LETTER TO EDITOR: Thank you for standing against anti-Semitism

Dear Editor,

We are thankful for the many Bethlehem residents and elected officials who joined us in standing against anti-Semitism on July 10th at the Four Corners—including NYS Assemblyman from the 107th District Scott Bendett; Bethlehem Town Board Member David DeCancio; Bethlehem Chabad Director Rabbi Zalman Simon; and Congregation Beth Emeth’s Rabbi Greg Weitzman.

Why do we need this public show of support? Because Jew hatred is alive and well in the Capital Region.

Jews in Bethlehem are faced with this hatred on a regular basis. For months, groups have been gathering weekly at the Four Corners: calling for “Intifada” (terror attacks against Jews), decrying “Zionists,” (code word for Jews), and calling those of us who support Israel—the only Democracy in the Middle East and a US ally—supporters of genocide. Just this past week in Delmar,  stickers on poles that said, “I stand with Israel” were defaced and replaced with the words “Kill Israel.” Many of us live with the constant fear that right here in our small, idyllic town we cannot safely wear visible symbols of Jewishness or express our support for Israel without feeling threatened.

Throughout the Capital District anti-Semites have been vandalizing Jewish cemeteries, destroying pro-Israel property at various private residences, bringing outside agitators to our community to spew hatred and spread lies about Israel, and bullying Jewish students in school. Earlier this year someone fired a gun at Albany’s Temple Israel—with dozens of preschoolers inside. Every day we wake up on high alert.

How can this be happening in the town where I grew up, the town where I chose to raise my children? Unfortunately Bethlehem and our neighboring towns are not unique. Blatant anti-Semitism is thriving in cities and towns across the world. But we cannot let it continue. We, the members of Amidah Albany, will not stop advocating for the right for our very existence. Our group was founded in the wake of October 7, and exists to affirm Israel’s right to exist, its right to defend itself, and its right to assure its citizens they can live without fear.

Amidah means “to stand” in Hebrew. Together we are standing up for our Jewish community, standing up for Israel, and standing against anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is the oldest hatred in history—a shapeshifter, mutating to fit the hateful narrative of the moment. The current mutation is cloaked under the heading of anti-Zionism, and it’s spreading like wildfire.

Zionism is the movement for liberation and national self determination of the Jewish people in our ancestral homeland, Israel. We have a deep, historical connection to the land of Israel that is undeniable, unbreakable and a crucial piece of our peoplehood. Today, Zionism is a term that has been hijacked by those who seek to harm us, and is being used as a code word in hate speech targeting Jews.

Check on your Jewish neighbors and friends. We are living our lives, but we are not okay. October 7th is in the past for you—but for us it is October 284th.

Sincerely,
Laura Weisblatt, Co- Founder, Amidah Albany

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