I am worried about a second Holocaust

I thought about whether or not I would write something about this and perhaps for the sake of my mental health, it is best that I get my thoughts out there and try to look away from what is going on for just a moment. I was worried about potential backlash, but then I realized that this is one of the most important things to stand up about, so I can’t be quiet.

I was with my wife in New York City on Saturday morning when I found out about what was going on in Israel. This trip was an anniversary gift for her and a de facto “babymoon” since we are expecting a daughter in a couple months. As I started to learn about what was going on, I was so distraught that I broke down in tears. I could not focus on anything else and unfortunately we decided to cut our trip a day short and head back home to Boston. I feel badly about doing so but I was also a shell of myself at the time.

I’m not going to get into politics in this post. I only want to comment on what I have observed going on and the reaction that has taken place and the utter spiral of depression it has swept me into. If you are faint of heart or stomach, I would encourage you to stop reading here.

Over the weekend in Israel, terrorists infiltrated the border and committed some of the most horrific war crimes and acts of terror we have ever witnessed, reminiscent of the savagery of ISIS and killing more Jews in a single day in a targeted attack since the Holocaust. They descended on paragliders into a music festival (which was ironically for peace between Israel and Palestine) and indiscriminately mowed down 260 victims from throughout the world. They have killed and abducted babies and put them in cages. In one account, a terrorist broke into the home of an elderly woman and burned her alive because she was too infirm to be taken hostage. In another account, a terrorist logged into an elderly woman’s Facebook and live-streamed her murder. I somehow was able to watch a video of Hamas terrorists beheading a Filipino worker (while he was still breathing!) with a metal shovel. They filmed themselves beheading and spitting on dead bodies. There are dozens of videos of Israeli girls bleeding from their crotches from being raped and dragged into Gaza as hostages where God knows what they are experiencing right now. In one video, you see the dismembered, limp body of a 22 year old German tourist who had been raped and murdered on the back of a pickup truck on her way to Gaza where she is paraded around as a trophy. Meanwhile, thousands of rockets are being fired into Israel with the intent of killing civilians – not military targets. And even while Polish aircraft have arrived at the airport to pick up Polish nationals abroad in Israel, Hamas fired rockets at the airport, presumably to kill innocents and to block the safe return of Polish citizens back to their homeland.

The imagery is jarring. But what is arguably even more concerning and sad is what I have been witnessing amongst influencers, the media, and even my own friends as all of this has been unfolding.

Within moments of some of the most depraved acts known to man being caught on camera, rallies were organized nationwide in solidarity with Hamas. In cities like New York, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, London, and all around the globe – what we deem to be very civilized and highly educated parts of the world – people took to the streets to celebrate. There are videos of some of these so-called protesters taunting counter-protesters with images of dead Jews and swastikas. What I have been seeing happening around the world reminds me of Weimar Germany, and the year is 2023.

I want you to imagine a hypothetical scenario where a police officer shoots dead an unarmed teenager. Many of the same people who cheer on Israel’s demise are the same who would presumably show up to some sort of rally or demonstration to speak out against this horrific crime. Why are they quiet now? Moreover, what do you think would be the public reaction if, worldwide, protests were organized in support of the police officer killing the innocent teenager? Seriously, think about that. I am sitting here perplexed but ultimately sad about the reality that anti-Semitism is so completely normalized that even after the most depraved acts where innocents are killed, that there are people who decide to come out in support of it the next day. I am not sure what more would need to happen for those same people to stay home. If Jews were being round up and burnt in ovens or gassed to death in chambers, I have to believe their reaction would be the same.

Meanwhile, influencers, many in the media, and in academia are all making statements about how Israel had this coming, or that this all needs to be contextualized. I have some so-called friends who are too weak-minded to say anything sympathetic to Israel for fear that their woke friends might chastise them; instead, rather than just keeping their mouths shut, they post on their social media pages reminders about how Israelis have been cruel to Palestinians too. Again, I am not sure what horrors would need to occur to the Jews for these people to show an ounce of sympathy for their plight. After all, if they are concerned with the plight of innocent Palestinians, to be intellectually honest would require them to care just as much for the plight of innocent Jews. As an example, students at Harvard have already put out a statement squarely blaming Israel for all of the events that happened this past weekend. So I’ve come to the more realistic conclusion, which is that these people are anti-Semites, that they have adopted the idiotic ideology that Jews are predominantly white and therefore deserve to suffer (which is not even accurate), and that any collateral damage – like a 22 year old German tourist being raped and dismembered – is necessary for the sake of “resistance.” Oh, and as for influencers like Kylie Jenner who expressed sympathy for the deceased? They were shunned into silence.

You can think whatever you want about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I’ve made my bed already that lots of people disagree with me about it and that is fine. But when you witness some of the worst horrors we have ever seen and are adamant that you must put your opinion out there for the sake of supporting your “team” despite whatever ills they have just committed, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be your friend. If you are reading this and you are one of those people, please unfollow me and never speak to me again. Your opinion and your ego are not more important than the lives of innocents. And you will never understand the amount of hurt you are causing to Jews like me.

When I was in the Uber coming back from the train station talking about this with my wife, I tried to keep my voice down. And that is because anti-Semitism is so normalized in this conversation that I didn’t know if the Uber driver might have some negative feeling about Jews. I figured I’d rather have the conversation in the privacy of my home. That is concerning.

You want to know what else? Silence is deafening. My “woke” friends who seem to post about every social injustice that happens on the entire planet are completely silent. The ones who are not silent are the ones reminding everyone that Israel is to blame for this. And I already know what is going to happen. They will bide their time and wait until Israel responds, and once they do, they will start talking about how bad Israel is, seemingly forgetting about all of the graphic footage we just watched. Gays and women will cheer for the team that would literally treat them like shit if they were to ever enter the Gaza strip. Woke women I know will have literally watched the videos of Israeli women bleeding from their crotches from being raped and find the first chance they can get to criticize the Jews.

So yeah, if you want to know why I am concerned that the Holocaust can happen again, now you know. Because Holocaust-like events are unfolding before our eyes and people are already finding ways to rationalize it. It is disgusting, it is vile, it is sad, and it is deeply upsetting. Whether you are Jewish or not, I am sure you know someone who is, and I can guarantee you that that person is going through complete and utter Hell right now, whether they admit it to you or not.