By MILES LESSEN
Los Alamos
There is a well-documented statistical increase in hate crimes against people who are Jewish, including vandalism, graffiti, assault, intimidation, and abuse, both within and outside the United States. However, my family has felt safe and secure in the oasis of Los Alamos, a community in which we believed diversity was celebrated and embraced. Since moving here, we have met people from at least 11 different countries spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, and other regions of the world, many states throughout the USA, and several Native American tribes. We regularly see people of ethnic origins ranging from Africa and Europe to Latin American and Asia. It has been beautiful to watch so many different backgrounds living together peacefully, until recently.
On April 30, a swastika was painted on a large boulder in White Rock. I believed it a fluke. However, on June 9, my property was vandalized with racist motivation.
Our family decided to express support for freedom, democracy, and peace in Israel by putting up a sign on our fence. Despite fear that displaying our solidarity for people suffering in the war against Israel specifically and Jewish people in general might make us targets, we thought of Los Alamos as a place of tolerance for others with a healthy respect for the freedom of speech. Sadly, someone proved that wrong.
A sign my family stapled to our fence supporting Israel was torn down and stolen. This malicious and intentional act was meant to deprive us of that sacred freedom to express what we think and feel. Without tolerance of different opinions and beliefs, without permitting the open freedom of speech, we are not free. Acts of intolerance and racism defy everything that most citizens of this nation cherish, and an attack on any group or belief is the chipping away of all our freedoms to think and believe as we like.
What I love about this country, what my parents and grandparents loved about it, and the reason my great grandparents emigrated to the United States was because it allowed people to express themselves according to their own values, morals, and backgrounds so long as it did not hurt anyone. The concept of religious freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of dissent is precious. To practice tolerance means to invite all voices to the table whether we agree with them or not. To silence a view, by any means, even if it is believed to be evil or wrong, is the very definition of intolerance. That lack of tolerance erodes freedom for us all.
As a community that values knowledge, research, dialogue, and inclusivity, we cannot abide by blatant acts of antisemitism, or other racial injustice, in any form. While everyone in this nation gets the right to their own beliefs, a priceless privilege, when those beliefs trespass on the freedoms and laws of others we must stand up. As veterans I know proclaim, freedom is not free. If we don’t unite to defy those who seek to deprive us of our rights to speech and engage in acts of hatred against targeted groups, then we relinquish our rights and hand our community over to anger and intolerance.
Rather than chant hatred, wave signs of intolerance, attempt to “cancel” or silence voices, and engage in acts of racism, let us welcome in conversation to promote understanding and peace. I invite us all to respectfully hear other points of view, especially those to which we disagree, in order to learn from and connect with others. Let us restrain the impulse towards anger, narrow mindedness, and intolerance by choosing to make our community one of compassion, tolerance, and unity.
