Now, as the Mehlers prepare for their day in court, they are aware of the larger implications of their actions. They see themselves as standing up against antisemitism and hate, even if it means facing legal consequences.
For them, the swastika inside the Jewish star was a clear symbol of the dangers of allowing hate to fester and grow. They believe that by removing the mural, they were sending a message that such symbols of hate have no place in their community.
As they await their fate in the legal system, the Mehlers remain steadfast in their belief that they did the right thing. They hope that their actions will inspire others to take a stand against hatred and bigotry, and that their case will serve as a reminder of the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of adversity.
And so, as they wait for their day in court, the Mehlers continue to stand by their decision to take down the mural, knowing that they did so in the name of justice and solidarity.
For them, this is not just a legal battle, but a moral one, a fight against hate and intolerance in all its forms. And they are determined to see it through, no matter what the outcome may be.
The tensions and conflicts surrounding the Betar members, pro-Palestinian demonstrators, and other Jewish individuals highlight the complex and contentious nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The actions taken by groups on both sides, such as collecting information on international students and tearing down controversial murals, reflect deep-seated beliefs and passions that drive individuals to take extreme measures.
It is evident that the Mehlers and their supporters feel a sense of urgency and duty to defend Israel and the Jewish community against perceived threats, even if it means resorting to vigilantism. On the other hand, groups like the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine see their actions as a form of political expression and resistance against what they perceive as injustice and oppression.
As the debate and tensions continue to escalate, it is crucial for all parties involved to engage in constructive dialogue and seek peaceful solutions to the underlying issues. Resorting to violence, intimidation, or deportation only serves to further deepen the divide and perpetuate the cycle of conflict and animosity.
Ultimately, finding common ground and working towards mutual understanding and respect is essential in addressing the complex and deeply rooted issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
There is a legitimate critique that can be made about it, particularly concerning the language of the mural implying that Jews, whom the Nazis persecuted and exterminated during the Holocaust, have become oppressors not unlike the Nazis in regards to Zionism and Palestine.
The statement, which the chapter’s co-founder, Rachel Ida Buff, read at the press conference, added, “It should be made abundantly clear that Judaism and Zionism are two different things, but it is understandable how someone might read the mural as conflating the two.”
But the statement went on to conclude that Israel’s behavior was “far more reprehensible and antisemitic” than the mural, and that “it is not our or anyone else’s place to police Palestinians as they express their pain through creative means.”
Local JVP chapter co-founder Rachel Ida Buff, a history professor at UWM who is Jewish, told JTA she personally believed the mural “was meant to generate conversation, which it succeeded in doing.”
Buff added, “If seeing the image of a swastika in River West upsets people more than the images of murdered children coming out of Gaza, that is a moral problem.”
What upset Peter Mehler most when he saw the mural, he said, was thinking about his former congregants, many of them Holocaust survivors, at the synagogues he led in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and Northbrook, Illinois.
“I was really outraged,” he said. “For them, this would have been extremely traumatic. And it was traumatic for me, too, to watch this guy take the Star of David and make it into a swastika.”
He rejected any comparisons between the Gaza war and the Holocaust.
“The war in Israel is nothing like the Holocaust, and I am offended by the idea that the Palestinians have turned this into us as offenders when they, in fact, were the attackers,” he said. “You know, once they attacked, then they have to realize that they opened up Pandora’s box, and anything that Israel did, they were responsible for.”
Both men said their activism had almost taken a dangerous turn when the bystander accosted them while they were ripping down the mural. The man “said to me, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know what genocide is. Describe genocide to me,’” Peter Mehler recalled.
The exchange triggered him, and he said he considered hitting the man with his hammer. But Zechariah said he “explained to my father that our methodology was not one that was intended to be aggressive.”
The bystander, Michael Gauthier, shared a similar account of the encounter during the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine press conference. “I stood here on this curb and there was an angry man screaming in my face, waving a hammer, saying he was going to hit me with it,” he recalled. “Thank God that didn’t happen. Thank God his partner in crime talked him down a little bit.”
Family members tried to discourage Peter from joining his son in the first place, citing his health, both Mehlers said. But he insisted.
“It’s the responsibility of a rabbi to be the symbol of true north for the Jewish community,” Peter Mehler said. “We’ve got a symbol of antisemitism hung on a wall, and not anybody will speak out about it.”
Both father and son say they’re prepared to go to jail over their actions. Peter insisted things wouldn’t come to that and vowed to appeal any penalty. Zechariah, meanwhile, said he would relish the attention such a sentence would bring.
“You know what’ll happen if they put me in jail for this? Oh my God, then every Jewish organization would be on it,” he said. “Alan Dershowitz would be here. They don’t want that.”
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