Tag Archives: antisemitism 

what is this vision quest over antisemitism in lower merion?

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There really is a difficult post to write. I also know for writing it I will receive hate mail and be vilified. But as someone who spent my Judy Blume years until my late 40s living in Lower Merion I am watching here and there on the sidelines as this craziness to ME evolves and continues. And it is so ugly.

So yes, the limited commentary in this post is opinion based. It doesn’t make me an antisemite for asking the questions, but to the people on this crusade it will. I’m sorry I do not feel I can be responsible for their feelings. I’m honestly not sure that anyone should be responsible for their feelings. I think they ask a lot of people and I think they’re making demands that might not necessarily be fair to everyone.

I started thinking about this yesterday when I was sent these screenshots:

The person who sent me the screenshots said to me and I quote :

They truly don’t understand that humanism is not anti-Semitism.

Then came all this stuff about a gift from a student in I guess Lower Merion High School (screenshot is above and below in the gallery along with comments.)

According to school district spokesperson Amy Buckman, the gift (a handmade piece of pottery) that was created by a former student when they were 15….and it was given to said teacher 17 years ago. The information is it’s been there for 17 years. Without incident until the witch-hunts started.

Oh and the student artist is Jewish. It was a gift to a beloved teacher, and now these people in their zeal for whatever their glory is they are seeking are trying to make it into something ugly and dirty, and I have a problem with that. So I will post what the school district had to say, and they were going to ask the teacher to take it down, although it is sat in a classroom since it was given as a gift with no problem.

So this is what I don’t understand. And it’s pretty simple. Do these people actually understand what antisemitism is and I know they’re going to hop all over me because they’re Jewish and I’m not and I know nothing according to them, but I do know what antisemitism is and a teacher displaying a pot with a star of David and other symbols created by Jewish student is not antisemitism. It was that student’s artistic expression. He was interpreting things as someone who is Jewish and was he wrong? I don’t think we can be the judge of that. I don’t think they can be the judge of that. It was a gift given in caring to a teacher. I don’t understand how these parents can’t focus on the fact that this is a teacher that a student thought so well of, they gave them this gift.

Two Jews, Three Opinions in the Age of Online Rage

And I think the thing that is getting to me the most and Lower Merion is all of this infighting. I don’t know how else to sum it up as it’s Jewish people fighting with Jewish people over who’s a better Jewish person. I think that’s God’s judgment, or maybe a rabbi’s for interpretation, but not everyone else.

But these people are turning Lower Merion into a sea of ugly. And I also think because it all surrounds the school district and the upcoming school board races that it also has to do with politics. These people don’t like the Democrats and they’re pushing a more Trumpian agenda and I think that is what is behind a lot of of this and I think that’s flat out wrong.

Now, I will be honest and say that I think a balance of both parties on a school board is something that’s a good thing but that’s just my personal preference. But given the way extremes and politics seems to rule the day. I don’t know what works anymore. I just think it has to be the right candidates. This is another office where I almost wish that people could run for school board without a party affiliation so you could just judge the person by their qualifications etc.

However, with politics, especially in Lower Merion it has always been whomever gets all the toys wins, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that is a good thing. But I think it’s really duplicitous to post a slate of Republican candidates for school board under a window with a star of David for a visual when you don’t even know anything about them and they’re not identified as being Republican.

Oh and on the GOP slate running for office is a high school student from Harriton. My gut instinct says he really wants to make a difference, but he’s being used by the adults around him. He’s like a more annoying Alex P. Keaton without the wit and depth of that TV character as portrayed by Michael J. Fox.

Now I think it’s a great idea to have high school representatives to the school board, but we went through this in Great Valley a few years ago where some extremism woman put her daughter up who was a teenager in college for school board. Her teenager never really went anywhere. Everybody laughed at it and the girl lost miserably. The mother then also tried to run for state representative unsuccessfully, and school board unsuccessfully in her own right. And we think that was what it was all about: just her ideals and ambition not actually her daughter’s.

