I’m sorry I had to miss today’s press conference at Beth Elohim where local pols and religious leaders denounced anti-Semitic flyers found in areas of Park Slope, Brooklyn last week. Wow: what a gathering it was. I am awed by the solidarity of these representatives of our community and the shared sense of outrage expressed here. The following are quotes from a press release sent to me this afternoon.
Brad Lander: “There is no room for hate speech and intimidation against any group in our community…”We are here today to speak out against these kind of anti-Semitic actions, and more importantly to show our united front against those who would try to divide us.”
Representative Yvette Clarke: “I am deeply concerned about reports of anti-Semitic literature found in my district. These hateful messages are meant to bring fear and division among our community and are totally unacceptable. I stand firm with the 11th Congressional District in decrying this heinous act of prejudice and bigotry.”
Assemblyman Jim Brennan: “Anti-Semitism, which unfortunately continues to persist in our community, obviously has no place in Brooklyn. I stand in solidarity with other elected officials, religious leaders and members of the community to say that not only will such hateful behavior not be tolerated, but strong, united action is required to denounce it, stop it and apprehend the perpetrators.”
Councilman Steve Levin: “I am appalled by these notes. They are hurtful and unacceptable.
State Senator Daniel Squadron: “The distribution of hateful, anti-Semitic tracts in Brooklyn is becoming a borough-wide problem, and we must put a stop to it. Today I join my colleagues and our community to send a clear message that threatening hate speech will not be tolerated.”
Borough President Marty Markowitz: “Brooklyn is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel so it’s particularly disturbing that we are still seeing despicable incidents of intolerance such as the cowardly, anti-Semitic words of hate found in Park Slope. Brooklyn ’s diversity is our strength, and ultimately there is more that unites us than divides us. So we must remain vigilant in condemning hatred and discrimination against anyone—not only in Park Slope and Brooklyn , but around the world.”
Rabbi Bob Kaplan of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York: “Statements, symbols or acts of hate are simply unacceptable as they tear at the very fabric of our society. We need to insure the voices of inclusively and understanding are our guides in face of those that seek to destroy our American values.”
“Reverend Daniel Meeter from Old First Reformed Church: “Hatred against one is hatred against everyone. Because we hold each other sacred, we have no room for this in our community.”
Mohammad Razvi, the Executive Director of the Council of Peoples Organization, a local Pakistani Group: “We stand here united against all hate crimes. A crime against one is a crime against us all.”
Rabbi Ellen Lippman from Congregation Kolot Chayeinu: We learn from the early sage Hillel that ‘if I am not for myself, who will be for me?’ Therefore I stand with my colleague rabbis and other concerned Jews to make this anti-Semitic hatred public and to strongly condemn it. Hillel also taught, ‘If I am for myself alone, who am I?’ We call on all who condemn such hatred in our neighborhood to stand with us in determined opposition. And Hillel asked, ‘If not now, when?’ The time is now, without delay, to make public this outrageous display of cowardice and hatred, and to call for immediate investigation into its origins and perpetrators.”
Rabbi Andy Bachman of Congregation Beth Elohim: “These recent statements of ‘kill Jews’ are deeply troubling. Hatred of this kind, against anyone, anywhere has no place in our neighborhood, our city, or our country. It only strengthens our resolve to build a tolerant and peaceful world.”
RIght, neither Squadron nor Brennan were there.
I was there. I got this press release from Rachel Goodman of Brad Lander’s office. It was a powerful event, but actually the state legislators (Squadron and Brennan) weren’t there — or at least didn’t speak, and those quotations were gotten ahead of time. In some ways, the seeming extemporaneous remarks of the elected officials — and someone from the Mayor’s office also spoke, and there were other religious leaders there, and Debbie Almontaser was sitting across from me — were even more moving and more powerful than the canned quotations.
The NYPD was there, too. I was impressed on my way out by listening to a detective from the Hate Crimes Unit discussing the case with a police officer. They really seem to be trying to find out who did this. One of the things that came out of this was a plea to anyone who knows anything about these anti-Semitic flyers (really strips of paper) should call the police, even anonymously, and the same goes for evidence of any hate literature against any group in the community.