"The world is in greater peril from those who tolerate or encourage evil than from those who actually commit it."

Quote from Albert Einstein. He thought about more than physics

Last week, I attended a rally against hate at the Pride of Israel Synagogue in Toronto. The mood in the synagogue was shock, fear, and anger. Protestors outside, who identified themselves as part of an organization called “Jews Against Genocide,” apparently composed mostly of non-Jews, attempted to block access to the event. 

The leadership of this synagogue were no fools; the place was crawling with private security, local police, and RCMP, and unruly protesters didn’t stand a chance. 

Federal, provincial and local politicians took their turns at the microphone. Some politicians were cheered, some jeered. The master of ceremonies had the hardest job in the room. Some attendees could not contain their rage, shouting out politicians, and the beleaguered master of ceremonies, quite rightly, tried to give them a 15-second civics lesson. At the same time, protesters, perhaps also quite rightly, felt entitled to their outbursts at individuals they felt had betrayed the Jewish people. 

Melissa Lantsman, the Conservative Shadow Deputy PM, roared like a lion, note-free, that enough was enough.  No more of “If we are nice enough, maybe they will just go away.”  I don’t know if Lantsman is over 100 lbs, but she is fearsome. 

There is a famous picture of an infant boy, The Warsaw Boy, terrified and confused, with his hands raised as they clear out a bunker. But the “arms raised” and “if we are polite enough, they will leave us alone” Jew era is over. 

The Jewish people are unified, Israel is strong, and today’s Jews will not be like the German Jews of the early 30s who couldn’t believe it could happen and said, “We are good Germans. Surely, they will not come for us.”  

But on Wednesday, there was fear in the Pride of Israel Synagogue, and yes, people were wondering, could it happen again? 

The audience of this community event united against hate seemed - sadly - to be mostly Jews; many were elderly.  This was not a Jewish event but a community event held in a synagogue.  

My question is, “Where are the Gentiles? Where are the non-Jews? Why is this still largely a Jewish problem?  As the police noted at the event, if having hate crimes directed at you was a sporting event, the Jews would be batting well above their weight, with 3.4% of the population receiving 56% of the reported hate crimes. And they say Jews aren’t good at sports.