Seth Udinski, FISM News
Violence against ethnic Jews has been on the rise, apparently in response to the conflict between Israel and Palestine over the last few weeks. Last week, New York City saw several hate crimes perpetuated against ethnic Jews by pro-Palestinians.
One of such crime occurred on Saturday near a synagogue in a primarily Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn. A group of men yelled hateful threats at those near the Agudath Israel synagogue, such as “Kill all Jews!” The instigators also damaged a car that was parked nearby.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the perpetrators and vowed to arrest them and bring them to justice. He said in a statement on Sunday,
The perpetrators of these incidents will be found. We’ve talked about it in detail. They will be found. They will be prosecuted. They will suffer the consequences.
NYPD chief of police Rodney Harrison echoed the mayor’s words:
If you choose to commit a hate crime in this city, my detectives will catch you. We will bring you into custody and hold you accountable.
The conflict between Israel and Palestine has a long history. Since the early Medieval period, representatives of Islam and Judaism (and, at various times, Christianity) have wrestled for control of the Holy Lands and Jerusalem. Since 1948, ethnic Jews have rightly occupied the Holy Lands, but have lived under constant threat from Islamic adversaries. Last week, Israel and Palestine appeared to reach some semblance of peace in this current struggle. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of long-lasting peace in the Holy Land, but according to history, the fight between Jews and Muslims is far from over.