The Salute is Familiar....

Joshua Ostroff is a Senior Editor for Huffington Post Canada. His former employment ranges from Music Editor for America Online, Inc to Senior Editor for Spinner. He is the winner of several awards and recognitions such as the Prism Prize and Polaris Music Prize. His primary category in journalism is usually music and pop culture. However, Thursday he published an article titled A Jewish Response to Trump Being Called Hitler. As a Jewish man, he had a lot to say about the popular comparison.

His statement that being Jewish is both a religious and ethnic term, in my opinion, is correct. In the 1930’s, though he wouldn’t have attended temple or practiced Jewish customs, he still would have been collected up in the masses during Hitler’s reign for simply being born to Jewish parents.

His arguments about Judaism being a race as well as a religion make me think about how tough it must be for Muslims of this country. How we categorize their attire and looks with the religion itself.  Many middle eastern descent people are discriminated against by those related factors, despite not knowing if they practice Muslim traditions or customs.

In his article, he elaborates on the ideas of Hitler and his rise into power. Hitler’s motive to gain political status fed on the nature of man. Hitler gave the masses a “bad guy”, claiming that the Jewish community was to blame for all of Germany’s woes and that by eliminating them he would “make Germany great again,” and the people listened. Sounds familiar.  Trump has repeatedly singled out certain minorities and blamed them for Americas troubles. At his rally in Orlando, he had his supporters raise their right hands to promise their vote to him. Did no one in that convention question what they looked like?

Ostroff says, “Super Tuesday exit polls found as much as 78 percent of Republican voters in some southern states support banning Muslims from entering the U.S.” How is this a common American ideal? Aren’t we the land of opportunity? Aren’t most of us ancestors of former refugees seeking the American dream of freedom?

Trump has fueled a fire. Though some may say it’s all an act, it’s a dangerous one. As an American who has walked the site of a former concentration camp, I can say I want no part in his campaign that’s fueled be racial hate. Closing our boarders and forcing other countries to build “our” wall is just ludicrous. Remarks about taking out terrorist’s family’s - he obviously has no recollection of the Geneva Conventions - are insensitive and have no regard for human life. This man is in no form or fashion fit to run such a powerful nation.

“So as hard as it is to hear Hitler's name all over the news, let it at least remind us why we must stop Trump and all leaders who traffic in racism and xenophobia before such hate defines anyone else.”

Ostroff’s closing statement speaks volumes. Our country is a melting pot founded on the idea of freedom. Immigration and diversity is the backbone of this country. We should be a nation that opens our arms and our eyes to the people that want our dream. Trump is constantly promoting racist ideas and policies. His campaign agenda is hateful and dividing this country even more. We need a healer, not an eccentric business man with poor character and small minded ideas.