Anti-Semitism never goes away, but it really flares up with a truth-attacking nationalist in the White House

David Posnett — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 01:47:55 +0000

Submitted by Steve Ludsin:

Letter published in the Los Angeles Times

NOV 14, 2018 | 4:00 AM

People hold up placards during a demonstration in London organized by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism on April 8. (Tolga Akmen / AFP/Getty Images)

To the editor: Steve Oney’s op-ed article on Jewish industrialist Leo Frank’s lynching in 1915 amid anti-Semitic hysteria and attacks on journalism provided clarity.

Demagoguery is thriving due to the irresponsible rhetoric of a nationalist president. The knee-jerk reaction that mainstream media are fake news provides a basis to avoid facts and incite people to commit acts motivated by bias.

Anti-Semitism will be part of society, particularly in times of flux because people need scapegoats. There has been progress in America, but complacency is not in order. The horror of the murder of 11 innocent worshipers in Pittsburgh reminds us that we are all vulnerable to misguided people armed with hatred and ammunition.

The need for vigilance starts with each one of us. We must do something to fight this form of domestic terrorism. Rants about fake news and attacks on the mainstream media as enemies of the people do not help.

Steven A. Ludsin, East Hampton, N.Y.

The writer is a former member of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust.

History can Repeat Itself

David Posnett — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:46:23 +0000

Letter published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette October 30, 2018, by Steve Ludsin (East Hampton, NY):

History can repeat itself

“Dispatch From Squirrel Hill: Dread in a Peaceful Place” by David M. Shribman (Oct. 27) was moving and eloquent. The sadness of the murders of 11 innocent victims killed just for being Jewish evokes the horrors of the Holocaust.

I visited Pittsburgh many years ago, and I sensed a feeling of community. I spent most of my life in the New York metropolitan area, so being Jewish doesn’t make you feel like an outsider or threatened. Those days are over. I imagined myself back in Nazi Germany in the ‘30s while Hitler’s words bellowed in the air.

The tragedy is that history can repeat itself. We cannot be deaf, dumb and blind to the rise of hateful words and, even worse, hateful deeds. I am reminded of Elie Wiesel’s closing words at the first meeting of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust in February 1979. He said, “I don’t know what we accomplished today, but we all said oy. Let’s turn oy into deeds to protect the Jewish community. We have no choice.”

STEVEN A. LUDSIN
East Hampton, N.Y.

The writer was a member of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust and the first U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, which built the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Yesterday, the leaders of Bend the Arc’s Pittsburgh Moral Minyan and their allies literally interrupted Trump’s visit.

“Trump’s motorcade forced to turn around after thousands of protesters
flood Pittsburgh streets” — RawStory

“Donald Trump, Meet America’s Jews.
They Are Protesting Your Hate.” — Forward

Pittsburgh March (Oct. 31st 2018)

Fight White Nationalism here TODAY:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1932358347068816/

Pittsburgh – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Anti-Semitism never goes away, but it really flares up with a truth-attacking nationalist in the White House

History can Repeat Itself