On Wednesday in the West Rogers Park area, a gang of men rushed a yellow school bus, hurled antisemitic insults, and attempted to assault a young boy, based on the reports from officials with the Chicago Police Department.
Hate Crime Against Jewish Kids
The school bus was taking primary pupils from a nearby Jewish school in West Jerome Street at about 5 p.m. when the guys boarded it, as per Chicago metro police, who reported that nobody was wounded.
At one point, four men boarded the bus, yelled antisemitic epithets, and gave the Nazi salute, “Heil Hitler”! They terrorized youngsters as per a release from the Simon Wiesenthal Community Center.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center notified the police, but the authorities did not elaborate when questioned about the obscenities and Hitler salute and if the matter was being handled as a hate crime.
Police said that when the guys threatened to harm a young child, they escaped in a direction that no one saw.
Vile. The grandfathers of many who now are and enable Nazis, once fought them.
“At one stop, four men jumped into the bus, hurled antisemitic slurs, and performed the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute at terrorized children,”https://t.co/yPgXGTXWE9— Portia ♍️ McGonagal (@PortiaMcGonagal) November 11, 2022
Bad News: Hate is Alive and Well in America
In a release, spokesperson Alison Pure Slovin urged anybody with knowledge of the antisemitic event to notify the Chicago Police Department headquarters of the Simon Wiesenthal Civic Center.
This tragic event occurred on the same day as Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi rampage that destroyed nearly all synagogues in Germany. Numerous individuals of the Jewish neighborhood have relatives who survived these atrocities.
She said that everything happened so rapidly that she doesn’t believe they comprehended what was occurring; all they knew was that they were being assaulted and that people were yelling at them on the bus.
Based on the release, the Simon Wiesenthal Community Center is a Jewish international rights organization that aims to teach the lessons of the Holocaust and oppose antisemitism.
Wtf!: Men stop bus carrying Jewish children, yell slurs, give Hitler salute – Chicago Sun-Times https://t.co/P3dYQPc9sZ
— Balu Puppy (@balupuppy) November 11, 2022
As of Thursday afternoon, 3 detectives were still probing and no arrests had been announced.
The Chicago Commission on Human Relations has documented a 75% increase in hate crimes against Jews in the city. It’s important to note that these acts inspire dread and rage, not just numbers.
Hate Against Jews On The Rise
Slovin expressed gratitude that no one was seriously injured but stated that the psychological aftermath is cause for concern.
Most Jewish community relations organizations in the United States distinguish themselves from antisemitism, defined by attitudes and actions, and the safety and standing of American Jews, each of which is assessed in terms of the frequency of particular occurrences.
Based on a 2019 report produced by the Anti-Defamation League, FBI statistics indicate that Jews have been the most common targets of religiously inspired hate crimes each year since 1991.
As is the case with numerous other targeted populations, the actual amount of hate crimes committed against Jews is likely underreported, according to the available evidence.
