Following a recent outbreak of antisemitic attacks targeting Jews in New York City and other cities across the U.S., former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) blasted politicians as well as Jewish leadership, claiming the situation will only deteriorate.
In an exclusive statement from Jerusalem made to Breitbart News on Friday, Hikind, a renowned Jewish rights activist who is the founder of the advocacy group Americans Against Antisemitism, began by claiming that “attacks on Jews are out of control.”
“It’s going to get worse,” he warned, “And, unfortunately, in spite of the fact that there are countless Jewish organizations — countless — it seems that they’re all sleeping, it seems like they’re on vacation.”
“It’s just pathetic what’s going on,” he added.
Hikind went on to criticize the Jewish community for not doing more.
“Why is the Jewish community not more organized? Why have we not reacted?” he asked. “Jews are being assaulted. Jews are being attacked. Jews are afraid and where is the leadership of the Jewish community? Where are Jewish elected officials? Local elected officials?”
“Everybody’s dead!” he exclaimed.
“For God’s sake, what are they waiting for?” he asked. “For them to start rounding up Jews in America?”
“I mean it’s just pathetic what’s going on,” he added.
He then called on the Jewish community to awaken and respond.
“Wake up, Jewish community! Wake up, our friends,” he said. “We need to react to this hate and venom.”
Hikind described the attackers as seething hatred.
“You watch the anti-Semitic marches, the attacks, these people are filled with venom, with hate,” he said. “If they could literally hang Jews in the street they would do it, if they thought they could just get away with it.”
“So it is a very, very sad commentary, everything that has happened here,” he added.
The Brooklyn-based Jewish activist then ridiculed the notion of seeking symmetry in the recent Israel-Hamas conflict.
“A country [Israel] defends itself against close to 4,000 missiles and we have to apologize for the fact that more Jews haven’t been murdered by these missiles,” he said.
“What a terrible thing,” he mocked. “There’s got to be equality on both sides. They lose five people, we lose five people.”
He then called out the Hamas terrorist group for reallocating Gaza’s funds for terror while criticizing commentators for disregarding the fact.
“The insane terrorist organization Hamas is spending billions of dollars of the people’s money to build these underground facilities and the weapons and everything else in the world,” he said. “It’s like these people don’t see it.”
Criticizing celebrity influencers who weighed in on the conflict in order to accuse the Jewish state of war crimes, Hikind mocked their newfound expertise.
“[The Daily Show’s] Trevor Noah and [Last Week Tonight’s John] Oliver, these ‘experts’ on the Middle East — suddenly they’re experts — their hearts cry out,” he said.
Hikind declared that the days of Jewish weakness should have ended.
“We Jews, we’ve given enough to the world in terms of Jewish bodies,” he said. “Jews have suffered and paid the price and only because they were Jews. That’s over and finished.”
He also highlighted the lengths Israel goes to to avoid civilian casualties.
“With Israel defending its people, Israel does what any government in the world would do. Any!” he exclaimed. “I just don’t think any other government would go out of its way and have its military warn people to evacuate the building before bombing it. Only Israel does stuff like that.”
Hikind then blasted the “atrocious” media coverage of the conflict.
“But in spite of all of it, the scenario that is coming out of the media — the liberal media — the way they cover the conflict it’s just atrocious,” he said.
He then criticized the growing progressive base within the Democratic party, which was responsible for pressuring President Biden to put pressure on Israel.
“And then you have the [Rep. Rashida] Tlaibs, the [Rep. Ilhan] Omars and then the rest of that crew,” he said.
“As I’ve said so many times these people should come to Ashkelon, to Sderot, to some of these other cities in Israel. They should come with their families, in fact, and I wonder what they would do when those missiles, when the sirens go off and the missiles are coming in,” he continued.
“I wonder how fast they would run to the bomb shelter to protect themselves,” he said.
Claiming the Democratic Party has been fully “hijacked” by extremists on the left, Hikind stated the world has become topsy-turvy.
“It’s called the world upside down, it’s the world out of control,” he said. “And the Democratic Party has now been completely hijacked by the extreme left of this country, the radical progressive wing has taken over the Democratic Party.”
The former assemblyman ended by calling out Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for his silence as Jews are attacked in the streets of his hometown.
“And when people like Chuck Schumer, who for twenty five years spoke about being the ‘Shomer’, the protector of the Jewish people — he said it, not me,” Hikind said.
“That’s what the name meant,” he said. “Where the hell is he? What a fraud!”
On Thursday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators were filmed attacking Jews in Manhattan — allegedly harassing and beating pro-Israel counter-demonstrators; shooting fireworks at a crowd of onlookers; and spitting on diners eating in a local restaurant.
Also, a small explosive was thrown from a pickup truck in the Diamond District — a predominantly Jewish area — sending worried bystanders running for safety. The pickup truck was part of a convoy of vehicles waving Palestinian flags, sources said.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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