People don’t seem to understand that while it’s great to have kids as representatives to the school board from high schools wherever they live, these are kids. They’re not emancipated minors, paying taxes and living in their own homes and paying for everything they’re at a stage of their life where OK maybe they have jobs after school and what not but they’re being supported by their parents. Their hearts might be in the right place, but they lack the expertise and real life experience to serve in anything other than a student representative capacity.

I don’t really have anything more to say. I have admitted since the first word in this post that I am out of my depth here because I am not Jewish. But I do care, and I wish these people could just meet and lay down their weapons and their keyboards and try a humanist approach. After all together, they could achieve real good. But this crusade of everything is antisemitic mixed with Trumpian politics isn’t working and it diminishes in my mind again as a mere mortal and a shiksa what antisemitism really means.

May we merit to bring about the day when war and bloodshed cease,

and a great peace embraces the whole universe.

“No nation will lift up a sword to another,

and the art of war will no longer be studied.” (Isaiah 2:4 )

May we live to see the leaders of all the nations

inspired to do good with their peoples

and with all other peoples of the world,

bringing about the fulfillment of the Scriptural blessing,

“I will bring peace to the Earth,

and you will lie down with no one to terrify you,

and I will bring calm to all vicious creatures on Earth,

and the sword will no longer pass in your Land.” (Leviticus 26:6)

~Rabbi Hillel Lavery-Yisraëli

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BUT WAIT!!! THERE’S MORE!

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An unfortunate post-script to this post is how folks in Lower Merion who make people’s lives hell over these topics just can’t help themselves:

And they keep on sending in their nasty comments. This latest one? Oh my. Not a paper, a blog. Merely expressed my opinions, which they do not like. Also, not doxxing, they chose to write to my blog.

And now the other comments. I love being told I can’t say anything because I am not them, essentially. And golly gee whilikers, I am sophomoric at best according to a mansplainer, yet they all can’t stop reading this? Thank you kindly, to the nice lady who gets my post. These people are putting this stuff out everywhere and expect people to accept what they say as just gospel and well heaven forbid you don’t. And yes Harry darling, I am a shiksa, yawn, we have already established this.

And the hits they keep on coming. This is fascinating and another excellent study in mob mentality on Facebook. Like the guy above who thought he would incite me because he mentioned Israel wasn’t at the Pope’s funeral? I mean for real? Am I supposed to have a fit of the vapors and start waving my rosary beads around and spraying the internet with Holy Water?

Then there was this:

Say what? Another unsolicited private message from him and yes there have been others. Usually trying to get me to share his posts. This isn’t on Facebook and he and others have been beating this drum, wanting their manufactured issues (can I call it propaganda?) out there, but because my opinion is different from what is acceptable in their social media echo chambers it’s bad? I ignored the comment (and my sources tell me this guy is still on some kind of cruise to Iceland and this is what he’s doing with his time?) so then he had to write this blog:

And then this:

Gerry, Gerry, Gerry I am not publishing anonymously. And his or her? That’s actually funny. Every post is signed AND besides YOU KNOW MY NAME. And no, my blog page is not a group on Facebook, it’s a page, and so what if I point out the distinction? It’s public and you see it, unless of course I remove you which is my right, just like if I decide I don’t want more hate mail from someone I can restrict that and what’s the big deal? Also, none of these screenshots have been shared by me on Facebook.

Oh but wait, he got a very funny reply:

Then there was this:

Gerry has a son (who knew?) who didn’t like another topic I wrote about. Now more people are reading this blog….so thank you son of Gerry.

And this guy Todd Hall. I was waiting for this. Oh gosh someone brought up the Save Ardmore Coalition. Shockers. I am proud of my part in the ORIGINAL Save Ardmore Coalition. We did a lot of good, cool stuff, and stopped eminent domain for private gain in Ardmore and marched alongside Susett Kelo in Washington DC. But his facts are skewed. I spent most of my life in Lower Merion but yes I did move. My husband is from Chester County. I love Chester County so when he said he was not willing to live on the Main Line of today because it wasn’t his scene, I was fine with that. I mean I get it because all of these nouveau Main Line people who live in the nasty echo chambers of Facebook who live in especially Lower Merion today? Not my country, not my people.

