Alan Newman
Coronavirus, the silent menace so easily transmitted and disruptive to our lives, awaits an effective vaccine or treatment. As we track the grim statistics, we must rely on public health mitigation practices like social distancing, shelter-in-place, and hand washing. New drugs are being tested, and a flood of ventilators are rushed to help those afflicted. Similarly, we wish for an antidote for antisemitism and anti-Zionism. StandWithUs remains on the front lines, “inoculating” our children with truth, a diverse network of like-minded activists, and a place to go for support and resources. StandWithUs battles the ignorance, twisted thinking, and malevolent targeting of Israel and Jews that is a contagion passed along by the ill-informed and the well-financed opposition. Over the centuries, civilization has been afflicted with plagues. Only in the last century has science afforded us scalable tools for detection, treatment, and protection. Unfortunately, the scourge of antisemitism has continued with hatred and violence against Jews rising around the world. While the coronavirus has forced us apart through social distancing, antisemitism leads to Jews on college campuses, in middle/high schools, and beyond being targeted, harassed, and shunned for being Jewish or pro-Israel. Ironically, even the coronavirus is weaponized by antisemites through vicious scapegoating and accusations harkening back to the “well poisoning” libel of the Middle Ages. StandWithUs provides students with a support system and is doing crucial work to fight back through its Center for Combating Antisemitism, the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department, educational Zoom webinars, and more. Misinformation about this pandemic has become a serious problem, not so different from the lies and propaganda Israel has been subjected to for decades. In spite of unassailable historical, archeological and biblical validation of Jewish indigenous rights in the land of Israel, anti-Israel groups use outrageous accusations to obscure the facts. Israel's security barrier is called an “apartheid wall” by activists who neglect to mention that it was built to stop terrorists from murdering civilians. StandWithUs ensures people of all ages and backgrounds have the training and resources they need to educate their communities about these issues, correct misinformation, and combat hate. In our interconnected world, the potential spread of disease is now evident. It will not go away. While we are all trying to remain safe, we must also remain vigilant about our adversaries, because they will not go away either. We must empower our children to fight back and minimize their vulnerabilities. We cannot shirk this responsibility, which is why we must continue to support StandWithUs. Alan Newman is a pro-Israel activist holding leadership positions with StandWithUs, AIPAC, Ben-Gurion University, Ethiopian National Project and Jewish Federation. Gefen Publishing recently released his compelling novel, GOOD HEART, and he has a The Times of Israel blog THE HEART BEAT.
