By Parker Leipzig
The antisemitic responses to the tragic deaths of 45 people in Mount Meron, Israel, during Lag BaOmer, a day of celebration during the time of mourning during The Omer in the Jewish faith, have only exacerbated the pain felt by many in the Jewish community.
Many of the antisemitic comments included people “laughing at” or “loving” the deaths of Jewish people, according to The JC. Local Israeli officials said the incident was likely sparked by a slippery walkway, causing the crowds of people to fall on top of each other.
Jessica Umbro, a sophomore journalism and government and politics double major, said that when she first heard about the Lag BaOmer incident and the hateful posts on social media, she disengaged from the media.
“I don’t think that they [people not in minority groups] understand just how emotionally taxing it is to constantly be reminded that there are people you’ll never meet who just hate you from the get-go,” Umbro said.
Umbro spoke about her experience growing up in an area in Pennsylvania where she was one of few Jewish people in her high school. She had to deal with many instances of taunting and antisemitic jokes made at her expense.
As a journalism major, Umbro stressed the importance of having Jewish Americans in newsrooms to cover tragedies like this one whether they occur in the United States or abroad. Some Jewish American journalists she listed as exemplary include CNN’s Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Wolf Blitzer.
“I think people forget that just because we have white privilege in the eyes of most, white supremacists don’t even see us as white,” Umbro said.
Sapir Frieman, the Israel fellow at the University of Maryland Hillel, had a different perspective when it came to the coverage of the incident. Given the rising crisis of COVID-19 in India and how pressing an issue it is, she stated it is important that the media focuses primarily on the emergency in India, but still talks about the Lag BaOmer situation. Frieman recognized the event may not have the greatest priority in the news, though it still deserves a platform.
Some pro-Israel social media users have tried to report the antisemitic, abusive tweets, but so far Twitter has not responded.
When it comes to violence and hate speech on social media platforms like Twitter, Olivia Hazlett, the social justice Springboard fellow at the University of Maryland Hillel, said that many companies including Twitter and Facebook tend to practice neutrality.
“I think Twitter tries to be very nonpartisan, and I think probably inaction is their best bet,” Hazlett said. She stated that the companies usually stay out of these matters so as to not “alienate” any of their users.
In the wake of this tragedy and the antisemitic responses to it, Umbro, Frieman and Hazlett are all doing their part to support the community.
Frieman said people have hosted prayer gatherings in the area and donated to yeshivas, Jewish schools, for the survivors of the event and the families of those who lost a loved one.
As part of her job at Hillel, Hazlett talked about the recent freshman Shabbat she ran on April 30, the day after the tragedy, and how she centered the service around it and also taught students about the holiday of Lag BaOmer.
“I think it’s kind of an interesting juxtaposition that so much tragedy happened on that one day that’s singled out for celebration,” Hazlett said.
Hazlett said she feels it is her duty as the social fellow to bring awareness to students when something like this occurs and wants to be as informative as possible, with the help of Frieman.
Umbro said the Jewish community must continue to uplift one another and advocate for other marginalized groups, too.
“Something that keeps me going, when I see these antisemitic incidents, is that you know there was a plan for all of us to be gone. And we’re still here,” Umbro said.
Featured image: Jewish UMD students gathered at the University of Maryland Hillel on April 30 for a Shabbat service, at which the Lag BaOmer tragedy was discussed. Photo by Parker Leipzig