10 | MAY 14 • 2020 

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chological reactions to COVID-
19. And we can do that while 
still being clear about one thing: 
Not even the worst, most dev-
astating outcome of our state’
s 
current policies — a long-term 
economic collapse resulting in 
widespread job losses — is an 
appropriate comparison for the 
goals and tactics of the Nazis 
and their systematic efforts 
to round up and exterminate 
European Jewry. The intention-
ality is not even on the same 
playing field through which one 
might employ a “slippery slope” 
argument. Such an analogy 
comes from a place of igno-
rance, which is the same place 
where more overt anti-Semitism 
emerges from.
If such a comparison is being 
made in the public square and 
is reaching enough people, 
we must speak out about it so 
that our readers understand 
the tenor of dialogue that is 
being employed in the current 
moment, and how that may 
impact us and our shared histo-
ry. So now we turn to the second 
part of the criticisms: Was this 
component of the protests worth 
drawing attention to?
Here it’
s worth noting that 
Sheridan’
s letter did not express 
support for the protesters 
who held signs reading “Heil 
Whitmer” or displayed blow-up 
dolls dressing up the governor 
as Hitler, to name two examples 
spotted at Operation Gridlock. 
But nor did she or the MCC out-
right condemn such messages in 
their letter to us. Their position, 
instead, is that these protesters 
were “a small fraction of outli-
ers” holding “controversial signs” 
and they did not reflect the 
larger goal of the demonstration. 
And on this point, we disagree.
Though small in number, the 
individuals brandishing overt 
references to Nazism were not 
on the fringes of the crowd 
that day. They were right in the 

thick of it, sometimes on the 
capitol steps themselves, and 
being cheered, not sidelined, 
by the protesters around them. 
More importantly, the Nazi 
allusions were part and parcel 
of the dark, inflammatory tone 
being employed throughout the 
event, with words like “tyrant,
” 
Confederate flags and firearms 
visible among the crowds. 
Those firearms, incidentally, 
are part of why we took this 
“small fraction” of the protests 
so seriously. The overt specter 
of violence in the public square 

should always warrant serious 
concern for the health of our 
community. Case in point: On 
Sunday, May 3, a security guard 
at a Flint dollar store was fatally 
shot by family of a customer 
after doing his job by refusing 
to allow them to enter the store 
without a face mask. 
Nazi allusions have also 
emerged at similar protests in 
other states, often directed at 
Jewish officials. There is a clear 
pattern at play. A sign reading 
“Arbeit macht frei,
” repeating the 
infamous “Work Makes You 
Free” message emblazoned on 
the gates of Auschwitz in its 
original German, was spotted 
at a rally protesting Illinois Gov. 
J.B. Pritzker, who is Jewish, 
and prompted an official con-
demnation from the Auschwitz 
Museum and Memorial in 
Poland. And in Ohio, the wife 

of a state senator compared 
the actions of the state’
s health 
director Dr. Amy Acton, who 
is Jewish, to those of Nazi 
Germany, earning a strong 
rebuke from Mike DeWine, 
the state’
s Republican governor. 
“The comments showed a com-
plete lack of understanding of 
the Holocaust,
” DeWine said, 
demonstrating that this should 
not have to be a partisan issue.
Yes, these are a few people out 
of thousands. But yes, it is assur-
edly our responsibility to report 
on them. The sight of a “small 

fraction” of particularly vocal 
and angry citizens pushing or 
attempting to push a large body 
toward an extreme conclusion 
has its roots in historical prece-
dence that the JN cannot ignore. 
To put it another way: Because 
they fit right into the goals and 
tactics of the larger movement, 
these were, in fact, “legitimate” 
protesters. 
And they may not be a small 
fraction for much longer. This 
fanning of such violent, con-
spiratorial flames — not only as 
they relate to the Jewish people, 
but also to the public citizenry 
at large — has been “rewarded 
and encouraged” by groups like 
the MCC itself over the last few 
weeks. Following Operation 
Gridlock, the MCC’
s Facebook 
page has shared partisan articles 
and memes casting Whitmer as 
exactly the sort of Hitler-like fig-

ure these protesters declared her 
to be (“Tyrannical,
” “Pure Evil”). 

A BIG TENT
Our readership includes many 
Holocaust survivors in the 
Detroit area, and many more 
descendants of survivors, as well 
as Jews from across the entire 
political spectrum. Indeed, the 
JN is the rare media outlet where 
it is still possible to find people 
of wildly different political ideol-
ogies congregating together, and 
it is our full intention to do this 
kind of reporting no matter who 
is on the receiving end. In this 
current moment, the Lansing 
protests are the most pressing 
story for us to cover. Another 
time, there will be different 
movements with different goals, 
and we will cover those fairly 
and responsibly, too. 
If you are wondering why we 
are “not covering” something 
related to anti-Semitism, there 
is a good chance we do, in fact, 
have a story in the works about 
it. But we also appreciate your 
tips, as always. 
We can and do often disagree 
with one another about policies, 
and about the proper govern-
ment response to the linked 
tragedies of a global pandemic 
and recession. But we must 
do so without the histrionics 
that compel us or our neigh-
bors to reach for the metaphor 
of Nazism with no historical 
context, simply because it is a 
convenient evil to brandish in an 
argument. 
 The JN will continue to cover 
the COVID-19 crises within 
the state: both the medical and 
economic ones. And we will 
continue to cover any signs of 
anti-Semitism and bigotry that 
emerge from this moment in 
time. We welcome your thoughts 
on all of this in the meantime, 
even (and especially) if you dis-
agree. It’
s why we’
re here in the 
first place. 

continued from page 6

 AP PHOTO/PAUL SANCYA