This is the lesson once again to be learned. As the philosopher George Santayana is reported to have observed “those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” When anti-Semitic events in the United States since Thanksgiving, are considered, the seriousness of this remark should be obvious. It is clear how Jews are perceived and have been treated throughout the ages.
Similarly, it has become readily apparent over the past month that expressions of and tolerance of anti-Semitism are rampant. Without apologies in many circles, anti-Semites are being befriended and accepted. Their racist speech is being laughed at or dismissed and friends in high places are not taking them to task.
Admittedly, the world has changed since the 1930’s when the Nazis rose to power while the world turned inward and largely ignored European anti-Semitism as merely a recurrent fancy. Once again many of the major and most prominent political leaders, public intellectuals, and religious clergy are not condemning today’s reprise of the ancient canard. Anti-Semitic tropes are proliferating and spreading today across the insidious and uncontrollable social media space; ironically now facilitated by the “richest” man in the world, Elon Musk. His recent purchase of one of the leading outlets and disseminators hate, Twitter has enabled the problem the speech to proliferate. Not merely the purveyors of anti-Semitic speech. It is those following on the heels of similar associated language espoused by White supremacists and other spewers of hate speech, which the expected critics are unwilling to attack or condemn.
No Republican political figure should be permitted to avoid calling out former President Donald Trump—by name. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy were permitted—when they finally arose to say something--to condemn anti-Semitism and those who meet with anti-Semites without calling out Trump himself. McCarthy condemned the conduct of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar without addressing the anti-Semitism flowing forth from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and the association of Representative Paul Gosar with Holocaust deniers. The public domain remains so polarized and hostile that political leaders are unwilling to address the most odious of public behavior if there is the slightest portion of their constituency which will be negatively affected. Even the Republican Jewish Coalition equivocated until it finally attacked Trump directly.
Similarly, where are the voices of the non-Jewish clergy, pro-Israeli Evangelical preachers, and Black ministers condemning the blatant racial attacks and stereotyping being bandied about in the public domain? One can recall how vigorous were their voices when Blacks, women, and LGBTQs were smeared and attacked. (It is already having repercussions in hiring practices. See hiring Jews at resumebuilder.com )
In the entertainment world and among athletic icons, there are very few recognized figures who have stepped forward to address the behavior and the speech of Ye, Dave Chappelle, Nick Fuentes, or Kyrie Irving. It is largely the retired “old-time’ sports figures whose reputation will not affect their earning capacity who have spoken out to condemn anti-Semitism. Did every one of the highly educated and extremely clever associates on Saturday Night Live believe that Chappelle had a license to speak so hatefully on network television without any pushback? Some humor is not funny.
Jewish leaders generally moved rapidly to condemn Trump’s dining with Ye and Fuentes. The former president’s lawyer and ambassador to Israel David Friedman was immediate and outspoken in attacking Trump for his inappropriate actions and failure to properly redress his errors. There were other right-wing Jewish leaders—institutional as well as well as rabbinic—who were late in condemning Trump. It will be curious to watch in the months ahead how Orthodox Jewish leaders—who were Trump’s major Jewish supporters in his presidential campaigns-- position themselves in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
The incoming and former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was late to condemn Trump personally as well. He first only addressed the issue and not the actor himself. In light of the rise of anti-Semitism, many Jews, and by extension pro-Israel congressional supporters—especially Democrats--will be conflicted with how to deal with a new hard-right Israeli Government seeking to make its pleadings in Washington.
Ironically, this political debate could produce a major confrontation between Israel as well as Diaspora Jewry. It could also ignite an internal debate among American Jews between anti-Semitism versus anti-Zionism, which has not been present in the Jewish World since before the Six-Day War. Similarly, this discussion will have political ramifications in matters involving aid to Israel as well as American electoral politics.
Perhaps the saddest part of this recent barrage of anti-Semitism is the frank realization that hating Jews is never far away. Bigotry and prejudice of all kinds are the lowest form of public conversation. As the late historian Robert Wistrich often remarked, anti-Semitism is the “longest hatred that civilization has ever known”.
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