Anti-Semitism Increasing Worldwide
Posted by Frida Ghitis February 05, 2009
First, you had to laugh. The bearded man in the olive green robe held a sign
advocating "Death to All Juice." So, he wasn't the most articulate proponent
of genocide. But the sentiment, expressed during an anti-Israel demonstration
in Manhattan, could not have come across any more clearly. The idea that all
Jews deserve to die is hardly original, but it has become trendy again since
the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Anti-Semitism has
come out of the closet.
Ironically, the Palestinian cause, in whose name the newly brewed venom
flows, is severely undermined by the arguments that say all Jews should die
because Palestinians suffer. Somehow, claims that protesters are motivated
by humanitarian concerns fall flat when their chants scream prejudice and
laud genocide.
For years, critics and enemies of Israel have maintained that they object to
the country's actions and have nothing against the Jewish people. Amid the
furor of street demonstrations, that argument is ringing hollow.
Let's say it again: Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic.
That's especially true during wars, which are moral and ethical minefields.
That Israel is held to different standards than other countries is another --
closely related -- matter. But that is a more subtle form of prejudice. There is
nothing subtle about what goes on today in anti-Israel events.
Anti-Semitism, to be clear, refers to a classic form of anti-Jewish prejudice.
Not, as some have argued, to hatred of all "Semites," including Arabs.
Jew-hatred has boiled over across the world, bringing eerie echoes of the
1930s.
• In the Netherlands, anti-war demonstrators chanted "Hamas, Hamas! Jews
to the gas!" That proved too much for some protesters who walked away as
the crowds broke into applause-punctuated, rhythmic chants of "Hitler,
Hitler." Not all walked away. One member of the Dutch Parliament, Harry
van Bommel, stood at the front of the march amid shouts of "Joden aan het
gas!" echoing similar travesties nationwide. The Dutch Justice Department is
investigating complaints that protesters broke laws against incitement. The
country has some sensitivity to the issue. After all, 80 percent of Dutch Jews
-- more than 100,000 -- were killed during World War II, many of them in
gas chambers.
• In Italy, a labor union called for a boycott of all Jewish businesses. One
disgusted European living in the United States told me, "Maybe they should
just make the Jews wear yellow stars."
• In Venezuela, the Jewish community is under siege by a government-
sponsored anti-Jewish campaign.
• In France, among hundreds of cases of anti-Jewish attacks, several
synagogues have been targeted, some with Molotov cocktails, others rammed
with burning cars. Two kosher butchers were attacked in Bourdeaux.
• In Sweden, a teacher said he wouldn't accept Jewish students.
• In Belgium, burning rags were thrown through the windows of a Brussels
synagogue.
• In Fort Lauderdale, a protester yelled at Jews "You need a bigger oven!" --
a reference to Nazi crematoriums.
The list is endless. My own inbox has become a boutique museum of
intolerance. One writer spoke admiringly of Hitler. "It's a shame he didn't
finish the job," he spewed, revealing more about himself than about Hitler or
Israel or the Jews. Other writers have offered phony, twisted quotes,
supposedly from Jewish texts, seeking to prove the essential argument of anti-
Semitism, that Jews are innately evil and engage in unspeakable conspiracies;
that Jews can never be trusted. These forgeries and mistranslations abound
on the Internet, available to gullible ignorant people eager to give credibility to
their free-floating prejudice.
Others bring up the swindler Bernard Madoff, painting all Jews with the filthy
brush of his alleged misdeeds, deducing from one man's actions
characteristics of an entire category of people, the keystone of all prejudice.
Blaming all the Jews for the actions of one is as absurd as blaming all
Muslims for 9/11.
By allowing their darkest prejudice to color criticism of Israel, protesters also
feed the fears of some Israelis, that they stand alone in a world that would
rather see all Jews disappear. These fears can weaken the country's resolve
to take risks for peace.
If anti-Israel demonstrators think they help Palestinians by attacking all Jews,
they should think again. Bringing back to life the specter of genocidal anti-
Semitism fortifies the far right everywhere, pushing away the chances for
reconciliation.
We can laugh at a vicious, botched call to kill all the "Juice." But the
sentiment sets back our shared humanity and pushes away the prospects for a
peaceful world.
