Antisemitic attacks, death threats on Bloom way out of line



It may just be an unfortunate byproduct of the nasty and hateful cesspool that social media has all too often become these days, but a report that Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom has been subjected to antisemitism and death threats has to be addressed.
In an informative, and entertaining, feature on Bloom in The Boston Globe recently, photo journalist and reporter Stan Grossfeld of the Globe included this alarming paragraph in the story:
"Bloom is reluctant to comment on the rare death threats and an antisemitic slur he has received. He doesn’t want to talk about having trouble sleeping when the team plays poorly or about the migraine headaches he occasionally gets. “I’ve had them my whole life,” he says.
I've been critical of Bloom's roster construction and his botching of the Xander Bogaerts negotiations. I've also suggested that Bloom and principal owner John Henry were never serious about giving Bogey a long-term contract or else the ex-Sox shortstop would have been offered a decent contract a year ago.
I've questioned whether Bloom has any understanding of the Red Sox fan base, given his reluctance to hold on to marquee players, and whether he knows that Boston should never be considered "Tampa Bay North," a reference to his previous team, the Tampa Bay Rays.
But being critical of his baseball moves is one thing --- crossing the line by directing antisemitic slurs against Bloom, who is Jewish, or threatening his life is completely out of bounds.
I've posted numerous columns decrying antisemitism and all forms of racism and hatred, warning numerous times that dehumanizing people with racial and-or antisemitic attacks is straight out of the playbook of the Nazis.
So, when criticizing Bloom, please stick to his baseball decisions.
Let's be perfectly clear: NO ONE deserves death threats or other ethnic or racial attacks. They're completely out of bounds.
In fact, I'd go so far to say that any so-called Red Sox fan who is found to be responsible for them should be barred from Fenway Park for life!
  

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