Any violence or abuse based on antisemitism must never be tolerated.
By Will Sellers | Will Sellers is an associate justice on the Supreme Court of Alabama.
No one presided over its funeral, but vestiges of antisemitism died suddenly here, and no one missed its pernicious influence.
Segregation based on race was an overt policy for years, but segregation on the basis of faith was a subtle form of discrimination, permeating through our political institutions for years.
Its subtlety masked its effect, and its virtually unwritten code prevented our Jewish friends and neighbors from fully assimilating into our social and political communities.
When the silliness of discrimination became apparent in the obvious achievements and contributions of segregated communities, all justification for failing to provide equal treatment and opportunity slipped away into the ash heap of history. In many ways, the basis of all ideas of segregation were attempts by our competitors to retard Alabama’s growth by pitting our citizens against each other.
As long as Alabamians fought over race and religion, building strong communities, cities, and commercial enterprises that could engage on a global scale was impossible. The story of racial discrimination and all its ugly manifestations has been told time and again. The moral of the story is that a society cannot achieve prosperity by limiting the rights of its citizens, denying them a voice in the future of their community, and blocking their participation in government.
Discrimination based on faith also has an ugly history, as wars, conflicts, and crimes based on religion are legion. Forced conversions, restricting worship, and imposing theological beliefs show civilization at its worst.
The cynicism occasioned by these tactics transformed faith from a moral code into a political construct to control citizens under a false sense of unity. Any thought of freedom of conscience, much less dissent, was forbidden. Unfortunately, once we stopped open conflicts based on religion and loosened the imposition of doctrine over conscience, people still clung to a limited view of faith and restricted interactions with others.
The insecurity in a belief system forced a self-segregation into communities sharing the same religious beliefs while quietly disrespecting, if not shunning, all others. This discrimination was less overt and more subtle to limit association with others sharing a different faith tradition.
Alabama’s Jewish communities took this in stride, and despite all forms of discrimination preventing their full association in their communities, they persisted. They never let silent snubs stop them from being a positive force in their communities.
The impact of Jews in Alabama far outstrips other groups for their tenacity in supporting all the good, permanent things like art, education, and social outreach.
Their influence is so unique and significant that most successful institutions benefited from Jewish benefactors and advocates. Because of the previous discrimination, though, many of their achievements were never fully appreciated, acknowledged, or recognized. Thankfully, those days are behind us.
While antisemitism from both the left and right has reasserted itself in other states, Alabamians stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters. Though we embrace freedom of speech and freedom of expression, those freedoms cannot be allowed to morph into forums for hate that encourage abusive behavior against any group.
Violence based on faith is the most backward and antiquated of concepts. Discrimination is often a manifestation of insecurity and is used as an excuse to denigrate another group to camouflage failures of self-achievement. Envy in fear of social, economic and political competition is typically at the root of denying others the opportunity for admission as full community citizens.
In Alabama, we embrace the wonderful mosaic of all the religious traditions that underpin our communities, and we will not allow extremism to sneak back and use faith to limit the complete assimilation of everyone in our society. Any violence or abuse based on antisemitism must never be tolerated.
Alabama is moving forward, and we are united in bringing prosperity that is achieved by equal opportunity and conscientious labor. Unlike other communities, Alabama will not stand by and let the dark clouds of discrimination retard our progress. Never again will our state be divided on the basis of race or faith.
With a quarter of the 21st century in our rearview mirror, we are advancing by uniting our citizens and expanding our industries and universities to embrace technology and a future of cooperation.
For any students in fear because of their faith, we welcome you to our state and its vast educational opportunities.
For families who worry that their freedom of worship is in jeopardy, come see how we respect and encourage all faith traditions.
For businesses and industries that base employment on merit and skill, see why other national and international companies are moving to Alabama.
More than 60 years ago, Dr. King encouraged us to make value judgments of people based on the content of their character. We have taken this admonition to heart, and we are open to everyone to pursue happiness and personal achievement in our Sweet Home Alabama.
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