The Proof is in the Pudding

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (JC) 

As I often say European antisemitism is a fact of history whose legacy continues to this day. Not only in obviously antisemitic East European countries like  Poland, but even in so called civilized West European countries like the UK.

The opposite is true in the United States.

Several articles have appeared in the media recently that validates this perspective. From JTA: 

Centuries of Christian anti-Semitism led to the Holocaust, the Church of England said in a new report that called for repentance.

“God’s Unfailing Word: Theological and Practical Perspectives on Christian-Jewish Relations,” which was released last week, also asked Christians to accept the importance of Zionism for most Jews.

The report, more than 140 pages, calls the Christian-Jewish relationship “a gift of God to the Church, to be received with care, respect and gratitude, so that we may learn more fully about God’s purposes for us and all the world.” 

It’s nice to hear words of contrition from a people that has admitted it and seeks to change things in a positive way. Even though Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis criticized the report for not dealing with Christian attempts to convert us, it is nevertheless a huge step in the right direction. And it clearly shows that antisemitism was part of European Christian culture for centuries.

Sadly, the reality on the ground in that country has not changed. If anything things have gotten worse. Antisemitism is not only alive and well. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of one the UK’s two main political parties is an antisemite. His denials to the contrary notwithstanding. 

The same Rabbi Mirvis who commented on the Church of England’s contrition - broke precedent and warned British voters not to vote for Labour precisely because of Corbyn. Is Corbyn really an antisemite: Here is what Rabbi Mirvis said about him: 

 “(H)ow complicit in prejudice would a leader of Her Majesty’s opposition have to be in order to be considered unfit for high office,” adding: “Would associations with those who have openly incited hatred against Jews be enough? Would support for a racist mural, depicting powerful hook-nosed Jews supposedly getting rich at the expense of the weak and downtrodden be enough? Would describing as ‘friends’ those who endorse and even perpetrate the murder of Jews be enough? It seems not.” Come the December 12 election, “the very soul of our nation is at stake,” 

Pretty damning stuff if you ask me. But not all that unexpected considering the historic European religious hatred of the Jew. This does no absolve the right in the UK. They have had more incidents of antisemtism than the left. Both parties have in that in common.

What about the claim that Labour is the party that Jews proudly called their political home believing it to be ‘the party of diversity, equality and anti-racism’? I believe that this was all just surface tolerance. That deep down they don’t really care all that much about us. That will certainly be the case if Labour wins the election scheduled on December 12^th.

What about the United States? Are the American people any better? How does this country really feel about us? That might be answered  by the fact that 60 communities in 19 states are wooing Jewish individuals and families seeking to relocate from where they live now (mostly New York): Yes, Jews are considered assets worth fighting over.

What about the political parties here? Are they antisemitic? Hardly. That Republicans are pro Israel hardly need be said. Just as they are supportive of issues that matter to Orthodox Jews. Issues that align with the values of the Torah. Which is what Judaism is all about.

What about Democrats? Are they antisemitic? I don’t see how anyone can say that considering that there are so many Jewish Democrats in powerful positions that are well respected by members of both parties - even as they may strongly disagree politically. 

Ironically, even though I lean politically conservative, it is the liberal Democrat that is really the most tolerant of difference. Orthodoxy does see liberal tolerance going too far in the sense that they tolerate the intolerable. (Such as seeing gay sex between 2 consenting males as perfectly fine.) Nonetheless it is precisely championing that kind of tolerance that gave us the support we got when we needed it. It was the liberals that opposed Nazi Germany the most back in Hitler’s day. It was the liberals that protested the way German Jews were being treated in the 30s. Conservatives were content to leave Hitler alone as a Bulwark against the rising tide of communism back then.

What about American history with respect to antisemitism? Sure, there was plenty of that in the past. But it was never part of an organized government policy. Nor was it ever a part of the America ethos. What about Christianity’s hated of the Jew? While the America credo is informed by the Judeo-Christian values of a shared bible (their old testament which was the focus of the Pilgrims), it is not informed by the antisemitism of the Christian ethic that accompanied it in Europe.

The founding fathers saw to that from the very beginning. It was ensconced in the constitution. Their forefathers, the Pilgrims, came here because they too were persecuted for their beliefs. Unlike the Europe they left behind the Pilgrims understood religious prejudice and wanted to eradicate it from the very start. Which is why, unlike Europe, America has no official religion.

So while there has been a rise in antisemitic attacks here, I am still firmly convinced that the soul of the American people considers us their equals - and even admires us. Desiring us to live among them. Jeremy Corbyn would not stand a chance here. The rise in antisemitic attacks here are committed by a small minority that hates us and are now more motivated to act. But they are the very few among the many.

This is how I see Europe. And this is how I see America. And the evidence for this has never been clearer.