Yesterday, the Justice Department announced the formation of a multi-agency task force for combating anti-Semitism. Tal Fortgang has outlined in Mosaic some steps such a task force can take, especially when it comes to reducing anti-Semitic agitation at the universities. But there is much else that can and should be done by local governments, and that involves nothing more than enforcing the law:
[A]nti-Jewish crimes tend to consist of petty violence, such as assaults, harassment, thefts, and vandalism. They’re often perpetrated by individuals who know that Jews (especially easily identifiable haredi Jews) are unlikely to defend themselves. Petty thieves make off with money taken from Jews they likely see as enriching themselves by exploiting hardworking people. More often, these acts are driven by inchoate resentment against a people who look funny, behave differently, do not act tough, and yet, on the whole, seem to succeed.
The criminals rarely face consequences. Hardly any of the crimes in the anti-Jewish-violence repertoire get prosecuted, and those that do increasingly result in diversionary-justice measures rather than prison time. New York is under immense pressure from anti-incarceration groups to empty jails and prisons, especially of those held “only” for crimes like assault and battery.
We cannot drum the hatred out of anti-Semites, but we can put them in prison when they commit crimes.
More about: Anti-Semitism, Crime, U.S. Politics