If you live in a world full of pink unicorns and believe that mainstream hatred and anti-Semitism are gone, I suggest we tell them the story about Lufthansa’s blatant act of antisemitism on May 4th.
A flight from JFK through Frankfurt was taken by more than 100 Jews, most of them Hasidic and dressed in traditional Hasidic clothing. They were there to pay respect to a great rabbi. One or two of them, apparently, did not wear masks between drinks. This caused consternation among the pilot and flight attendants as Lufthansa still requires masks. All visible Jews (those who “looked Jewish”) were expelled from the connecting flight to Budapest.
According to the representative of Lufthansa, who was recorded on video, “Everyone must pay for a couple.” It’s the Jews who are coming from JFK. It was the Jews who created the problems, and were the ones who caused the mess.”
Let’s forget about the obvious anti-Semitism and other illegalities. We can forget about the fact that more than 100 people were punished collectively for questionable acts of just a few people. We need to examine the reaction and lack thereof as a result.
Lufthansa issued a qualified apology, saying that it regretted the decision to exclude passengers affected from the flight. This is similar in tone to someone who apologizes by saying “I’m sorry that you feel that way.” This is not an apology for an act of hatred. They are not apologizing for their antisemitic actions, but they are sorry for the circumstances. Is the corporate world so scared and affected by the hatred of Rashida Talib, Ilhan Omar, and BLM that they are unable to take responsibility for their clearly unjust discrimination against an entire group of people based upon how they look?
How about the silence of those who believe Islamophobia is dangerous because it lumps all Muslims together? Why shouldn’t those who advocate not judging everyone wearing a hijab and calling them terrorists (despite the fact that 88% of 2916 attacks on the US and 99% of the deaths in the 14th century were committed by Islamic extremist groups), be equally concerned when people of Jewish appearance are not allowed to board a flight because a few people don’t wear a medical mask? Their outrage is now. It is not there, unfortunately. Are there any social justice warriors that are willing to throw out any company for making the slightest error? They are also not able to speak out when hate is directed at one of their causes.
We all know that the same could have happened to Muslims, blacks, or any other minorities. There would have been outrage in Washington D.C. and on the streets. Biden, Schumer, Pelosi, and Schumer would all have called for a boycott of Lufthansa – many of them might have even demonstrated at the airports. These reactions are extreme, and shouldn’t happen. But why is there such a silence regarding Lufthansa’s actions?
The 19th-century Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller is known for his idea that Jews are the “canary in a coal mine”. The way a society treats Jews sets the tone for how they will treat other minority groups, particularly those who speak out against authoritarianism. If we allow anti-Semitism like this to go unnoticed or unanswered we open the door to more attacks on the Judeo-Christian world.
I have in the past encouraged people of all faiths to support the Christian clergy that stood up against the authoritarianism of recent years. To boycott any organization that supports BLM hate and to holds politicians accountable for their hate, We must learn from the left and demand Lufthansa take responsibility for their antisemitism in a more detailed and specific manner than a limited apology. I request that everyone speak out about the events in their lives and to encourage others to do so until Lufthansa shows remorse for removing more than 100 Jewish passengers from flights because some people were not wearing masks properly.
We must all be strong against hatred and bring peace to the world by demanding righteousness from ourselves, our fellow citizens, and corporate leaders.
