Where Do American Jews Go From Here?

The DC murders testify all too clearly that extreme and violent anti-Jewish politics have passed from screen to reality. And while such politics have by no means captured American public opinion. Some Americans favorably disposed to Israel have simply wondered about the war aims, particularly in Gaza, which Israel has not always articulated coherently. But simple extremism and anti-Semitic prejudice are making inroads. As the great Zionist founder Vladimir Jabotinsky wrote in a critical 1913 essay on anti-Semitism in Russia, the spreaders of blood libel did not persuade the more respectable folk to adopt this position fully. But their incessant repetition of the calumny raised just enough doubts to make the allegations appear respectable. A similar process seems to be underway now as anti-Semites who are “just asking questions” get more and more play in the fractured media environment.  Read Full Article »