I've never understood anti-Semitism. As a Mexican-American man with little exposure to Jewish people up until college, that hate always seemed like one group of white people discriminating another group of white people for no good reason. I never understood why if our country went to war against the Nazis in World War II to save Jewish folks from genocide, we would have Americans that would act like the enemy. We are supposed to be the heroes not the villains. So, it never made sense why ANY American would hate or promote hatred or fear towards the same group of people our soldiers died to save. It seems to me like a betrayal of our values and what our ancestors fought for. Why save a group only to hate them and persecute them later? It seems to me at that point we become our enemy. 

In the wake of The Tree of Life Synagogue shooting  the words "I'm sorry", "that's horrible" and "what a tragedy" don't seem enough. No words seem adequate to express the terrible feelings around this unfortunate event. Presently, I have many close friends and loved ones that are Jewish. Any of them could have been in attendance. Although I am not religious myself, I personally have accompanied many of them to their place of worship for festivities or ceremonies. It could have been me. Any one of us.
 
Then to add insult to injury, President Trump shows up in an attempt to, let's say pay his respects or console people. Both of which he failed to do as his response to this atrocity was that all they needed was an armed guard inside the place of worship to stop the gunman. The degree of disconnect in our Commander in Chief is astronomical.  I later learned through a friend that the dinner on Air Force One on the return from the visit to the Tree of Life synagogue for Jewish staffers onboard was pork ribs. One would assume that for a man who's son-in-law is Jewish as well as his daughter (whom converted) and grandkids, he would have a greater sensitivity towards the Jewish faith and culture.  However, it's not surprising. His track record shows the opposite. His failure to decry racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and his penchant for promoting fringe ideologies as well as violence towards those that disagree with him have led us here.  In the span of a week two Trump supporters attempted to carry out their own schemes with the intent to kill people that Trump has in the past blamed or demonized. Words do indeed matter. Especially when they come from a man that is supposed to be a leader and a role model. Words can influence and inspire as can silence. In this case what Trump is saying is just as important as what he is not. By not taking action and not denouncing these vile behaviors he is basically silently condoning them.  
"Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. " -Elie Wiesel

Donald Trump is my president-elect. Come January he will be my president. Unfortunately.
Somehow a loud-mouthed, vulgar, orange alleged billionaire not only won the Republican nomination, but also the election. The man with possibly the most fragile ego on Twitter managed to win the highest office in the land.
If you have kids prepare to explain to them that at some point in American history we voted (well the Electoral College did) into office a man who uttered the words “you can grab them by the pussy” in reference to women. If you have daughters, well you’ll have to either denounce that statement for what it is, or like the rest of the Trump supporters, find some sort of justification or excuse to downplay it, such as, “well, he was only 59 at the time.”
Also, have a good explanation for why we decided to go with the candidate who was enthusiastically endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan. If you are a minority of any kind or have friends or relatives who are, this is another time when it's good to have a handy-dandy excuse ready. Maybe, “we felt as a nation that racists were also underrepresented.”
The about-to-be most powerful man in the world ran on a campaign that espoused sexual assault, denied climate change and the benefits of vaccines, stoked fears of foreigners in a nation founded and built by immigrants, and advocated violence at his own rallies. Let that sink in. Then realize that as far as we know life only exists on Earth, so that also makes him the most powerful man in the known universe.
That guy. That’s the guy we decided should be in charge of our nation.