Working for a newspaper, I have the unfortunate displeasure of reading more than most about the rampant antisemitism in the world. I tell my family and friends, for every one story you read that drops your jaw in amazement, I read 10 or 20 or more.
As a Jewish newspaper editor, this has not been an easy task in the 245 days since October 7.
This is why I made a particular point of attending this year’s Israel Day Parade.
Amazingly, there are still hostages being held by the terrorist Hamas organization — some American — yet the loudest protesters about this historical moment continue to blame only Israel.
As a native New Yorker, I have been to the Big Apple to celebrate many causes. A few Thanksgiving Day parades, a couple on St. Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day and Veterans’ Day.
Never did I have to go through a metal detector to watch a parade. Until today.
On a hot summer day, the NYPD subjected us to what was at least a 10-block rat maze, with each officer providing a different account as to what lay at the end. I sweated and I walked and I had no idea where I was headed. I just wanted to watch the parade.
As my frustration grew, I animatedly asked a group of NYPD officers where I had to go to watch the parade. They sent me back through the maze I had just gone through. But at least I finally knew where to go.
When I at last arrived at 62nd Street and Madison Avenue, I saw the line waiting to go through a metal detector. I got on it, because what else was I going to do.
The line moved very slowly, as I watched the NYPD force adults and children alike to break the Israeli flag they carried with them if the stick had a point on the end. Plastic point, rubber point, no matter to the NYPD — they made us wait while people were forced to destroy their Israeli flags. It was an absolutely disgusting spectacle.
When it was finally my turn to go through, I refused to take anything out of my pockets and I would not take off my belt.
For this insubordination, I was wanded by two officers for at least two to three minutes.
Many people looked to me like I was crazy. “They’re just trying to keep us safe,” I was told numerous times.
And with that I cannot disagree. I did most certainly feel safer.
But I’m furious over the madness of it all.
Over the last eight months, I’ve watched terrorists and terrorist appeasers take over our cities, highways and bridges, government buildings, museums and more.
Do you know what I have NOT seen in that time? Any of those masked, terrorist-supporting fiends, who are clearly breaking several laws at any given time, have to walk through a metal detector.
Our public officials have allowed the anti-Israel and antisemitic crowd to do as they please, with not so much as a slap on the wrist by the courts. They burn, pillage, destroy and thumb their collective nose at authority and the NYPD and the New York City politicians watch.
People who simply want to celebrate the Jewish state are forced to go through a gauntlet of protection because these protesters have been allowed to harass whomever they want, disrupt anything they want.
The politicians, the police, they know what these Jew-hating marchers are capable of, hence the metal detectors.
In the blink of an eye, the anarchy and free rein of the anti-Israeli protests became regulations and barking orders from the authorities — but only for the average citizens, the ones not vandalizing monuments and burning flags. We are the only ones who have to follow the rules.
Steven Hillman is The Post’s night editor.