Next the person who claims I did bad bad things only I do not have a clue as to meeting them but they are ok slandering me? Ok honey, get your 60 seconds of Fakebook fame, you obviously need it:

Every hour of every day someone somewhere is sharing screenshots from Facebook on Facebook. But when I do it, it’s bad.

And the saddest thing of all? Because these people have had their vitriol and nastiness and intolerance exposed, they are on the war path and miss the point of what I wrote in the first place. But they can have their sad bubbles and echo chambers of nastiness. It’s their right to behave like savages I suppose, but they seriously expect people to just take their abuse? And these are the people who will holler to the rooftops about bullying in the schools? Gosh where do they think the kids learned it from?

These people have taken a sensitive topic and weaponized it against even people of their own faith. I think that is really sad.

laura smith of towamencin township montgomery county, pa needs to resign

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Laura Smith, Vice Chair of the Towamencin Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, PA is a rather unfortunate woman who thinks making the Nazi salute on TikTok is funny.

Well now she is an internet star ⭐️

Only her TikTok account laurasmith6036 has seemingly disappeared?

Gosh was it something she said?

Do the Jewish members of the Montgomery County Republican Party approve of this behavior? Do the rest of the Towamencin Board of Supervisors find her behavior acceptable?

Here’s how you can ask them:

I think Laura Smith should take her pathetic nasty ass off of that board and resign, don’t you? I doubt she will but it’s a nice thought.

I don’t understand why anyone with a brain would think that it’s okay to give a mock Nazi salute. I just don’t.

This is not OK.

The media is starting to wake up to this new TikTok star…

https://northpennnow.com/news/2025/jan/24/towamencin-supervisor-going-viral-for-tik-tok-video-mimicking-alleged-nazi-salute-a-la-elon-musk-at-inauguration/

What I don’t understand about people like Laura Smith is her candidate of choice was duly elected President of the United States. Why isn’t she happy? Why does she do something so horrible?

She’s now just another elected official who has betrayed the public trust. She is also obviously lacking a moral compass. Hell she should run for Congress and go sit next to Marjorie Taylor Greene.

She gave a lame cover her ass statement that showed up in North Penn Now Community News:

Laura Smith is truly ignorant antisemite at a bare minimum. Don’t be like Laura.

crazy reigns supreme: what is in lower merion’s water this week?

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I really can’t even with this bullshit. And it is bullshit and it’s a hate crime… and once again, it’s happening in Lower Merion Township.

This hit social media today and late last night and somebody has been going around sticking stickers on stuff in grocery stores, and then this case the person who posted this photo who also did alert the store, and I thinkq the police said it was the Narberth ACME in Narberth, PA. Of course, this is the same vicinity where that female doctor set that grandmother’s porch on fire.

I don’t know how this is a township where all you see are #HateHasNOHome signs , yet you see this as well.

I’m going to allow the words of a resident to speak for themselves, because I think they are quite profound and on point:

It’s unpopular to say what you think or have an opinion. It will always make you unpopular with someone… and while I am sickened by the slaughter of Palestinian children. I think we are beyond an eye for an eye and I long for another solution or response to Hamas’ unthinkable attacks.

I am equally appalled by the antisemetism and blatant hatred shown for Jews and Israelis and the obvious ignorance of so many protestors. This example here is in our neighborhood. This is our grocery store. If you see someone acting out like this please call them out. They need an education — and some humanity. There is no place for this in our community. We can’t tolerate it.

This ugly ugly war in the Middle East has so much hate going around communities in our area and across the country that it just gives you pause. The holidays are upon us, and that would be Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or whatever you celebrate, and however you celebrate.

I would say, why can’t we all get along but I know we all can’t get along. I haven’t seen this hatred displayed in Chester County yet. Maybe it’s because we are more of a melting pot out here, I don’t know. All I know is I’m glad that where I live this isn’t happening yet, but I am ashamed of where I used to call home has these incidents.

