In recent weeks, Neo-Nazis and White supremacists spewed hate speech outside what is often called “the most magical place on Earth”, going as far as waving swastika flags in the surrounding Orlando area. Florida has become such a hateful state that the NAACP has been forced to issue travel advisories for people of color and Queer individuals traveling to Florida. According to their press statement, “the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African-Americans and other communities of color.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a disturbing trend in 2022. Last year marked the highest instances of anti-Semitism since they began tracking it in 1979. Notably, Florida ranked fourth among all 50 states for anti-Semitic incidents. They reported a total of 3,697 incidents in 2022 alone, which is a staggering increase of 392% since 2013. The Blue and White was able to interview multiple staff members and students at AHS. Mr. Anchel, a teacher, attributed the rise in anti-Semitism to the “increased level of political polarization that’s impacted this country and how that has caused higher levels of dislike and distrust towards anyone that is out of alignment with one’s beliefs.” Another teacher, Mr. Peters echoed this statement, pointing to “the fractured society and politics of our [time].”
Additionally, we interviewed Junior Bones Walfish, a half-patrilineal Jewish student, who expressed their concerns pertaining to his and his family’s safety. “…[the Neo-Nazis are] just rooting for genocide and eugenics and nobody’s doing anything about it. That’s pretty terrifying.” When we asked Mrs. Katz, a Jewish teacher here at AHS who teaches Latin, if she feels less safe because of the Neo-Nazis in Orlando, she reported that in a global sense, her apprehension has increased. “I feel it every day. It worries me.” NBC News reported that the individuals who shouted “White power” and “Jews will not replace us,” in Orlando are connected to the group that was responsible for hanging a banner reading “Kanye is right about Jews” in Los Angeles during October of last year.
This statement was in reference to multiple anti-Semitic tweets posted by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The CEO of the American Jewish Committee described Ye’s social media posts as “vicious anti-Semitic statements that pose a clear and present danger to every Jewish person.” Bones also commented on this, saying that they’ve seen people online joking about it. These messages are extremely harmful, dangerous, and serious.
We also discussed efforts to decrease the amount of hate speech with people around campus. Senior Joshua Washington explained that education is key. Mr. Anchel agreed with this, saying “You can’t legally stop people from expressing their beliefs, but you can teach them the truth, and that might help them understand that some of them are misguided.”
A study conducted by the Claims Conference showed that not nearly enough Americans are educated concerning the Holocaust. They found that a horrifying 11% of Millennials and Gen Z who reside in the United States believe that the Jews caused the Holocaust. Furthermore, an astonishing 4% of Floridians do not believe that the Holocaust ever occurred. This is a severe issue and a major inducer of the increase in anti-Semitism. Nathan Mitchell, a senior and fellow staff writer, shared his opinion concerning the lack of Holocaust education in America, “…Germany teaches about propaganda and how to avoid its influence, meanwhile our government uses propaganda to inspire hate against the ‘bad guys’ of the election cycle (currently LGBTQ+ people, especially trans people).” Bones Walfish also vocalized that he feels they’ve only learned about the Holocaust because they took Advanced Placement history classes. He said that friends who have taken regular and even honors classes, whose curriculum is chosen by Florida, did not.
This rise in hate speech that many have experienced should serve as a weighty wake-up call to all. Everyone needs to remain mindful of ourselves and how we affect the people around us.
