there is another side. Do not be discouraged. Do not be disheartened. Jews and Israel have many friends. Those friends have begun to organize. They are forcing university administrations and politicians to protect Jewish students and Jewish citizens.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s getting closer by the day.
The writer is a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS.