Many Scheck Hillel Community members and families have recently experienced firsthand an Anti-Semitic attack. Although many view the Holocaust as the last major hate crime against the Jewish nation, we find smaller crimes trickling and scaring our communities. We continue fighting for peace and stability for our country and homes. Antisemitism has developed into a socially acceptable trend, as social media hate is taking the world by storm. Social media influence is the biggest threat today as those worldwide post their noxious opinions regarding every topic, pushing aside sympathy for those on the receiving end of the stick. This fiery hate toward the Jews has led many to act on their sick dreams and wishes. 

As Jewish people of Miami, there haven’t been many antisemitic attacks that we have witnessed with our own eyes- as many of them are those that we read on the news or that distant relatives call about. However, we now see an antisemitic attack delivered right to our door. During the week of June 28, 2023, the residents of the Highland Lakes and Skylake areas received a shocking good morning when they found antisemitic flyers on their front porches and lawns. “Anti- Semitic flyers are promoting conspiracy theories found near Jewish Schools in St. Paul.” These flyers vary from holding the Jews responsible for gun control laws to listing the many Jewish politicians in office, stating that they are behind the covid agenda. These ridiculous statements claiming the Jewish people guilty of such absurd accusations were “sealed in Ziploc bags weighed down by rice, and thrown out of a car window onto their front lawn.” This act, intended to cause fear and tension between the communities, has developed into a completely different outcome- as Jewish leaders of the area have come together to create a unified front.

Sherri Neifeld was just one of many who came home to find a weighed-down Ziploc bag on her front lawn. Her letter stated, “Every Single Aspect of the Biden Administration is Jewish- “ The letter continued with the accusation of the COVID agenda being “Jewish.” Living first in Maryland and now in Miami for almost 40 years, Sherri has never experienced something so bluntly antiemetic. “The letter had many antisemitic quotes from the New Testament, and it was just the first time I have ever gotten anything like this.” After discovering the paper, decorated with little Jewish flags and holding ridiculous accusations, Sherri walked down her street and was surprised to find another house with a Ziploc bag on the front lawn. “My first reaction, to be honest, was confusion because I wasn’t sure what it was. They started listing everyone in the Biden administration that was Jewish, and then I had to see how they were twisting that to be negative. Then I was angry that this was happening, which led to asking myself, “What do I do about it? Who do I tell?” ” After speaking with her Rabbi and a neighbor involved in the Jewish Federation, Sherri implanted the voice to raise the question, “How will we go about this now?” “The problem is, they’re looking for attention. These groups are looking for attention, so how much oxygen do we give them?” For all people and ages, the things placed on social media are there for all to view, and once posted, they can never be forgotten. The accessibility to the masses allows for a lot of disinformation which is the most destructive. Sherri mentions, “When I was growing up, we were moving in a progressive way of accepting others… to see these rights that we have had for 50 years be reversed, it seems that times are moving backward.” Sherri believes it is in the hands of future generations to keep their eyes open for injustices around them and advocate for those deemed harmful for the future of antisemitism and America as a whole. 

Nancy Feldman also became a victim of the same antisemitic attack. “This weighed-down piece of paper was thrown next to my mailbox. Sherri had received her paper before mine, so knowing what the letter said, I threw it out.” The writer of the papers distributed was “goyimtv.com,” and Nancy had two reactions after reading the “name” of the author. “It listed some true and some not-so-true names of people who helped Jews (called a Shabbos goy) and Jewish people in government. This made me proud to know that Jewish people are high up in the government and doing such good things for the world.” Though this antisemitic attack was a first for some, Nancy experienced another when raising her children. “When my children were little, we put a menorah for Chanukah up on our wall by our gate, and we’ve had swastika stickers put on our wall.” To prevent future antisemitic attacks, Nancy feels great importance in parents teaching their children about the past and our heritage to ensure that we do not hide from it or are embarrassed by it. “I believe we can use social media to educate people by putting up facts about antisemitism and what’s happening in the world.” Nancy brings back a point introduced by Sherri that social media holds way too much “false advertising” on important matters, making it difficult for viewers to grasp the factual realities of an issue. “With my children, I’m seeing a much stronger reinforcement of Judiasm, which is beautiful. I see the younger generations and my generation teaching their children more Jewish values and more Jewish history, which I think is a great thing.” 

Though this antiemetic attack may have opened the eyes of others to put out a strong front, it may not be the last attack to occur. Both women interviewed hold strong views on what it means in our core to be Jewish, and it is our duty as the Jewish nation to ensure that the Jewish people gather others, educate others, and stand together to fight antisemitism until it becomes a glimpse of the past.