The ‘heroes’ who destroyed a Nazi mural in Milwaukee should be lauded

Sadly, many Jews today realize that governments aren’t protecting us and that we must stand up to Jew-haters.

Antisemitic mural in Milwaukee. Source: Screenshot.

Peter Mehler and Zechariah Mehler will walk into a Milwaukee courtroom on Dec. 12 and potentially face three years in prison for the crime of destroying a mural showing a swastika within the Star of David that read: “The irony of becoming what you once hated.”

This father-and-son duo are heroes who deserve the keys to the city, not prison. What a despicable travesty of justice for them to be under such stress and expense as to face a trial. Can one imagine what would happen in a black neighborhood if a Ku Klux Klan sign or KKK members were involved?

Sadly, many Jews today realize that governments aren’t protecting us and that we must stand up to Jew-haters.

There has been a 570% increase in antisemitic incidents since 2015 in Milwaukee, according to the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Relations Council, and Jews who stand up to Jew-haters and remove Nazi murals should not be facing punishment. We live in a society where we see anti-American forces destroying cities nationwide, campuses being desecrated, and those who harm Jews behaving with impunity. A Nazi mural is incitement to further antisemitic violence, which is already prevalent in Milwaukee.

As proud Jews and Americans, the Mehlers took action, as every decent person should do. Jews nationwide must stand up to Jew-haters and governments that for too long have permitted the haters to behave as they want. The Milwaukee district attorney, John Chisholm, must drop all charges. It is despicable that the Mehlers are facing a trial. Those who hate Jews and hate America must be challenged, not coddled.

Before the incident, local alderman JoCasta Zamarripa said, “There is no place in our city for a mural that lifts up a swastika,” and all 15 common council members sent statements asking for it to be taken down. The Milwaukee Jewish Federation described the mural as “horribly antisemitic” in a Facebook post.

There are people in this world who talk and people in this world who do. There are those among us who don’t stand by and want to wait for a physical attack or some other terrible scene and the inevitable speeches by politicians. Instead, they act, and those that do are heroes.

This is 2024, and we have had enough. As Israel’s late Prime Minister Menachem Begin once said: “We are not Jews with trembling knees.” We stand up, and when we see something, we do something.

The landlord of the building on which the mural was displayed is Ishsan Atta, who has compared Israel to the Nazis.

As the chairman of Betar—the international Zionist movement—I know Zechariah Mehler; he is president of Betar Milwaukee. The Mehlers have told me they believe in the way of the Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky, and I have shared with them his words in preparation for court.

 As Jabotinsky said back in 1911, “Instead of excessive apology and instead of turning our backs to the accusers—as there is nothing to apologize for, and nobody to apologize to—it is long overdue to respond to all current and future accusations, reproaches, suspicions, slanders and denunciations by simply folding our arms and loudly, clearly, coldly and calmly answer, ‘Go to hell!’ … We are hated not because we are blamed for everything but we are blamed for everything because we are not loved. We do not have to apologize for anything. We are a people as all other peoples; we do not have any intentions to be better than the rest. We do not have to account to anybody; we are not to sit for anybody’s examination and nobody is old enough to call on us to answer. We came before them. We are what we are, we are good for ourselves, we will not change, and we do not want to.”

The only thing the Mehlers should hear from anyone is: “Thank you for your actions and keeping our community safe.”

Milwaukee’s district attorney must immediately drop charges. If he chooses not, then Jews and decent people nationwide will want to avoid this city as it embraces antisemitism and today’s Nazis. It’s a choice between standing with Nazis or standing against them.