Waging a war against hate: Antisemitism on the rise yet again

The Holocaust ended 78 years ago. Not 500 years ago, not even a century ago, but 78 years ago. It is not ancient history. According to Atlanta Jewish Times, as of 2022, there are still 50,000 Holocaust survivors alive. Despite this fact, it seems as though society has somehow already forgotten what happens when we let antisemitism gain a little too much traction.

Antisemitism, the hate of the Jewish people, is nowhere near a new phenomenon. It has been rearing its ugly head since biblical times with the enslavement of the Jewish people in Egypt, which is where the story of Passover comes from. Its prevalence has ebbed and flowed, and it’s starting to flow again. People who uphold strong antisemitic views have once again been given a platform, and the Jewish people have found themselves in an all-too-familiar position.

With today’s technology, everyone who has an opinion also has a voice. Social media is great for connecting like-minded people, but this means it’s also an excellent vessel to spread hate.

“I view it more as an increase in the vocalization and the visibility of antisemitic acts rather than an increase in the amount of antisemitism out there,” said Rabbi Michael Joseph of Temple Shir Shalom.

Prominent social figures such as Kanye West, or “Ye,” are spewing antisemitic messages, and

Story by Lindsay Schindler Picture by Anna Glass

people nationwide are picking up his rhetoric.

Gainesville is no exception to this. In February of this year, an unknown group set up a booth on the University of Florida’s campus with a sign that read “Ye was right.” In October at the Florida-Georgia football game in Jacksonville, an unknown person projected a statement saying Ye was “right about the Jews” onto the outside of TIAA Bank Field.

Yet again, a powerful person known for their anger is prompting people to turn on the Jewish population. Social media allows for local issues to become national issues and national issues to become local ones, so nowhere is exempt from this hateful message.

Modern technology, Rabbi Joseph said, has given people the ability to utterly and completely destroy the life of not just another person, but an entire group of people. We have to form a new social consensus about how we will use such a tool before it’s too late.

“The whole culture has to work for a better understanding of free speech and responsible speech,” Rabbi Joseph said. “This is not just a problem for the Jewish community”

The future remains unclear, as this new wave of antisemitism is confusing and difficult to navigate. No one knows the direction it’s headed in, so it’s hard to take action.

“I have a family,” said Shelby Rosen, a 36-year-old parent from Newberry. “I have young kids. I don’t want them to grow up in an environment like this, but I don’t even think it’s a physical environment.”

Rosen has two children, ages 4 and 7, and hopes that their generation will understand the power of social media better than we do.

Her grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and she is afraid that her children will one day experience the same hate her grandparents did. The same hate with a more powerful platform is even more dangerous, and all she can do is hope that hate never reaches the same magnitude it has in the past.

“It’s [hate] all around us, there’s nowhere to hide even if we wanted to,” she said. “All I can do is hope I’m living in the right area.”

Grady Svetly, a 21-year-old University of Florida student, says has witnessed more antisemitic acts in Gainesville than he has in his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I think that there’s been such a rise in antisemitism here not because people are more antisemitic than before, but because people don’t know what it looks like,” he said. “I’ve found that on this campus, people don’t know the difference between antisemite and anti Israel.”

Svetly believes politics play an enormous role in many people’s distaste for the Jewish population. Israel as a nation and the Israeli people are often viewed as one entity, when they are in fact separate. The people of the nation have no say for their government’s actions, but it is all too easy to lose distinction between the two. As the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict wages on, political opinions begin to cross boundaries.

Gainesville is home to groups of people from a wide variety of cultures, and the university is overflowing with information. Without a critical lens for the media, it can be hard to sort through information and form one’s own opinion.

“People put out polarizing headlines just to make a profit,” Svetly said. “You can really change opinions that way.” up about 19% of the undergraduate population. There’s power in numbers, but there’s also more people to direct hate toward. Student organizations such as Hillel and Chabad work to make their students feel safer.

“My parents get worried about me, but I feel safe here,” Svetly said. “There have been safe spaces made for Jewish students. I know people who may not feel safe when they go home, but here they do.”

Hate is not a new concept for the Jewish people. Antisemitism has a long history that is likely far from over, but this also means that the Jewish people have learned how to tolerate it. While things may seem scary at times, it’s not time to panic.

Jews have a level of thick skin, said Rabbi Joseph. They have learned how to dismiss comments intended to hurt them, as this has become a sort of survival technique.

I'm on FireBall

Ingredients:

Ice

2 ounces fireball

5 ounces ginger ale

A dash of cinnamon

Red sprinkles

A few hot tamales

One rocks glass

Icing/ something to stick the red sprinkles to Edible gold flakes

Directions:

On a college campus, people are constantly being berated with information, and without a careful eye, it can grow difficult to sort through.

UF in particular has a large Jewish population. According to Hillel International, there are around 6,500 Jewish undergraduate students on UF’s campus, making

Antisemitism and its extensive history is scary, sure, but it can also be almost reassuring. The Jewish people have survived hate in the past, and they will do it again. There has always been a base level of mistrust for the Jewish people, it is simply finding its way into the limelight once again. But lights can be turned off, and all hope is not lost.

“I haven’t lost my faith that things can and will get better in the realm of human relations,” Rabbi Joseph said. “We [Jewish people] just have to live that long.”

For this flaming hot drink, take a rocks glass and dip the rim in icing. Once you have the rim coated in icing, you can dip the glass into red sprinkles. After the rim is coated, put as many hot tamales at the bottom as you desire.

Pour 2 ounces of fireball and 5 ounces of ginger ale into your glass. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

Once you have your drink ready, feel free to add little designs such as edible gold flakes or a dash of cinnamon.