Playing down synagogue desecration

By Ethel C. Fenig

In the politically correct world of sensitivity to certain favored minorities (and by definition callousness to others, minority or not) truth is often the first virtue to go; distorted language is its handmaiden.

A synagogue located in a Chicago neighborhood renowned as exotically diverse because of its mix of many religious Jews, Indian Hindus, Pakistani and Arab Moslems, Asians, Hispanics and other ethnic and religious groups living in apparent harmony, was desecrated with spray painted signs in English and Arabic. "F*** Israel" and "Free Palestine" are just two of the sentiments expressed. All this rated merely a quiet and tentative headline

"Synagogue possible target of hate crime"

while another essentially validated the act by referring to it as a political statement

North Side Synagogue Vandalism Thought To Be Political Statement.

One activist associated with the local community policing organization, apparently not wanting to offend Moslem residents, blandly compared this incident to another one in the neighborhood. (link not available)

The last time we had what appeared to be a hate crime involving swastikas, it turned out the kids were too dumb to know about Nazis. They just used the symbols because they knew it made grownups angry.

These sentiments effectively eliminate the possibility of this being deliberate hate; it was not a mere childish prank by kids who didn't know better but just wanted to taunt adults. And since when is spray painting one's beliefs in swear words on another's property just a political statement?

In the world of crime, granted this is not major. But it cannot be whitewashed as a political statement either. It is time for everyone to get real.