Dear neighbors:

Yesterday, a massive and chaotic protest took place in Flatbush, just minutes from Boro Park, outside a shul during an Israeli Real Estate event.

The pro-Palestinian demonstration was pre-planned - something that should never have been allowed to happen in the first place. Hearing crowds scream “Allahu Akbar” alongside slogans calling for violence and destruction against Jews should never, ever be tolerated in New York City, even when labeled “peaceful.” There is nothing peaceful about chants promoting hatred, intimidation, and fear.

But beyond condemning the protest itself, I want to address our own Jewish community.

What would have happened if hundreds of Yidden had not shown up to counterprotest? What if the streets had simply remained empty? What if those protesters had nobody to fight with and their demonstration was largely ignored? Would the night have ended with the same chaos?

We are living in golus, and we cannot forget that. Historically, our approach was never to show up at street confrontations or protests unless specifically guided by Gedolei Yisroel. Our strength and survival as a people did not come from counterprotests and street battles.

👉This in no way excuses or minimizes the disgusting protest that took place. Such demonstrations should not only be condemned in words, but stopped through proper legal and governmental action. But at the same time, we must honestly ask ourselves whether our response is the way to go.

We saw a similar situation in Boro Park months ago. In that case, only a relatively small number of protesters showed up, while hundreds of Yidden came to counterprotest. Is this truly our approach? Is this Daas Torah? Is this how Yidden in golus are meant to respond?

These are difficult questions, but perhaps they are questions worth thinking about.

Let this sink in.

Devorah T.

The opinions expressed here are the writer's and do not necessarily reflect the views of BoroPark24.