As the Israeli-Hamas War rages on, people across the world are responding with outrage and devastation. But some protesters are anything but peaceful. Since the beginning of the conflict, national hate crimes targeting Jewish-Americans have increased by 388%. But things weren’t perfect before then. In 2022, National Hate Crimes Statistics reported that Jews were subject to more than half of religious-based crimes, despite making up only 2.4% of the population. These numbers greatly worsen with every Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Lately, anti-semitism seems especially prevalent on college campuses. Near New York University, a protester held a sign “calling for the world to be kept ‘clean’ of Jews.” Patrick Dai, a 21-year-old Cornell student, has been arrested this week for threatening to kill Jewish students, resulting in canceled classes.
Hate crimes driven by islamophobia have also dramatically increased by 182% since October 7th. According to CNN, a six-year-old Palestinian boy was stabbed 26 times on October 14th. The attacker, Joseph M. Czuba, stabbed the boy’s mother as well while yelling “you Muslims must die.” Basim Elkarra, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, has lost family members from Gaza in the war. He says, “people are afraid. It reminds the folks who were around during 9/11, just the atmosphere of that time”. Things have gotten so devastating that Biden “announced Wednesday the administration will develop a national Strategy to Counter Islamophobia in the United States” (CNN).
At Andover, and places like it, students can feel sheltered from the outside world. This school, in a sense, is like a bubble—which can be beautiful, but can also prevent students from understanding the plights of people around the globe and in their own communities. Anti-semitism and islamophobia can feel like they belong out there, to the “others”—especially if you aren’t part of the targeted group. But when you hear about family or friends who have experienced discrimination or fear, you can’t help but feel afraid too. In this climate, I would be uncomfortable walking down the streets of New York or Boston flaunting a Star of David necklace, or going to a synagogue. In watching any video about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or Jews in general, I tend to stay away from the comments to avoid the abundant anti-semitic remarks. Yes, it is important that Andover remains a safe place, but it must not be a secluded one. Muslims and Jews need to feel supported, which includes hosting forums for healthy and respectful discourse. It is vital to recognize that while criticizing Israel is not inherently anti-semitic, it can easily become anti-semitic. Disagreeing with Israel’s response to the Hamas attack is not the same as calling for the death of Jews, or playing into other anti-semitic tropes. Similarly, Palestinians and Muslims should not be associated with Hamas, and while condemning Hamas is by no means Islamophobia, calling all Muslims “terrorists” is unacceptable. From the inside of our blissful Andover bubble, world conflicts can be tinted black and white, leaving us blind to too many gray truths. And while the first step to popping and broadening our perspective is having discussions, this nuance is the key to separating free speech from hate speech and keeping our community safe.
According to the Blue Book, in 2019, Jewish and Muslim students made up 8% of the Andover community (2% Muslim, 6% Jewish). Though we may not have had an incident in our little bubble yet, I believe more preventative work is crucial. For example, the interfaith dinners that are already in place help foster peace and understanding across religions. Luckily, religious leaders at Andover have also made themselves open for discussion, but I still believe more respectful inter-student discourse is important. Finally, more education is necessary. If Andover turns a blind eye to the conflict, then they are turning their back on 8% of their students; after all, education about conflicts and cultures is necessary for a deepened understanding of all, and for the creation of a safe and accepting community.
