COLUMBIA, Mo. (KFVS) – One year after the October 7th attack on Israel, hostility toward Jews is coming from more quarters than ever before.
Jean Snodgrass, executive director of the Hillel Jewish Campus Center at the University of Missouri in Columbia, said tackling anti-Semitism is complex.
The term refers to prejudice against Jews, but many interpret any criticism of the state of Israel and its government as anti-Semitism. Many people mistakenly believe that any support for the Palestinian people is an implicit attack on Jews as well.
“There’s always a debate about what is and isn’t anti-Semitism and where the line is, especially when we talk about politics around Israel,” Snodgrass said. “It can get complicated sometimes.”
What is complicated, however, is how public officials and elected leaders should respond when faced with hate speech.
“Whether or not speech is protected is very important if it’s hate speech, and it should be condemned no matter where it comes from,” Snodgrass said. “We need to know that this is not acceptable and we need examples from our leaders.”
Snodgrass said that if such accusations do not occur, it will signal to the public that this kind of rhetoric against Jews is not worth dealing with, effectively normalizing it. said.
On Saturday, for example, white supremacist groups hung bigoted flags and messages on Interstate 64 in St. Louis.
Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chappell said there should have been a clear and consistent public condemnation of white supremacy, anti-Semitism and Nazi ideology.
“If our elected leaders remain silent and deny any allegiance to or gratitude to the KKK and other hate groups, I believe we will only see more of this happen in Missouri. It’s real. It’s really dangerous,” Chappell said.
Gov. Mike Parson’s office did not respond to a request for a statement regarding the neo-Nazi group and the Oct. 7 memorial event.
After issuing a statement honoring the victims of the October 7th attack and hoping for the return of the hostages, Lieutenant Governor Kehoe, the Republican candidate for governor of Missouri, issued a statement regarding the neo-Nazi demonstrations.
“Anti-Semitism and hatred have no place in Missouri,” Kehoe said. “We must stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”
House Minority Leader Crystal Quaid, the state’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, also spoke at a white supremacist rally after issuing a statement about the Oct. 7 attack and calling for the return of the hostages.
Quaid’s statement said in part, “What we saw over the weekend is not representative of the Missouri I know, and all of our state’s leaders have a responsibility to condemn it.” Ta. “We have to make this state a place where everyone is welcome.”
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