What's happening: Jews in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, have been told to avoid the site of an anti-Israel rally taking place on Saturday in the historically Jewish neighborhood.
• "Jews should definitely avoid the area," a security source told COLlive.com. "Locals should definitely stay away from Eastern Parkway in that area."
Crucial context: Crown Heights is the site of deadly anti-Semitic riots that broke out in August 1991. The riots were instigated in no small part by Al Sharpton, who stirred up racial tension by ranting about how "Oppenheimer in South Africa sends diamonds straight to Tel Aviv and deals with the diamond merchants right here in Crown Heights."
• The "Flood Brooklyn for Gaza" protest, organized by the anti-Israel activist group Within Our Lifetime, is scheduled to take place Saturday afternoon at the Brooklyn Museum, within walking distance of several synagogues as well as the world headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement.
• The protests will take place amid an alarming increase in anti-Semitic outbursts and demonstrations in support of the terrorist group Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis earlier this month. On Wednesday, Jewish students at Cooper Union in Manhattan were forced to barricade themselves in the library as pro-Hamas protesters pounded on the doors shouting "Free Palestine." The Jewish students were reportedly told they could "hide in the attic."
Bottom line: The pro-Hamas sentiment in this country is out of control. Also, it's absolutely bonkers that Al Sharpton has become a respected member of the liberal establishment.