Letters to the Editor: ‘I am not wearing a Star of David. I am not attending synagogue. I am hiding my Judaism’

To the editor: I did not put my menorah in my window. I am not wearing a Star of David. I am not attending synagogue. I am hiding my Judaism. (“How antisemitism came roaring back into American life,” Dec. 14)

I’m not surprised by the rise in antisemitism. It has been our history for thousands of years. I’ve been called slurs to my face.

Still, antisemitism baffles me. The Talmud tells us, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” Historically, we have aligned ourselves with other minorities, yet we find over and again that we are vilified.

I spent two years as chair of the social action committee at Oakland’s Temple Sinai. I held the largest interdenominational Passover Seder that the temple had, with Jews, Christians, atheists and others in attendance.

Jews participated in the founding and funding of some of the most important civil rights organizations. We participated in the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964. HIAS, an international Jewish humanitarian organization, was among the groups that sued the Trump administration over the Muslim ban in 2017.

And yet, people persist in vilifying Jews.

From the many conversations I’ve had with friends, we are in agreement: We believe in the right of Israel to exist. We believe in a two-state solution. We believe in the right of Palestinians to live safely and securely in a country of their own.

We do not believe in the expansion of settlements. We do not support the current Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Genocide is wrong.

These ideas can coexist. And yet, a menorah at Oakland’s Lake Merritt was destroyed, and I will continue to hide. How sad is that?

Wendy Winter, Altadena

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To the editor: I feel compelled to share my perspective as an American Jew.

I am a Zionist, which means I support the right of Jews to have a safe homeland. However, I am also deeply troubled by the actions of the current Israeli government.

The events of Oct. 7, particularly the harm done to innocent children, left me heartbroken. No child deserves to be subjected to terror, including the children in the Gaza Strip.

As a proud Latino American Jew, my Zionist beliefs align with the desire for peace and safety for all, not with the current policies and actions of the Israeli government. This distinction is important for understanding the diverse viewpoints within the Jewish community.

Jose Grijalva, Santa Clarita

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To the editor: Antisemitism has always existed in the U.S. and elsewhere. For more than 20 years, our temple has had security guards for the High Holiday services because of concerns.

But why has antisemitism been worse in recent years? While your article covered many reasons, it wasn’t until the very end that it even touched on what I feel is the primary cause: former President Trump.

The uptick in antisemitism in recent years is, I believe, primarily due to Trump’s embrace of white supremacists. That started with his “very fine people on both sides” comment in 2017, in response to an event in Charlottesville, Va., where people had yelled, “Jews will not replace us.”

It is not just antisemitism that is on the rise. There has been more hatred expressed toward Asians, Blacks, Latinos, immigrants and others, very often in relation to Trump’s negative comments about these groups.

Trump has made it OK to express hatred toward anyone who is not a white Christian male.

Susan Jacobs, Studio City