Dear Mr. Camenker - My open letter to a fellow Jew

Brian Camenker heads the SPLC designated hate group     MassResistance. Lately, Camenker has been making robo-calls on behalf of a group called "Jews and Christians Together." The calls ask people to "vote for social sanity and Rick Santorum, not for homosexuality and Mitt Romney."

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April 9, 2012

Mr. Brian Camenker
MassResistance
PO Box 1612
Waltham, MA 02454

Dear Mr. Camenker:

Your anti-gay group is of little concern to me as a gay man. What does cause me considerable embarrassment, however, is the fact that you are a fellow Jew. With the  exception of a handful of nutty Hasidim, Jews don't do things like this. Nelson Mandela once wrote "I have found Jews to be more broadminded than most whites on issues of race and politics, perhaps because they themselves have historically been victims of prejudice."

In my family, we take tolerance very seriously. My late older brother was a Freedom Rider. My older sister was an attorney for the Anti Defamation League. My father was the rather stuffy, and abrasive, Chairman of an insurance company. Yet he taught me lessons about equality at a very early age. I am proud of our traditions as a community.

At this time of Passover, I am reminded that we have been persecuted for the overwhelming majority of human history. Perhaps it is for that reason that we have been at the fore of championing rights for the underdog. Our activism for the minority rights of others has caused us to have a place in their struggles that is hugely disproportionate to our numbers. From Selma to Soweto, we have risked     and have been the recipients of     even more oppression. We willingly do these things in part because we set this example for future generations.

Mr. Camenker, what on earth are you doing and why are you doing it? You don't seem to be religiously observant. In fact, I am certain that your hobby has put you in direct contact with people and speech that are antisemitic. Perhaps you can find a more positive outlet for your skills and energies?

Sincerely,

David C. Hart