One might be inclined to say that it is. But I think we need
to pause and consider what antisemitism actually is. Here are my thoughts.
While I support the widely recognized International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition - which describes antisemitism as ‘a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews’ and can manifest as rhetoric or physical actions directed at Jews or Jewish institutions (including comparisons of Israeli policies to those of the Nazis) - I do not agree that these perceptions are rooted in our genealogy. We are not hated because of some sort of ‘Jewish gene’!
Leaving out religious hatred (in the past from Christians. And currently from our Arab cousins) I believe antisemitism in western culture is rooted in hatred for the biblical morality we ‘foisted’ upon the world, starting with the events at Sinai. In other words, it is ultimately a hatred of the God of the Bible. A Bible we gave to the world. A Bible that impedes human liberty in ways many do not understand and certainly do not wish to honor.
Viewed this way, one can better understand the commonality
between the antisemitism of Nazi Germany and that of today’s progressive left.
Both promote their own moral frameworks and reject the Bible - viewing it not
as a source of light, but as the root of the world’s problems.
(Before I continue, I want to make absolutely clear that I do
not in any way equate progressives to Nazis. Nazi Germany was pure unadulterated
evil. Progressives are not evil. Just misguided. I am only comparing one very important
element which is common to both.)
The first thing Nazi occupiers did when they entered Jewish
communities in Europe was to burn every Sefer Torah they could find, along with
volumes of the Talmud and other sacred Jewish books. They humiliated and
tortured rabbis in front of their communities. It wasn’t just Jews they hated -
it was Judaism itself.
Nazi ideology held that the only way to rid the world of
Judaism was to eliminate the people who had perpetuated Jewish morals and
values for over two millennia — and who would continue to do so unless they
were eradicated.
What about Christianity and the Catholic Church? The Nazis
believed it would be far easier to dismantle a faith that focused on worship
only one day a week — in contrast to the Jews, who lived their faith 24/7/365
for thousands of years. Jews couldn’t be changed. Once the ‘source’ of biblical
values was gone, they reasoned, their own Nazi utopia could rise above and
replace any spiritual benefit the Church offered.
In our day, progressivism is the dominant philosophy
rejecting biblical morality. The more progressive the society, the more likely
it is to view Judaism - not just Jews - unfavorably. The values of the Bible
are anathema to progressives. The more a Jew adheres to the Bible’s values, the
more animosity he will receive from the progressive world.
This helps explain why so many Jews today are antagonistic
toward the Jewish state. That antagonism stems from their alignment with
progressive values. Their idea of a ‘Jewish’ state has nothing to do with Torah
values. Instead, they look to cultural icons like Beyoncé, Lizzo, and Dua Lipa
as role models — rather than to Sarah, Rivkah, and Rachel.
To such Jews, only a progressive Jewish state can be
considered truly Jewish. That’s why they were so supportive of Israel in its
early days - when the state’s founding leaders were socialists with progressive
ideals. But as Israel has moved away from socialism, progressives have become
increasingly critical. Israel no longer reflects their values, making it a much
easier target for criticism. Buying into the Palestinian narrative aligns
naturally with their disillusionment toward a government they see as abandoning
progressive ideals in favor of more traditional ones.
Claims that Israel is deliberately starving innocent
Palestinians, that its prime minister is a warmonger, or that Israel is
committing genocide are just small steps away from a broader resentment of a
country that no longer shares their values.
Many Jewish celebrities are unified in their condemnation of
Israel. They are insulated from being labeled antisemitic — after all, they are
Jews themselves. But the truth is, they are antisemitic. Nebach!
Sadly, they don’t even realize it.
To paraphrase what R’ Chaim Soloveitchik once said about a
person indoctrinated from childhood to be an atheist: ‘Nebach an apikores is
still an apikores.’ Likewise, Nebach an antisemite is still an
antisemite. These Jews have rejected the values of the Torah - which is
what ultimately defines us as a people.
The more progressive the Jew, the more likely they are to
have an anti-Torah agenda — even as they believe they are pursuing the one part
of the Torah they still identify with: social justice.
If one sees antisemitism as opposition to Torah values, this
goes a long way toward explaining why so many Jews have been as harshly
critical of Israel as some of its worst enemies. With Bernie Sanders leading
the charge. Based on this understanding, Sanders is an antisemite - despite
being born and still identifying as a Jew.
Jews like this are quick to criticize the Israeli government.
Especially now that it has long since rejected progressive ideals in favor of
conservative ones. They are also quick to believe and spread unverified or
outright false reports from Gaza about IDF ‘atrocities, which the media has
been pushing since October 7th.
Take one recent glaring example: the UN recently reported
that 94% of all food delivered into Gaza was either stolen by Hamas or
taken by mobs who stormed the food trucks. In other words, Israel is not
deliberately starving Palestinians. It’s Hamas, along with local gangs and
desperate crowds, that are preventing equitable distribution of food — leaving
the elderly and infirm with almost nothing.
And yet, even this morning, I heard a CBS reporter accuse
Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war — repeating a lie that’s been
echoed again and again in the media. A lie swallowed by world leaders,
politicians, and celebrities - spread with fervor and repetition. But missing
from their rhetoric is one essential truth about who is responsible for all of
it: Hamas.
When confronted with that fact, their response is often
something like: “We know Hamas is evil. But Israel is still to blame for the
starvation.”
You never hear them mention who started the war. Or
Israel’s undeniable right to defend itself.
What you do hear - constantly - is the claim that
there must be a Palestinian state. As if that would somehow change the
hearts and minds of Palestinians who believe we stole their land and would
commit genocide against us if given the chance.
Meanwhile, American public opinion has turned sharply
against Israel since the war in Gaza began.
Who can blame them, when they’re being fed a steady diet of
anti-Israel propaganda by a progressive media, progressive celebrities, and world
leaders that insist on blaming Israel for Hamas’s crimes?
