The May 14 editorial titled “The New Shape of Antisemitism” correctly points out that incidents have become more physical, more public and more normalized within the broader political culture. Washington Jewish Week is right to highlight Jewish concerns, but in doing so cannot ignore the decline of culture generally within which antisemitism has certainly increased.
Other articles in the same issue, particularly “I Taught for 23 years. Antisemitism Forced Me Out.”; “A Jewish Mother’s Question: Who Decides Who Belongs?”; and “Israel Exists, and the Debate Stops There” all provide examples of a decline in civilized society.
Perhaps the greatest example of the change within American society is the reported claim that a national survey reveals that about one-third of respondents believe that the reported assassination attempts on President Donald Trump were unreal and were staged.
Unfortunately, attempts to assassinate public figures have been well recorded throughout American history, but this belief that recent incidents were contrived represents a new low in public perception.
The sad truth is that our culture has declined to the extent that public civility is vanishing, laws no longer are respected and too many individuals believe they are free to do as they like without respecting boundaries. Certainly, antisemitism has increased along with this general decline, as standards continue the downward trend. It is incumbent on us all to reflect on this as we approach the forthcoming election.
Stanley Orman, Rockville
