Several weeks ago, I penned an article that appeared on both the Arutz Sheva (Israel National News) web site on the egregious phenomenon known as the “politicization” of anti-Semitism in New York and beyond. In the first part of the article, entitled, I place a specific focus on the alarming escalation of brutal attacks on Jews throughout Brooklyn. The victims have been Orthodox Jews; who are clearly identifiable by their traditional garb. In my piece, I specifically identify the long-range objectives of the “politicization” process and they are fairly simple to comprehend. Politicians and elected officials of the Democrat party in New York State have remained mum when the lion’s share of vicious attacks directed at Jews are perpetrated by members of minorities. Significant, however, and quite noteworthy to document is the substantiated fact that when anti-Semitism rears its ugly head from those who are considered on the political “right” such as white supremacists, nationalists or those who are considered to be Trump supporters, then our Democratic elected officials are up in arms, falling all over each other to stridently and unequivocally condemn such hate in the public square. Well, if you sense that something enigmatic and hypocritical is lurking behind the scenes, then you have hit the nail on the proverbial head. Among the many politicians who are guilty of imposing such contemptible double standards in addressing hate are New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Among the many politicians who are guilty of imposing such contemptible double standards in addressing hate are New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Below, is an excerpt of the article that I referenced: " Case in point: On August 29th, it was reported that New York Attorney General Letitia James condemned a video posted by the Rockland County Republican Party, calling it anti-Semitic for falsely warning that Chassidic Jews are plotting a “takeover.” AG James called the video “deeply disturbing.” In a statement released to the media, James added, “To clearly state that members of the Jewish community are a threat to families and our safety and that they must be stopped is despicable and completely unacceptable.” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the video an “attack and incitement against the Hasidic community” and the “very definition of discrimination and anti-Semitism.” Such self-righteous expressions of condemnation appear to be exclusively reserved for “right wing” and GOP offenders, and nary a word of chastisement for minority perpetrators of anti-Semitic attacks is ever uttered by James and Cuomo as they pursue their agendas with a palpable gusto. The questions that should be asked is why Letitia James has remained silent about the attacks on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn? Does her office have any intention of launching an exhaustive investigation into this spate of attacks in order to discover precisely who is behind them? Has Ms. James given specific directives to local prosecutors to try these cases with boldness and zeal? Has she asked that the defendants in these cases be punished to the fullest extent of the law?" In the immediate aftermath of my article being published I received some fierce blowback from an unexpected source. I had sent the article to an old friend named Jerry Lippman who has been the publisher of the Long Island Jewish World newspaper for many years. I had asked if he would give consideration to running the article in his newspaper. Subsequent to reading the article, Jerry challenged me on my facts. He erroneously claimed that both Letitia James and Andrew Cuomo had indeed released statements in which they allegedly condemned anti-Semitism, when the attackers were African-Americans, Muslims, or Hispanics. As it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth. Letitia James never, ever condemned attacks on Jews by minorities or people of color nor did she ever address the palpable bellicosity that youthful minority members have towards their Jewish neighbors. Nor did she ever call for any kind of investigation to discover a source of these attacks, if there is one. Jerry had the unmitigated gall to send me a quote in Letitia James’ defense that could be best described as laughable if it was not as truly tragic as it is. In May of 2019, James addressed a UJA breakfast meeting at a temple in White Plains where she told her donors that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated, but never mentioned a word about the attacks on inner city Jews by minorities. James knew exactly what kind of crowd she was playing to. These liberal UJA types are the ones who willingly fill her campaign coffers and as a veteran politician, she knows what sort of platitudes to spew forth in order to allay their concerns. It doesn't take much for a politician to make a general blanket statement condemning hate, prejudice and bigotry but it does take an intrepid politician to proffer a specific plan of action to confront this menacing plague. Thus far, no elected officials from the Democratic party have replied or answered my challenge for them to step up to the plate and start instituting harsher measures and enacting legislation that has 'teeth' in order to vanquish the horrific upsurge in anti-Semitism.Loathsome incidents of anti-Semitism have literally skyrocketed over the last year with no indication in sight that it will cease in the near future. Therefore, at this juncture, I am putting our elected officials and Jerry Lippman of the LI Jewish World on notice. We will hold each and every one of you totally accountable for your sins of omission and for your deafening silence in the face of the worst attacks on Jews since the days of pre-Nazi Europe. We will keep writing articles in which we hold your proverbial feet to the proverbial fire and we will organize committees of dedicated activists for the express purpose of unseating you in the next election. This time around, the Jews will not go silently to meet their end. This time, the proud Jew will not only stand up and declare “Never Again” but will fight to the bitter end to survive and even thrive as a proud and glorious nation. May Hashem will it so!! Ronald Edelstein is a Jewish philanthropist who is the chairman of Ron Properties, a real estate company in New York. He is a leading advocate of a variety of Jewish causes including Collel Chabad and the Friends of the IDF.
