Antisemitism and Israel: An Old Hatred Revived

Antisemitism is arguably the longest collective hatred in recorded human history, and that fact in itself means, that there is no connection between this old plague and the modern state of Israel.

Antisemitism existed when the Roman Empire destroyed the then Jewish state with the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Roman historian of the period Tacitus referred to the Jews in terms which today would be defined as Antisemitism.

Antisemitism existed during the Crusades, when entire Jewish communities in Germany and France were destroyed by the Crusaders on their way to the ports departing to the Holy Land.

Antisemitism existed when the Catholic Church in Spain unleashed the Inquisition against the thriving Jewish community there.

Antisemitism existed when Martin Luther, the founder of the Reformation, called to “burn” the schools and synagogues of the Jews.

He said – and centuries later, Hitler did.

On many occasions, Antisemitism existed also in Muslim-dominated lands.

We can go on and on, but the historic picture is clear: Antisemitism is endemic, and its logical outcome is, therefore, that the very existence of a collective of Jews who define themselves in national, ethnic and religious terms, hence claim their indisputable right for independent statehood in their historic homeland is an anathema to the “right” order of things.

A challenge to long-held notions about the Jews – in sum, something that is unnatural – should be resisted and, in the end of the day, be eliminated.

Israel’s very existence then becomes illegitimate in the eyes of the haters, and when put in an historic context, this state of affairs is not an aberration. Rather, it is the norm, as it follows 2,000 years of recorded antisemitism.

That said, there are three very significant points to be emphasized, so that we can fully assess the current state of affairs.

First, antisemitism has never been a universal phenomenon. Not ALL Catholics during the Inquisition, not ALL Protestants during the Reformation, not ALL Muslims during the Al-Muwahhidun atrocities in Spain, hated the Jews. Not All the Germans during the Nazi period hated the Jews, and far from ALL the Muslims, including Palestinians, hate the Jews today.

Second, the state of Israel is not as isolated as its opponents describe it, and it has an array of productive relationships with over 150 states in the world.

Third, there are those who manage to put a distinct wedge between their opposition to certain policies and practices of Israel, and sheer, blatant antisemitism.

However, there are so many haters. They come from both the right and left wing; they are members of almost every religious community in the world. They are vocal; they are sincere in their motivation; and they are dangerous.

The fact is that Israel is the only state in the world whose very existence is called into question. This is pure antisemitism.

So, it is incumbent upon Israelis, Jews abroad and all people of good will to take seriously the screams of anti-Semites in Charlottesville, the threats of Iran to ‘’erase’’ Israel off the map – and also those who pretend to be only anti-Zionist, not anti-Semites.

To be anti-Zionist is to deprive the Jews the God-given universal right to exercise their national and religious existence in their homeland.

THEN the Jews had nowhere to go in times of impending and actual calamity.

NOW they have. It is called Israel.

Terms to know

Zion synonymous with Jerusalem,

Zionism an international movement begun in the 1890s for the return of the Jewish people to Zion, the land of Israel. antisemitism a perception of Jews expressed as hatred.