Peter and Zechariah Mehler are a Milwaukee father and son accused of using a hammer and ax to tear down a mural which showed a Star of David combined with a swastika in the center of the city in a building owned by Ihsan Atta, a local Palestinian activist who endorses both Hamas and the intifada.

The Mehlers are facing three years in jail for allegedly destroying this hateful mural, and sadly the local Jewish community has refused to help men accused of a crime which many would deem heroic. The Milwaukee Jewish Federation (MJF) which has assets of at least $260 million, has yet to issue a statement on the incident, will not report on it in the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, and refuse to even accept a paid advertisement from charities supporting the Mehlers. 

This same Milwaukee Jewish Federation and their allied organizations loudly praised the BLM movement, noting they “…oppose the prevalence of all forms of oppression, and the absence of equality, respect, and opportunity needed for a just society. We embrace efforts to suffocate racism in all its forms and that light a path for reform and justice.” The Milwaukee Jewish Federation proudly supports BLM and stands loud and proud on issues for “Milwaukee lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning Jewish people,” is outspoken on environment related issues, but refuses anything to do with Orthodox Jews accused of destroying a Nazi wall.

As Michael Harryman, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of the MJF, told Zechariah Mehler in an email, “MJF can’t put ourselves in a position where folks can even get the sense that we endorsed any actions of your past. You know we didn’t, we know we didn’t, and you’re not suggesting we did but optics matter.” He continued to tell Mehler, “…you come with an ongoing backstory that could present content and/or reputation challenges for a Jewish publication.”

“Reputational challenges” for the largest local Jewish organization to have anything to do with Jews accused of destroying a Nazi wall created by Ihsan Atta, who praises Hamas, calls Israel a genocide state and calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.

They are right, they have reputational issues and no sane Jews can continue to support the Milwaukee Jewish Federation who refuses to stand up to hate. 

As Zechariah Mehler told the Milwaukee Jewish Federation: 

As the complication MJF faces regarding what you believe to be my complicated profile, I have nothing to apologize for.  I did not commit a crime, and I am falsely accused of destroying personal property which is a tangible threat to the Jewish community, displayed in a neighborhood in which Jews feel uncomfortably under fire by pro Palestinian agitators. Your refusal to even report on my position says that the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and Milwaukee Jewish Chronicle are more interested in ignoring the rise of antisemitic behavior in Milwaukee than in servicing our Jewish community.

Shame on you. Look in the mirror and understand that we have a community who is threatened and underserviced by your organization… you shy away from reporting on our local jihadi who put a Nazi sign in the middle of town which calls for violence against Jews? That you urge Jews to report Anti-Semitism but not to act on anything?

The problem of antisemitism is not going away. Public expressions of that antisemitism are on the rise and we can expect violence from these jihadis in Milwaukee as well. I am not asking you to attack the problem in the same way I have, but do something about Jew-hatred.

This father and son are heroes, role models taking action at a time when government stands by watching antisemitism day after day.

Yet, there are many in the Jewish community who realize that the Milwaukee DA must drop all charges as hate speech in Milwaukee and anywhere else must be confronted and destroyed. Jewish communal organizations that stand up for BLM and trans rights but refuse to stand up for Jews fighting back against Nazis are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Zechariah Mehler is the head of Betar Milwaukee, the organization founded by the great Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who once said “The bitter root of our shame and our suffering is that we do not give our own people the full love of a patriot. It would be better if we did not love our people at all, if we were unconcerned as to whether it existed or had disappeared, rather than that we should love it halfway, which means to despise it.”

The Milwaukee Jewish Federation has harmed the interests of our community. The only thing that Peter and Zechariah Mehler should hear from the Milwaukee Jewish Federation is “Thank you for your actions and keeping our community safe.”

Ronn Torossian is an entrepreneur and philanthropist.  

Image: Picryl