Opinion: The road to ending anti-Semitism is long and winding, but it starts in our communities

Councilmember Donovan Richards. Photo by William Alatriste for the New York City Council.

By Donovan Richards

Special to the Eagle

There can be no denying the rise of Anti-Semitic attacks right here in New York where we have witnessed blatantly horrific assaults on a near daily basis over the last few weeks, but we have to do more as elected officials than condemning these acts at press conferences and on social media.

We cannot accept residents feeling fear and doubt over publicly displaying their religious garb as the new norm. We must be better than that as a society. We must all come together to stand up and face hate head on right in our communities.

We cannot allow this hate to divide us, driving us further from the solutions that love, tolerance and acceptance can provide us. Our differences in New York City are what make us stronger and more resilient.

As the great Rev. Martin Luther King,Judai Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The answers we seek are located right in our neighborhoods, our homes, our places of worship, our schools and our libraries. 

Far too often, we are seeing young teenagers committing these heinous acts out of pure ignorance for the suffering our Jewish brothers and sisters have endured for their beliefs throughout history. These attacks are no less concerning than the ones carried out by white supremacists or vulnerable people radicalized by the hateful propaganda and fear-mongering spreading throughout our culture, but they must be tackled in a different manner.

These acts of ignorance are what the New York City Council and Mayor de Blasio have worked to begin addressing through the creation of the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes combined with an educational outreach component that seeks to enlighten our students on the pain of intolerance and the promise of diversity.

But, this office will not solve the sickness spreading in our society alone. It is incumbent on all community leaders throughout our city to band together by standing with interfaith leaders, educators, parents and civic associations to remind everyone that we are in this fight together.

Communities of color are far too familiar with the feelings of despair and pain that follows an act of racism or discrimination, which is why we must channel those feelings to fight back when this ugliness aims its sights on our Jewish brothers and sisters. 

Demonizing people as “others” in our neighborhoods only exacerbates the problem. We must remind our fellow neighbors, parishioners, and loved ones about the pains of persecution when it has come for our communities and vow to fight it no matter who it comes for. 

Black and Jewish communities have been through these struggles before, which is why it is so important that we come together in this time of such deep pain and suffering. 

At a recent trip to an indoor play space for families, I watched my own son joyfully playing with the diverse mix of children from black, brown and Jewish backgrounds, providing a light during such a dark time that shows that nobody is born with hate or intolerance in their heart.

Every summer in Far Rockaway, thanks to former Assembly Member Phil Goldfeder and the late Manny Fiallo Jr., the Jewish and black communities come together for an annual baseball game that highlights the fact that we all have far more similarities than differences.

We need to do a whole lot more to bring our young people together with activities just like this.

We must make 2020 a year of healing; a year of togetherness where we not only stand united, but fight together to address the root of the problems plaguing our communities from the ground up. I am confident that we can overcome this scourge on our society and I stand ready to do my part in the year ahead.

Councilmember Donovan Richards is the chair of the Committee on Public Safety and represents District 31, which encompasses Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens and Far Rockaway. He is a candidate for Queens Borough President.