Old-Fashioned Jew Hatred Is Back
As the violence between Israel and Hamas escalates, anti-Semitism fills Internet boards and in some cases, it spills out on the streets. Animosity towards Israel is bringing out anti-Semitism on levels not seen since Nazi Germany.
A recent Palestinian poll from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy has shown that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians want to eliminate the State of Israel. By routinely portraying Israel as an angry, evil, colonialist entity without a moral compass, Palestinians and their supporters have chosen to seek Israel's total destruction by delegitimizing the Jewish state and the Jews who live there. A commonly proposed "two-state solution" is not serious when advocating Israel's total destruction.
By utilizing various Pallywood propaganda techniques, Palestinians have routinely wooed world opinions against Israel, and then channeled the anger from perceived injustices to alienate the Jewish state. But, is this merely about Israel or is it just good old-fashioned Jew hatred? A recent Anti-Definition League survey found that anti-Semitic attitudes are persistent and pervasive around the world.
Recently in France, two synagogues were surrounded by an angry pro-Palestinian mob chanting "Death to the Jews." Anti-Semitic attacks have been reported throughout Paris including beatings, stabbings, and a firebomb being hurled at a synagogue.
In Germany, thousands of activists marched into downtown Frankfurt to scream about Israel's actions against Gaza while holding signs reading, "You Jews Are Beasts."
Rabbi Moshe Ohayon of the Jewish community in Casablanca, Morocco was brutally attacked while walking to synagogue. Why? Because he's Jewish.
Even in American cities such as San Francisco, pro-Palestinian activists can be heard chanting: "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free." Anyone familiar with the regional geography is aware that this is nothing more than a covert way of saying ‘destruction of Israel!'
But unlike in the past where anti-Semitism would sprout up once in a while, the Internet has made refuting anti-Semitism a daily chore. While activists continue to claim they are not anti-Semites (they're just against the occupation!), their anti-Israel diatribes are becoming less covert and are now manifesting as blatantly anti-Jewish rhetoric.
Anyone with an Internet connection and some spare time can anonymously post vitriolic Jew hatred on message board after message board without fear of reprisal for what they really thing about the Jews. Vile hashtags such as #HitlerWasRight and #HitlerDidNothingWrong recently trended on Twitter.
One would assume that easy access to information would eliminate many of the rhetoric and blood libels of old. Instead, the anti-Semitism has now donned the mask of science.
Many activists have taken a liking to a recent and flawed study about the genetic connection between the ancient Khazar society and the Jews. Despite the numerous flaws in this theory, Palestinian activists routinely cite this as proof that today's Jews are not really the descendants of the biblical 'Chosen People' and therefore don't have a legitimate claim to the land of Israel. There is absolutely no point to this argument other than to legitimize Jew hatred.
It is one thing to support a State for the Palestinian people. It is another to use vitriolic hate speech to delegitimize Israel and the Jews who live there. This hatred is clearly not directed solely towards Israel, as the angry attacks are indiscriminately perpetrated against world Jewry. In the information age, anti-Semitism is able to spread farther and faster than ever before.
Therefore, it is imperative to call out anti-Semitism immediately, before it spreads uncontrollably, and tell the purveyors of such vitriol: "Never Again!"
