As long as there are Jews, antisemitism is going nowhere.
We are currently in the midst of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It has several names, including the holiday of matzah or spring or freedom. We definitely do eat a lot of matzah. My father said that in Germany, they would bake 15 kilos, half of which they would give to their non-Jewish neighbors who looked forward to this once-a-year delicacy. Let’s grab on to the holiday of freedom aspect. The reference to freedom obviously refers to the Exodus: the Jewish people leaving the bondage of Egyptian slavery. The first night (or two nights outside of Israel) includes a “seder” which recounts the events of those days and their relevance for us in our time.
Last week, President Trump selected a new antisemitism envoy, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun. While I do not oppose efforts to either eradicate or punish antisemitism, I think that much of the effort misses the point of the problem. “Antisemitism” is a very sterile way of saying “Jew hatred”. There are people who hate Jews all of the time; there are those who hate Jews depending on their personal situation or what’s going on in the world. The recent explosion of Jew hatred in the West was triggered by, of all things, the worst Jew killing since the Holocaust. Normally when a country experiences a tsunami or devastating hurricane, there is world-wide sympathy for those affected. And while many in the “civilized world” definitely expressed great regret and sympathy for Israel and those affected by the pogrom, there was a major outpouring of Israel and Jew hatred, ostensibly in response to many Jews being tortured, murdered and taken captive.
The idea of dealing with antisemitism is premised on the phenomenon being some type of logical behavior. I had a professor who told a story of his working in a New England mill during one summer in college. One of the workers picked up a cold Pepsi and declared to all present that the liquid on the outside of the can had come from inside the can. Another summer hire made an effort to explain that the liquid was condensation of water from air on the very cold metal surface of the can. The debate went several rounds until the burly worker slugged the uppity student. In this case, one could ostensibly have given a quick chemistry lesson to the mill worker and maybe at the end he would have accepted that condensation was a real thing.
The problem with antisemitism is that it is a visceral hatred that defies all proofs and historical references. Showing how much Jews have given the world or how Jews have contributed to the wealth and success of the United States since before the Revolution is meaningless. The Germans knew that sidelining the Jews in academe and industry would retard their progress, yet they did so anyhow. Antisemitism may be based on religious beliefs or claims that the Jews are too wealthy or that Israel is making for a genocide. All of the proofs dispelling such claims always fall on deaf ears.
Anyone who is honest would say that Hamas’ actions on October 7th, 2023 were genocidal: they came to kill any and all Jews that they could. They did not go only after soldiers, and their rape, torture, and mass murder fit well within the parameters of genocidal activities of previous generations. Israel, on the other hand, has made a veritable business out of warning Palestinians to move away from certain areas of Gaza so as to avoid upcoming attacks. Never has a nation made such efforts (SMS messages, phone calls, knock-knock duds on the roof, fliers, drone warnings) to get people to move out of harm’s way. Revised Hamas numbers show that 72% of casualties were military-aged men. Now, go ask the zanies on campus or those trying to harm patrons of Jewish restaurants who is involved in genocide. You will get a very simple answer: Israel!
And this is the historical problem of Jew hatred: it is impervious to facts, reality, or explanation. My father told me that in his old home town, after the war, a boy set a wire across a street and when a GI drove by in a Jeep, he was decapitated. Another soldier shot the boy as he ran. When they took him to surgery to save his life, he screamed not to give him any blood, for fear that he might be given Jewish blood. His behavior and those demanding in sterilized language of “intifada revolution” are identical. During the intifada, when my arm was bleeding from two screws from a suicide bomber, I went back to get my bag so I could call my wife and give her the worst update in history. Near my bag I saw a body on the sidewalk. Its face was completely blackened, with only the eyes looking out. I thought it was the bomber, so I gave it the full benefit of my Chicago vocabulary. In truth, it was one of the three Jews murdered that afternoon. The fellow went out from a toy store to run an errand and never returned. The other two were a young couple, she was pregnant with twins.
Antisemitism is impervious to treatment and correction. Yes, there are individuals who were rabid antisemites who today have changed. But the overall hatred of Jews will be there forever. Who knew that college kids, including Jews, hate Israel and other Jews so much? Before the Hamas killing spree, the hatred was held to intersectionality classes but not open as it is today. In the US, Europe, and Australia, Jews are finding out that they are hated when in the past they considered themselves an integral part of their countries and communities. My father, who was 12 at the time, remembered looking up at their blown up apartment (it was above the dynamited synagogue) on Kristallnacht and seeing the same neighbors who would say good morning every day stealing what was left of their belongings. While most Americans and people of good spirit throughout the world have shown their support for Jews and Israel, the hatred experienced in the West is of a level not seen since the Nazi period. People like Douglas Murray and the authors at this website have spent eighteen months making sure that the truth gets out and not let the Jew haters rewrite history or distort the truth for their benefit. Antisemitism cannot be eradicated, but it can be confronted, shown to be based on lies, and where relevant, punished.
If the West does not get a grip on the antisemitic volcano, Jews will—as Jews always have—look to where they can be safe. I hear a lot of French in my neighborhood during the past two years. You can look at the countries that have few to no Jews, and they are all losers. North Korea, Syria, Iran, Egypt either have no Jews or have very small Jewish communities, some persecuted. Europe has chosen the Muslims over the Jews; let us hope that America does not make the same mistake.
Envoy Kaploun, good luck and happy holiday.
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