תושבת מדבר: So You Think That You’re Not Antisemitic

Part I: Anti-semitism-lite. (Scholars call it “normal anti-semitism.” Normal.)

Here are just a few examples.

One man told me that "the Jews" were the source of his former sexism.
A complete stranger told me to be more spiritual—Christianity had taught him that Jews only engage in ossified ritual.
One co-worker thought it was funny to strut around speaking fake German and to shout “Heil Hitler.”
My boss showed me her prayer book. “Since my prayer book is in Hebrew and English, you should worship Jesus.”
A friend urged me to read an "important" book. It focuses on how the "Rothschild Zionists" are controlling human behavior from a secret base on the moon.
One blogger dismissed my fears of anti-semitism because only black people and the very poor are suffering today.

Jews do face racism and bigotry, but not “just like” everyone else. Can you compare the oppression and murder of Native Americans to the oppression and murder of African Americans? Can you see a future in which there will be no hatred of Christians in Central Africa, Armenians in Turkey, Yazidis in the Middle East, or minorities in Eastern Europe? I cannot see a future in which anti-semitism won’t continue to infect every mind.

You may be unable to see that anti-semitism is all around you, but pay attention to how you feel; do you enjoy hating Jews?

You can find the full calorie version of anti-semitism in Europe today. Do you know many Jews have been attacked or murdered in France during the last twelve months? Do you care? On the sole occasion that international media covered an attack in France, the reporter stated that since Muslims can eat kosher food, too, the murder of four Jews in a kosher market was not an expression of anti-semitism. (More about that term, in a future post.)

Jews are leaving France, many to live in the south of Israel, which is regularly targeted by rockets from Gaza. Why might they be moving? Perhaps because “normal” anti-semitism in France is once again growing deadly. In the United States, people want to believe that Jews are safe here. Mostly, they are the same people who say that African Americans should be grateful for all they have.

The politically correct way to be loudly anti-semitic today is to “criticize” Israel. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews; you're talking anti-semitism.” Don't respect that statement simply because MLK, Jr. said it; think about it. If you are willing to accept lies about Israel, is it any different than accepting lies about Jews?

Defamation campaigns on college campuses in the United States have been threatening Jewish students for decades. In the summer of 2003, walking around the UC Berkeley campus carrying a Hebrew textbook was terrifying!

I can't blame people for believing what the media tells them, or fails to tell them, until I discover (once again) that they will cover their ears and howl when I ask them to recognize when "information" is false.

If you are willing to make the smallest effort, you can learn factual history—and yes, it does include events like the deportation from Lydda, but Israeli children know about Lydda while most Americans would be stunned if they read just one page of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

If you feel you can't trust anything Jews say, read what others have to say about the Palestinian narrative. You can learn about Pallywood here.

One blogger posted about a fictional massacre of Palestinians by Israelis. Apparently, someone set him straight, because the next day he posted that the massacre hadn’t happened. One truthful post, but he did not did not seem to regret spreading a lie and hasn't bothered to locate more reliable sources of information. Since everyone else lies about Jews and Israel, why shouldn’t he? (Since then, he has deleted both posts.)

Some people pretend to care about Palestinians. Do they also care about other people who are suffering great atrocities? All over the world. Today.

Some people pretend to care about peace. Do they take time to learn about facts that might allow them to comprehend or to help solve the situation? Do they protest wars in other regions? Or do they just rant and rave about "the Jews?"

Some people, whose ancestors really did steal native lands, seem to feel superior when they accuse Israelis of stealing land and deny that Israelis have a right to live in their homes. Should I explain about Jewish presence in the land for thousands of years or how Zionists went to great lengths to purchase land? Should I tell you the percentage of Israeli citizens who are Arab or how many Arabs are members of the Israeli parliament? Should I point out that there has been no genocide of Arabs? No! You can look it up. But most likely, you'll just say that I'm lying, because well, you can't trust a Jew.

While some claim that people in Gaza are starving, luxury hotels are built and Hamas fires rockets at Israel. Like the PLO before it, Hamas fires rockets from homes and mosques and hospitals, endangering its civilians.

Israel, worried about world opinion, rarely responds to "minor" attacks. When Israel does respond, the IDF drops flyers, warning civilians that there will be an attack. Hamas, of course, does not let civilians leave; dead civilians are a good PR opportunity. See this article about human shields, and this one about media coverage. And also this one about outright lies.

When people in Gaza are killed, the world screams about Jewish crimes, but the world does not care when Jewish or Arab Israelis are threatened or killed. (Yes, there are Arab Israelis. Many.)

Some people insist that Israel should not “retaliate,” i.e., defend its people. When asked about Hitler, Gandhi said that the Jews should let themselves be killed. That is still the "spiritual" person’s answer: let your people die.

How would you like to be told that? Let your people die.

Upcoming posts: