Letter: Stand up to antisemitic violence

Posted on by Letters
Graphic by Lori Deaton

When I went to Asheville High in the late ’60s, we always had our high school dances at the Jewish Community Center, and Asheville never seemed to have problems with violence against Jewish people. In fact, some of the members of my Asheville High football team were Jewish, but back then, we never had a problem based on religion.

Now, that has changed in North Carolina and all over the rest of the country, which has had a large increase in violence against Jewish people. I hope Asheville will not be dragged into the same trouble, as many places in North Carolina have been now, but people should be aware of this and stand up against antisemitic violence all over the state and the whole country.

A civil war has been raging in the heartland and South in America, especially in North Carolina, where the far right is suspected of taking out power stations, and it is getting worse by the month, but New Yorkers have no clue. How about this? A gang of serious Nazis showed up on Broadway in February, made national and international news, left and continued recruiting and prepping for the ongoing civil war. Many high-profile Republicans have just called for a Christian nationalist state to be established in Idaho, and Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for civil war.

— John Penley
Las Vegas

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com
View all posts by Letters →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

6 thoughts on “Letter: Stand up to antisemitic violence”

  1. gapple

    I don’t believe it is the Christian Republicans you have to worry about because we stand by our Jewish brethren and this nations Judeo/Christian values. Rather, I feel that the woke progressive leftist democrat associated groups, including politicians and media are the ones you need to fear.

    1
    2
    • John Penley

      Since the letter is pretty old by now how about adding this to update it . Recently in Asheville an employee of the Asheville Public Library was fired when his far right anti-semitic social media activity was exposed. Also this…All of this public Neo Nazi and far right activity has caused the Jewish Anti Defamation League [which used some of my photos from Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville] to make and pay for national anti-HATE television ads which can be seen on a number of national tv channels. JP

    • John Penley

      My reply to Gapple…Put your name on this comment or I say you are a coward.

      1
      1
    • Godslayer

      I don’t hear any “woke progressive leftist democrat associated groups” accusing anyone of association with George Soros. Perhaps you should list some examples so you won’t sound like a “Christian Republican” gaslighting liar.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.