Times they are a-changin'

A couple of days ago, some racists assholes vandalized about 100 gravestones in an historic Jewish cemetery in Częstochowa. They spray-painted them with swastikas and "SS" marks. That, of course and unfortunately, is hardly a new development. However, instead of the usual inaction from the local community, 20 students and the town's mayor went and helped clean it up.

"The fact is, there is anti-Semitism everywhere. But what is also important is the reaction of the rest of society," [Poland's chief rabbi Michael] Schudrich said. "Too often the rest of society tolerates these things. But in this case, the mayor and the young people didn't sit at home and wait for someone else to come clean it up. They came out and made a physical - not just verbal - reaction."

Perhaps its overdue, but it is a step forward.