Roger Ancona

 JOUR 4250

 October 31st, 2018

 Another shooting has occurred, this time in a Synagogue in Pittsburgh.  The hate crime was committed by neo-nazi Robert Bowers who was known for targeting Jewish people online and who shouted anti-Semitic slurs during the shooting.  It is very important to understand just how much antisemitism is still present and the world and our country.  This attack left 11 worshipers dead, all of who were on the elderly side.  Bowers was known as an open racist and had 21 guns registered to him, and this easily shows what is wrong with our gun system in this country.  How could somebody who speaks so openly about hating and wanting to kill Jewish people acquire so many weapons?  The semester prior to this I took Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis' Hebrew bible class, and to imagine a holy service interrupted with such a heinous crime disgusts me beyond belief.  We must not forget about this crime when the next shooting eventually occurs.  Jewish people are extremely marginalized and the belief that the Jews are some evil entity is disgusting.  The current political climate of the United States has caused an upsurge in antisemitic events as CNN has reported "In 2017, anti-Semitic incidents in the United States surged nearly 60%, according to the Anti-Defamation League. It found 1,986 cases of harassment, vandalism or physical assault against Jews and Jewish institutions last year."  I am obviously not placing the blame on anybody except Bowers, however the fact that people feel so comfortable expressing hateful views is due to the climate of our country.  Media website GAB has labeled itself the "free speech social media" and was used by Bowers and has also been home of open racists such as Richard Spencer, the founder of the "Alt-Right."  Obviously our country is built upon the foundation of free speech, however hate speech must be contained.
SOURCE: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/28/us/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/index.html

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