The heinous acts of a few does not define Pensacola. We stand with our Jewish neighbors.

Another brick scrawled with words of hate and ignorance was hurled through the window of a local synagogue last Friday. Another missile propelled by misplaced anger and falsehoods, intended to sow fear, dredge up painful images from the past, and breed disharmony in our community.

Who is so filled with rage and darkness that they would want to hide behind anonymity and strike down a neighbor? How foolish are they to think that throwing a couple of bricks scrawled with anti-Semitic clichés would actually bring about whatever farcical aspirations they may have? Don’t they know that hate doesn’t work?

If you have read even the slightest bit of history, you should know that the Jewish people practically wrote the book on resilience. Whoever threw those bricks may as well be trying to mop up the ocean with a dish sponge in the middle of a rain storm. It is laughable and sad and tragic that there are some living among us who cling to the notion that hate can produce anything worthwhile. In their mind hate begets hate and violence begets violence. They would like nothing more than a raised fist or a call for retribution that would justify their actions.

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So, what should be our response to an act of hate? An eye for an eye? Throw some bricks through their windows? On Easter Sunday, 1958, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr spoke about the controversial conviction and execution of a young black man, Jeremiah Reeves.

He said, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Reverend King’s words remind us that we must collectively work together if we want to live in a world that rejects fear and evil. That to drown out evil we must actively smother it with love and kindness. We must shine light where there is darkness. We must practice love where there is none, for the opposite of love is not hate, rather it is apathy. Speaking out against hate takes courage, but it is that very courage to stand for what is just and good that brings out the best in our community.

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You may have heard the phrase, “the only thing necessary for evil to flourish is that good men do nothing,” which is actually the paraphrasing of a speech given by the philosopher John Stuart Mill to the University of St. Andrews in 1867, almost a hundred years before Reverend King’s speech. When we are confronted with actions or speech that are contrary to the values of our community, Mills said that it is delusional to think we can do no harm by remaining quiet, because evil needs nothing more than good natured people to remain quiet in order for it to flourish. He goes on to say that we cannot call ourselves a good, caring, and embracing community if wrongs are committed and then choose to not use the means at our disposal to speak against them. Because when we do nothing, those wrongs will have, de facto, been committed in our name.  Silence is akin to consent, and apathy is a choice to ignore a cry for love and kindness when it is needed most.

Since these heinous acts were committed, there has been an outpouring of support toward Pensacola’s Jewish community. We are proud that Temple Beth El was Florida’s first recognized Jewish congregation; we are grateful for the contributions made by our Jewish brothers and sisters toward Pensacola’s growth and prosperity; but more importantly we are indebted to them for their love of this community and efforts toward making Pensacola a more just and equitable place for everyone to live and prosper. The Pensacola Jewish community deserves to receive our support, love, and kindness right now, and for the goodness of our own soul and honor, we need to provide it in the most visible and strongest terms.

We must not allow the acts of a few misguided souls to define our community. Instead, let these incidents be remembered because Pensacola stood for what is right and good. Let us drown out the noise of hate and bigotry with a cacophony of love and kindness, and let the world know that the people of Pensacola stand by their own.  Let us choose love instead of apathy and shine light where there is darkness. Let us live up to our own aspirations of being a community that respects and honors each other regardless of race, creed or religion, and stands together in solidarity when the dark clouds of hate threaten our neighbor.

Capt. Tim Kinsella, USN (Ret), is executive director of the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz Center for Leadership at the UWF College of Business.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Anti-Semitic hate in Pensacola will not win Guestview