Uptick in Antisemitism in Kansas City: A New Form of Hatred Emerges
Antisemitism in Kansas City is on the rise, and it comes in a different disguise than years past. What started as an isolated event in early October, when Hamas attacked Israeli citizens, has now spiraled into a surge of hatred faced by the Jewish community.
New Trends of Antisemitism
In conversations with the Jewish Community Relations Bureau, a non-profit organization gathering accounts of antisemitism and collaborating with institutions that have been targeted, Executive Director Gavirela Geller has witnessed an alarming increase. The organization’s data traces back to the 1970s, and it has been instrumental in fighting against hate crimes.
“It’s certainly at the worst that we’ve ever seen, since we started tracking data in the 70s,” Geller stated, “I do unfortunately anticipate that it is going to continue getting worse.” Geller added that most of the incidents occur in high schools and on college campuses, but they have even begun to see accounts from younger children, including second graders.
Institutionalized Antisemitism
Geller draws attention to a new trend of antisemitism taking root on university campuses. For instance, there was an incident at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) where a student group demanded an American Jewish professor to apologize for attending a conference with other Jewish organizations and declare her support for the Palestinian resistance, before participating in a panel discussion about the Uighur genocide, an unrelated topic.
“She was targeted for being a Jew,” Geller explained, underscoring the disturbing twist this incident took.
Case of ‘Zionist-Free’ Campus Calls
Gavirela Geller also cited another incident that took place at the University of Kansas where some students demanded a ‘Zionist-free’ campus, which is likely to be unwelcoming to Jewish Americans. Zionists believe in the Jewish people’s right to their ancestral homeland, a concept that 95 percent of Jewish people worldwide identify with.
Securing the Jewish Community
The significant rise in antisemitism has led communities to strengthen their security measures. Jay Lewis, the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City CEO, has been a driving force in implementing this increased security for the community. He stressed the importance of being prepared and proactive rather than being responsive after an incident has taken place.
“You can’t build the firehouse or get the fire trucks once the fire is already happening, so we’re really proud of what we were able to do over the last 10 years in building that firehouse,” Lewis said, referring to the community’s efforts to bolster their security system
Conclusion
It is important to notice the rise in antisemitism, the new forms it takes, and the manner in which it is being escalated across institutional levels. Efforts are on to counter this wave of hatred, but a larger societal push is needed to ensure the safety and respect of the Jewish community.
