Jews haven’t done harm to anybody

I am deeply hurt and upset that there have been so many instances of anti-Semitic vandalism and graffiti in my city. I was born in Ottawa more than 76 years ago to immigrant parents fleeing to a land of freedom. With the values of education and hard work instilled as I grew up, I have just recently completed a career practising law in my city for more than 50 years.

As an adjunct to being a Canadian, I am also a Jew. Neither my community of Jews nor I have done nothing to harm, injure or harass anyone who has been free to practise their religion as they saw fit. I have never understood why we must be so hated or disliked that someone would want to destroy or vandalize our cemeteries, or deface our schools and houses of worship.

In the last several years, life for many Jews has become intolerable, with incidents of anti-Semitism becoming a daily occurrence. Jews afraid to wear a skull cap, or armed guards at synagogue entrances, have in many instances become the norm.

The modern world has been the recipient of a disproportionate contribution by Jews in the fields of medicine, the arts and a number of other areas. One need only look at Nobel Prize winners or inventors of life-saving equipment and techniques.

I fervently hope and pray that this insidious disease of antiSemitism does not find itself creeping into acceptance. I am disappointed in what has happened in the last few days. I still love my city and my country and hope that we can eradicate this horrible disease from our midst. John Tavel, Ottawa