How we must fight antisemitism at home and abroad
Antisemitism, the nice way to say, “Jew hatred,” is not an issue that comes from the right or left — it comes from the ignorant. Outwardly hating Jews used to be a position held almost exclusively by the KKK, radical black organizations, conspiracy theorists and Muslims. The first three groups are filled with simpletons, and America used to have a small and quiet Muslim population. As a result, most Americans have viewed Jew hatred as an issue with plenty of history and with isolated instances within our borders as a usually limited issue perpetrated by those with a sixth-grade education.
However, many Jews have always kept antisemitism on the front burner, understanding from history as to how circumstances can change quickly. Before October 7, many of us believed Jew hatred to be a Middle Eastern problem and certainly not an issue that affected the ebb and flow of life in America. When the horrible attacks occurred, no one with an education was surprised, though many were taken aback by the inhuman viciousness of the rapes, mutilations of bodies and victims burned alive. The members of Hamas are rage-filled Muslims, eager to martyr themselves and fully committed to the extermination of all Jews; enough civilian Palestinians support them that they elected Hamas to run their government.
Animals don’t behave in such ways, even when trying to feed themselves during a drought, and the Hamas crimes against humanity far exceed whatever shows up on American media, though some recent descriptions in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere are there for those looking. It was, we believe, the first time in two generations we’ve seen what real Jew hatred is.
Since the Holocaust of WWII, virtually all Westerners have agreed whole-heartedly with the mantra “Never Again.” If we are being honest, however, most of us thought of the saying as respectful of the 6,000,000 innocent souls who perished in the Holocaust, because such a thing could never happen again. Israel seemed very well-equipped to take care of itself, having roundly destroyed every Arab-nation coalition that has attacked and if push came to shove, the United States would rain hell on anyone who attacked our trusted ally. Such notions were wrong and failed to take into account the extraordinary ignorance that has been brewing in this country.
Many Jewish leaders and our Mercury correspondents warned us of the hatred brewing in so many hearts, and to some, it seemed impossible to believe. Americans don’t support people who murder gays and lesbians. We do not back people who are legally allowed to beat their wives, and force them to wear full-body coverings. We would never stand with those who engage in forced marriage of children to men 20 years their elder. No good cititzen of this country would be among the hard-hearted sorts who chop off the hands of petty thieves. Nonetheless, on the surface level, many Americans actually do support these savages.
How can this be? Fortunately, some of it can be attributed to a breathtaking level of ignorance. Journalist Jonah Goldberg recently filed a report on the state of antisemitism, citing FBI Director Christopher Wray who said in October that 60 percent of all religious hate crimes were committed against Jews, who make up 2.4 percent of the American population. Goldberg went on to report an Economist/YouGov poll showed that one in five Americans aged 18–29-years-old think the Holocaust is a myth. An additional 30 percent didn’t know what it was.
Cal-Berkeley political scientist Ron Hassner conducted a poll at his institute, and found 86 percent of the students supported the chant, “From the River to the Sea.” However, 47 percent couldn’t identify the river or the sea. Ten percent thought Yassir Arafat was the first prime minister of Israel. We can only hope for the sake of our nation that very few students are aware that “From the River to the Sea” is part of the Hamas charter, which clearly and in no uncertain circumstances means “murder every Jew, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
How did this happen? The answer is simple: Parents and schools no longer teach their children about the Holocaust. Most American adults are clueless about the history of the region. And almost none understand the reality of the saying: If the Arabs put down their guns, there would be peace. If Jews put down their guns, they would all be murdered.
The laughably-left media certainly seems to be in the Jew-hatred crowd, using their greatest power, which is the “power of omission.” Very few Americans understand that Hamas’ lethal system of underground tunnels was built using stolen materials, sent to build infrastructure for the people in Gaza. They do not understand Hamas’ official-and-in-writing commitment to Jewish genocide. They do not know that for decades Hamas has placed their weapon installations in hospitals and schools, knowing Israel will avoid leveling those institutions. They are unaware Palestinians are free to live, work, and worship in Israel, but Gaza is a no-go zone for Jews. They have no idea that Bill Clinton said, “I killed myself to create a state for Palestinians, and they said no to every offer.”
They don’t know these things, because much of the media omits them from their reporting, and parents/schools aren’t teaching them. Within two weeks after the October 7 slaughter, the media switched the narrative to make Israel the aggressors, and they launched their support of a cease fire, which was a fool’s errand. As thinking readers know, Israel has to eliminate and deter threats to its security; it fights with the memory of the Oct. bloodbath and a longer understanding of atrocities Jews have faced for thousands of years — and survived.
As readers know, we like to offer solutions to public policy challenges. In particular, we have to address education issues. Hence, we wish to recommend feature films that should be in front of every schoolchild in the country. Our special associate, Ron Small, is an expert about much concerning the topic of the Holocaust and educating the public; he reached out to Talli Dippold, now the CEO of Holocaust Resource and Education Center of Florida, who gave us three film names: Schindlers List; The Pianist; and Sophie’s Choice.
Mr. Small has his own experience in this field and has four documentaries that he is offering at no charge for all who read this. These are available:
To Auschwitz and Back – The Joe Engel Story
Surviving Birkenau – The Dr. Susan Spatz Story
From the Holocaust to Hollywood – The Robert Clary Story
I Danced for the Angel of Death – The Dr. Edith Eva Eger Story
The password for all these films is Mercury.
We trust that local schools will get involved and show the above films to their students. Let’s stand up for the truth and remind all those of the Jewish faith that they are not alone. We can combat ignorance within our shores with education; threats to Jews in Israel and elsewhere will require a battle that Israel can win, and we must give that nation our full support. Never again will we say we did not know about the threats that always bubble under the surface and require our eternal vigilance.
