The rise of anti-Semitic attacks nationwide is a "bewildering situation," and it's difficult to say what is driving them, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Tuesday.
"What makes this most irrational is why are Jews being targeted like this?" Huckabee, a Fox News contributor, said on "America's Newsroom." "Jews represent less than 2% of the American population, but 60% of religion-based hate crimes in 2018 were directed toward Jewish people. That is radically disproportionate to the population."
His comments come in the wake of a Saturday attack on a Hanukkah celebration north of New York City, where a man wielding a machete stabbed and slashed five people.
According to reports, Grafton Thomas, 37, the man accused in the attacks, had handwritten journals containing anti-Semitic references and had recently used his phone to look up information on Hitler and the location of synagogues. He is facing federal charges of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by attempting to kill with a dangerous weapon.
"Something is driving anti-Semitism," said Huckabee. "Is it the BDS movement and all of the negative talk about Israel and Jews? Is it something beyond human understanding, something utterly demonic where people are just livid at the Jewish faith?"
He added that he does not understand the hatred "because Jewish people are some of the kindest, most generous, most civic-minded, most peaceful people."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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