Our Condemnation of Hate Must Be Loud and Clear
12.12.2023
Hate is taught as Nelson Mandela reminded us. We are not born with animosity toward other human beings any more than we are born with the ability to take care of ourselves. Instead, prejudice is passed on from generation to generation and, if left unchecked, it is deadly. The stories throughout this edition remind us that the proliferation of hate knows no bounds and that nobody is immune to its destructive impact. It presents itself in many forms: through racism, antisemitism, anti-Asian hate, homophobia and Islamophobia to name but a few. However, it has a singular overarching goal: to instill fear by attacking our most basic human rights and robbing us of our dignity.
We are dedicating a special issue of the Bar Journal to hate. All of these articles are available at the NYSBA website too. Most of the articles include suggestions for lawyers about the roles they should play in combating hate. While the Bar Journal doesn’t usually permit opinion, we have allowed it in this instance so that the edition can focus on ways to reverse this recent surge in discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes.
We set the tone with the first of numerous frank and insightful stories that span this timely matter.
Brian Cohen, co-chair of our Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Asian Hate, offers a personal take through a conversation with one of his rabbis from his youth, Solomon Aidelson, an Auschwitz survivor. Aidelson’s description of the genocide that took his family from him and threatened his existence resonates with Brian today. And the Oct. 7 attacks reinforce the idea that Jews in 2023 are as vulnerable to unimaginable violence as they were in the early 20th century.
Hate can carry an aura of invincibility unless good people speak up. This is illustrated by Vince Chang’s article that reflects on the precipitous rise in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders….
Read the full article here
