For the record, I have no issue with honest self-defense. I am an advocate of responsible and consistent gun control laws, which nonetheless was not — and is not, for this purpose — a debate I was willing to engage in at that moment. I post frequently about gun control on my social media. I did not, and do not, want to lose sight of my present focus.

Five innocent Jews were injured following a machete attack on December 28, 2019 at the home of a rabbi during a Chanukah evening. The family of the accused, Grafton Thomas, blamed his “mental illness” for the attacks. The New York Times later broke the news that officials found handwritten journals at Thomas’ home, several of which contained Nazi images and references.

He is now being charged with a federal hate crime.

Police guard the home of a Monsey, New York rabbi, where five people were injured during a 12/28/19 Chanukah machete attack — Kena Betancur/AFP.

New York’s Mayor Bill De Blasio immediately claimed he will take “immediate action” to fight the rise of anti-Semitism in New York. He is stating on talk shows that the “permission” given to hate speech today, which leads to hate crimes, is a substantial part of the problem, a statement with which I wholeheartedly agree. He also says he is working with the state to implement public school courses on hate crimes, and their repercussions. I agree there as well. Further, he has said that he plans to encourage communities of all races and religions to patrol streets together, thereby fostering a larger sense of “community.” Ditto.

But why did he take so long? 18 anti-Semitic incidents occurred in New York alone during the month of December (so far), not counting a Jersey City shooting at a kosher market which killed six people including an officer.

Little was done.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, global anti-Semitic incidents have increased 17% from January to November of 2019. A selection of those incidents, which do not include recent events in the U.S., are listed here:

In addition to the suggestions listed in my Facebook post, the following may be of help in our ongoing battle against anti-Semitism:

“Tune in,” as a commentator stated on MSNBC. If you find anything suspicious or hateful on social media, forward this information to your local authorities.

Contact your local synagogue and work with them, if necessary, to hire a security team.

Check to see if your city or state has a website that discusses your neighborhood’s goings-on. Join that page and be vigilant. Post and share any related unusual activity so others can be aware.

I would like to thank Deborah Lipstadt, who I do not know but who moved me to write this article due to her recent story in The Atlantic:

Her article is heart-wrenching. No Jew … nor any Muslim, black man or woman, Asian, or anyone should hide.

I am thankful to the gentleman featured in this article. Right message, right time:

This post is emotional for me. In disclosure, I am not a religious man. I am a man who incorporates various philosophies into a personal worldview. Nonetheless, I am a proud, cultural Jew. I am proud of my lineage of strength, and I honor those of my bloodline who have perished in the Holocaust.

If you saw me in the street, you may not know I’m Jewish. I have never worn any identifiers … but maybe now I should.

Allow me this note: When I attended junior high in Aurora, Colorado, I was roundly condemned for being a Jew, one of four in the school.

Students would routinely toss pennies on the ground. “There’s a penny, Jew. Go get it.”

“Jew bastard. C’mon, fight me.”

“Fucking Jew.”

This was constant. Kids learn from their parents and, aware of that, in all but one event I held back.

Said event was a fist fight. He said something about my “dirty Jew parents.”

You’d think I’d have learned from those horrific experiences, right? Well, one year later a student tossed a penny on the ground to test me.

“Go get it,” he said.

And I replied with words that have haunted me my entire life: “What do you think I am,” I said. “A Jew?”

I hid. I was ashamed of myself and for my family the moment I said it. I sobbed when I got home, and promised myself I would never hide again.

Those experiences took place over 40 years ago. I remember them like they were yesterday.

I am and will always be a Jew, regardless of my personal piety. When I see a tattoo on the arm of a Holocaust survivor, I hold back tears. They were the members of my tribe who truly suffered.

I learn from them, and others, as to my own morality.

I hold no sway for hate. I fight for my people — though in truth I consider everyone “my” people — and I fight for yours. Regardless of our religions or cultures, we cannot be anything other than proud of who we are. Though this post focuses on the recent rise of anti-Semitism, hate crimes of any nature, against anyone, must never be tolerated.

It is easy to place the blame, and precisely when this current wave of violent hate crimes began, but we are past that now. We are in the midst of a wave and have to deal from here forward. It is important to remind oneself that hate crimes in general, and anti-Semitism in particular, have been around for ages. They did not begin nor will they end with Donald Trump.

I will end with this, however: Mr. Trump, despite your public support of Israel, and the fact that your son-in-law is Jewish, there is not a Jew in this country who should take a word of your condemnation of racists seriously for as long as Stephen Miller, who happens to be a Jew but also your senior advisor for policy and an avowed racist, remains in your administration.

Though we must move forward from the now, none of us, however, should ever close our eyes as to the responsibility of our current elected officials for the mood of our nation, and the globe.

Bullying does not deserve brownie points. Nor do remarks about “good people on both sides.” Nor do Nuremberg-type rallies whipping crowds into states of frenzy about the evils of an opposing political party as a collective, inclusive of its voters.

All of these examples deserve the most severe condemnation if we are to ever effectively begin to diminish the scourge of hate.

We must not be passive.

Thank you for reading.