Please stop madness like this. And if you know anything about this, please call the police.

Hate begets more hate. Break the cycle.

why so much hate?

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Hate has a home here. A few days ago, literally in the shadow of Valley Forge.

These folks, yes, are expressing their First Amendment Rights, but why are our rights more and more subjective? Why do their rights feel like they matter more than others?

(Objective rights refers to the legal norms in general and subjective rights are the power that citizens have as holders of the rights granted by the objective rights to proceed on these rights for the satisfaction of their own interests.)

What kind of country are we becoming? What would our forefathers think if they were here to see this?

And then there are the questions of are offensive banners and signs like this covered by First Amendment Rights or are they hate speech?

“Jews Will Not Replace Us” is on the banner. It makes you shudder doesn’t it? And Nazi symbolism? The Nazis not only tried to eradicate the Jewish people via the Holocaust, but they also went after those who were not Jewish but wouldn’t sign on to their message and mission. Family friends of ours who were not Jewish watched as Nazis took their father’s business for not complying with their edicts and sent him to the Russian front to his ultimate death when they were small children in World War II. They spent the rest of the war hiding in the German Alps with their mother. And there are lots more of these stories of whom the Nazis persecuted and murdered in addition to over 6 million Jewish people.

This is the kind of hatred I don’t understand. And it’s part and parcel of the extremism in belief systems and feelings in this country that I also don’t understand. Hate and vitriol in this country have existed almost as long as we have existed as a country. I’m not exaggerating, and it’s kind of super sad considering this country was founded to give people freedom from religious persecution etc.

OK I’m white and according to some, it’s bad for me to be white and heterosexual and Catholic, even if not particularly devout as a Catholic given the sex abuse scandals covered up in this region by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. But I don’t understand this whole “White Lives Matter” of it all.

Inequalities in this country exist. I’m not going to say they don’t exist but I don’t know how this has turned into being Jewish is bad. I don’t understand the rise in antisemitism, and perhaps I haven’t been paying attention. I mean there’s so much going on in this country that is hateful, that some days it’s hard to keep up isn’t it?

But this incident this past weekend was at the Valley Forge exit of the turnpike or the turnpike over Valley Forge Park. (I’m not sure which it is there.) This is in Tredyffrin Township which has had a lot of problems with antisemitism since March, I think it was. There were all these swastikas and horrible things being graffiti spray-painted everywhere. Eventually one person was apprehended, but then there was more graffiti, so I don’t know where that stands. I do know that the first person apprehended with a middle school student which blew my mind. A 15-year-old kid did part of this. According to the Jewish Exponent, he hadn’t been interviewed yet by police as if their June article.

Tredyffrin Jews Respond to Antisemitic Incidents

So here we are again in July with more of this. And I am left with a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach because this is just not right.

Sociologically what I also find interesting is a lot of people saw these gentlemen with their banner over the turnpike. That’s how the photos were taken and sent to me and others. but the thing is this no one seems to be talking about this. So are we as a nation or a region becoming more conditioned to messages like this?

Anyway I don’t have anything particularly profound to add. I just don’t understand why. Sometimes stupid human tricks make me very sad and upset.

this is not o.k. in tredyffrin

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This is beyond hateful and it’s going on in Tredyffrin and based on the posts I’ve received it must be happening around Chesterbrook.

The Holocaust was no joke. It was genocide. Millions of people. Hitler was a fanatical terrorist who ordered MILLIONS killed. Mostly Jewish people but not all. Tortured, victims of human experimentation and worse. People lost their homes, businesses, personal possessions, friends, family, even their pets. (You can read more HERE.)

I don’t even have enough time in the day or words to express how despicable it is that someone thinks it’s funny to go around spray, painting, swastikas. Anti- semitism is horrible and a crime.

It seems like Tredyffrin has issues. If you see whoever is doing this, or you catch them on the security camera, call 911.

Just when you think you can take a day off and enjoy your Saturday there’s this. And this is a byproduct of the extremism in politics we have been experiencing since 2016.

#SeeSomethingSaySomething