Today in anti-Semitism-is-real-and-a-very-serious-problem news, celebrated actor Michael Douglas wrote an eloquent op-ed for The LA Times about his 14-year-old son’s unfortunate brush with anti-Semitism while on vacation in Southern Europe.
According to the op-ed, Douglas and his family were staying in a hotel. His son went to use the pool, and came back very upset after a man had accosted him. Almost immediately, he writes, Douglas realized his son was wearing a Star of David around his neck, and that might have something to do with what had happened.
READ: It’s Time to Begin Explaining Anti-Semitism to My Children
After talking to hotel staff and confronting the man who bullied his son to little to no avail, he had to explain to his son why he was targeted. A heart-breaking task if we’ve ever seen one.
Douglas–whose father, Kirk Douglas, is Jewish–continues to discuss the growing anti-Semitic sentiment in the world, postulating a few reasons why it is on the rise. He largely credits the Internet for its rampant spread across the globe.
READ: How I Helped My Daughter Deal With Anti-Semitism in the Classroom
He writes:
With the Internet, (anti-Semitism’s) virus of hatred can now speed from nation to nation, helping fuel Europe’s new epidemic of anti-Semitism. It is time for each of us to speak up against this hate.
Douglas ended the essay by saying it is everyone’s responsibility to speak up against anti-Semitism, including the government, the clergy, and regular people just like you and me.
Why do you think anti-Semitism is on the rise? What do you plan to do to speak out against it?
