There's a new disturbing game that a group of teens are playing in Brooklyn. This time, it's got nothing to do with drugs or alcohol. Instead, it's all about anti-Semitism. The NYPD is currently looking into a series of attacks on Jews in Brooklyn where, out of nowhere, an innocent person typically dressed in traditional Jewish clothing is punched and attacked. One area rabbi says it's part of a game that's becoming more and more popular, "Knock Out the Jew." The scariest part? To the rabbi's knowledge, there have been eight attacks since mid-September.
In the incidents, the attackers are not mugging their victims. A 64-year-old father said his son was attacked this past Wednesday, but they didn't take any of his belongings. After he fell to the ground, he heard the group of five or six teens say, "We got him!" excitedly, celebrating another landed punch.
Wow. I feel sick to my stomach.
It gets even worse, too. There has also been an increase in swastikas around the streets of Brooklyn. As the number of attacks increase and more and more graffiti is found on the streets, the NYPD confirms that assaults are on the rise and something needs to be done.
What kills me, personally, is that these teens attacking innocent passersby probably have no real hate toward Jewish people. It's as if they've singled out this one ethnic group, simply based on the clothes they wear, and made a game out of blatantly hurting others for no other reason than entertainment.
As a parent, it's always important that you talk to your child and teach them to embrace the differences of others. Especially as bullying rises in our schools, now more than ever, take the time to sit down and address tolerance. While you can't shelter your child from the world, you can talk to them about events of the past. If they don't hear about it from you, then you can't rely on others to teach them how important it is for us all to embrace one another.
Are you disgusted by this "Knock Out the Jew" game these teens are playing? What would you do if you were their parents?
Image via Ocean/Corbis