Viewpoint: Anti-Semites inside our Holocaust Center

The Uprooting Prejudice exhibit, at the Maitland Holocaust Center of Florida, is in part promoting the Black Lives Matter movement, which is irrefutably anti-Semitic and responsible for targeting synagogues and destroying Jewish-owned businesses during the George Floyd inspired riots. This exhibit, occupying the hallowed halls of our Holocaust Memorial Center has resulted in well-deserved negative national attention.

The Aug. 28, 2020, Jerusalem Post reported, “On Wednesday night, the 93-year-old Los Angeles synagogue’s driveway was graffitied with the words “Free Palestine.” BLM riots broke out after police shot Jacob Blake, who resisted arrest, had an active arrest warrant issued for third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, domestic abuse, and disorderly conduct.” Jacob Blake was a criminal and not an innocent man killed because of his race.

BLM rioters are bigots

“One of the most common and insidious catchphrases in the anti-Israel campaign is “Free Palestine,” a notion seemingly of liberation but a negation of Jews’ rights to the land of Israel … The phrase is often adopted by other progressive groups such as Black Lives Matter. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/the-bad-faith-behind-free-palestine-619547

In Los Angeles, JTA reported about Black Lives Matter riots targeting Jewish synagogues and businesses. “Graffiti on the walls of Congregation Beth El synagogue read ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘f*** Israel.’”

A statue of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis, was smeared with anti-Semitic slogans. Along with the synagogues, Jewish-owned buildings and stores were defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti and looted. https://www.timesofisrael.com/la-jews-take-stock-after-george-floyd-protests-batter-local-institutions/

BLM and anti-Semitism

Tablet Magazine reported, “Between 1939 and 1945, one-third of the Jewish people in the world were murdered. That was genocide. And since Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967 in a war of self-defense, the Arab population in these two areas has gone from just over a million to well over 4 million. That is not genocide. If anything, it’s a population explosion.

Why is this demographic data worth mentioning? Because the recently released manifesto of the Black Lives Matter movement, a movement set up to address the issue of innocent Black men who have been shot by police officers, includes a broadened agenda denouncing Israel, the Jewish homeland, for practicing “genocide” against the Palestinians.” https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/black-lives-matter-and-self-hating-jews

The open-sourced facts and evidence presented above make an air-tight case the Black Lives Matter movement is anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. The documented vandalism and destruction of synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses in several states during the BLM riots is compelling, and ignored by the Maitland Holocaust Center director. George Floyd, Jacob Blake, and Michael Brown were killed while resisting arrest for and in the act of their criminal activities; these were not innocent men. The photograph of Michael Brown’s father is the most prominent in the exhibit.

Pam Kancher, director, and Lisa Bachman, assistant director of the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida are responsible for bringing this controversial exhibit, “Uprooting Prejudice, Faces of Change,” and “Conversations for Change,” to our Holocaust center.

Bachman, in her blog, explained her support for this exhibit, “Uprooting Prejudice: Faces of Change by John Noltner contains a series of 45 black and white portraits that capture visceral reactions to the violent death of George Floyd … George Floyd’s death became synonymous with the deaths of many others that are seen as being rooted in acts of violent prejudice or racism. https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/why-my-shoah-museum-has-exhibit-on-reaction-to-george-floyd-death/

The big disconnect

‘Uprooting Prejudice’ is an exhibit promoting the Black Lives Matter movement, which is anti-Semitic and responsible for targeting synagogues and destroying Jewish-owned businesses.

It is the mission of the HMREC to educate and expose anti-Semitism so a Nazi-like Holocaust never happens again. It is the duty of the Holocaust Center of Florida, staff, board of directors, and donors to expose anti-Semitism, not to invite the BLM anti-Semites into the Holocaust Center and glorify them with this ironically titled ‘Uprooting Prejudice’ exhibit.

Solution

The ‘Uprooting Prejudice’ exhibit has received negative national attention for all the right reasons. This exhibit is controversial and dividing our community, not encouraging unity against anti-Semitism.

The Holocaust Center of Florida must take a stand against all forms of anti-Semitism, prejudice, and bigotry by removing the ‘Uprooting Prejudice’ exhibit from its hallowed halls quietly or use this controversy as a learning moment.

Alternative exhibits and conclusion

The ‘Jews, Money, Myth’ exhibit explores many of the world’s oldest anti-Semitic tropes. If there were ever two words that sound toxic when put together, they would be “Jews” and “money.” But add the word “myth” into the mix, and you’ve got the daring exhibition. ‘Jews, Money, Myth’ opened March 19 at London’s Jewish Museum and examined the tortured and tangled relationship between the words. Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/this-shocking-exhibit-reexamines-age-old-anti-semitic-trope-of-jews-and-money.

There is a no-frills traveling “Contemporary Anti-Semitism” exhibit having showings at college campuses available. Sadly, contemporary anti-Semitism exhibits are not being commissioned because of political correctness, identity politics, and the uncomfortable nature of exposing contemporary anti-Semites like BLM, for example. And now we have gone full circle and it’s time for action … remove the controversial Uprooting Prejudice exhibit from our Maitland Holocaust Center.