I'm becoming Jew neurotic about killings
If you're a Jew, you know what I mean.
Who the hell would want to stab Rob Reiner and his wife Michele to death? Why would this happen? There’s plenty of reasons, I suppose. Rich, famous Hollywood types at their home in exclusive Brentwood, California, have lots of valuable baubles and likely cash or securities that could be stolen. It might have been some personal grudge or family conflict. Maybe it was some mentally-ill drug addict, or a nutcase like the one who killed John Lennon in 1980. But, without evidence, I’m going with a hate crime, because Reiner was a Jew, and a prominent liberal Jew to boot.
It’s Hanukkah, and the holiday kicked off with a massacre of 11 people at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. That was certainly a hate crime. A father and son, 50 and 24 years old, targeted Jews celebrating the holiday. One was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. One was disarmed by an unarmed bystander, who is reported to run a fruit stand, and has an Arab-sounding name. One gunman was wounded and is being treated, as he is also being charged in the murders.
There was a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Two people are dead. nine injured, and the killer is still at large, according to authorities. One man held as a person of interest was released after police found insufficient evidence tying him to the crime. Most of the students in the classroom where an economics exam review was held were freshmen or sophomores, just 18-20 year olds. One of the victims has been identified as Ella Cook, a 19-year-old from Alabama. There is no evidence that any of the targets were Jewish.
But forgive me if I am neurotic and cynical about every act of violence right now, that they are all somehow related to Jew hatred.
In Syria, three Americans were killed in an attack by ISIS. Syria is about the size of Missouri, and has not—until recently—had a functioning government in a decade, aside from protecting its former dictator, Bashar al-Assad, who is currently living comfortably in Moscow under the protection and hospitality of Vladimir Putin. Israeli forces have taken up positions in the buffer zone previously under Syrian control, including the summit of Mount Hermon, positions which give IDF artillery full range over Damascus. The current president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former terrorist who left ISIS, sent condolences to President Donald Trump.
President al-Sharaa’s terrorist name was Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Many Israelis believe that this particular zebra’s stripes do not change, and at his core, al-Sharaa is still a jihadist, albeit a political one capable of cozying up with the United States to get his name cleared (which he has done). ISIS is still operating in Syria in some capacity. Iran-backed militia are also operating, though carefully watched by Israel and when opportunity offers, struck and eliminated.
Anything that goes on in Syria is about Israel, and therefore, about Jews. Spend anytime online in the sewer known as X, and you’ll see eventually every conversation in which one participant is a Jew will attract trolls, Jew-haters and armies of bots ready to blame the Hasidic rabbi was shot in the head at Bondi Beach for the attack, because it’s an IDF psy-ops operation.
In Redlands, California, during a drive-by shooting at a home with a Hanukkah display the occupants of the vehicle screamned “f*** the Jews” as they drove away. It’s not random violence. And even if it is, it seems to breed the non-random type that targets Jews.
Forgive me, as one who was born Jewish, for becoming neurotic about violence against Jews. I attended an event a few weeks ago where two former Israeli hostages spoke. It was sponsored by some high profile Jewish groups in Atlanta, and state politicians spoke. Governor Brian Kemp sent a certificate honoring the bravery of the hostages. The location wasn’t revealed to those who were on the guest list until just 24 hours before the event. Everyone who wanted to register had to provide personal information for a background check before being accepted. At the event, which was held at a Jewish school surrounded by high fences and a sturdy gate, security checked every guest, and IDs were verified.
This is the norm for Jews. Most days, I drive by the Chabad in north metro Atlanta and it too is surrounded by a high fence, like the White House. It has a gate and guard stand. Armed security is on duty all the time, especially during Jewish holidays like Hanukkah. Jews can openly celebrate any holiday in America, because this country offers freedom of religion, but Jews must take care, even in a community filled with Israelis and observant orthodox Jews.
Sure you can tell me that most churches have some kind of armed security (or at least congregants who carry), and that some churches have suffered mass killings. Yes, that happens. But if 90 percent of American churches had to build high fences around them, put in guard stands and have visible security, not just during service times, but all the time, I think this would be a different kind of country. For Jews, it’s already that kind of country. Australia is that kind of country, with more of a head start, where America might be in five years.
This isn’t about Gaza. The Palestinians in Gaza were given full autonomy over their land, when Israel removed all settlers, and left in 2005. Even Jewish cemeteries had their interred moved out of Gaza. Farms, greenhouses, and homes were left, given to the people of Gaza. But Hamas burned it all to the ground, because they would not use anything given to them by Jews. Hamas’ purpose is to exterminate the Jews. Every tunnel, every rocket, every suicide bomber, every drug-addled meth-head who was released into Israel to rape, pillage, and murder on October 7, 2023 is for the reason of exterminating the Jews. The reason Hamas is there is because the Jews are there. If the Jews made their homeland in western Canada, Hamas would be in British Columbia.
The intifada is globalized, because it’s always being globalized. You ask why Jews get so insular and offended by those who aren’t Jewish making light over their concerns, or denying the Holocaust. It’s because of days like today. It’s because when Rob Reiner and his wife are murdered in their own home, I can’t help but feel that it was done because they were Jewish.
If you were Jewish, you’d know what I mean. If you are Jewish, you do know what I mean. It’s neurotic, but it’s also true.
Editor note: I promised I’d write about China, and I will. Today is a sad day for other reasons. We will get to China soon enough.
Also, I have a goal: 10,000 subscribers. Can you help?
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Take your time getting to China. It's been there thousands of years and will be there when you can circle back to write about it.
Your neuroticism is justified. Jews are more widely hated than any ethnic group on earth. I see it in comments on right- and left-wing websites and from people of all religions (including some Jews) and nationalities and political organizations. I think it's largely a sin of envy. Jews are pretty much a normal group of people except for a higher percentage of accomplishment and success.