Tag Archives: anti-semitism

In the days following the vandalism there was considerable teeth gnashing in Spokane, the usual “this is not us,” or “hopes and prayers,” and so on. But I doubt there is a Jew in our community who was surprised by the vandalism – or found much comfort in the expressions of sympathy and concern.

Two synagogue shootings in six months. Can we have a hard conversation now?

I don't believe that they followed him entirely blindly--i.e., certainly propaganda and lies did their dirty work, but people made conscious choices. I mention this here and now as we are outraged by the latest evil anti-Semitic hate crime in our country at a synagogue in Pittsburgh while the community was celebrating Shabbat, a day of rest, peace, and contemplation.

On Tuesday evening the Spokane community is invited to a vigil at Temple Beth Shalom to honor those killed Saturday at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

The Guardian reported earlier this year that 2017 saw, according to the Anti-Defamation League, “the largest year-on-year increase since the Jewish civil rights group began collecting data in 1979” -- a staggering 57 percent surge!

The idea that Askenazi Jews are descended from the Khazars is widely held within anti-semitic circles, but it has been discredited by scholars.