It is Our Fight
New York Times columnist Bari Weiss has
written an important book about the resurgence of anti-Semitism in America and
Europe. After finishing her book yesterday I attended a meeting at my synagogue
to discuss security preparations for the upcoming High Holy Day services. Yes,
this is the messed up world we live in.
Weiss distinguishes between the anti-Semitism
of the Right from the anti-Semitism of the Left. To me the alt-Right doesn’t
want me to live in America and the progressive Left doesn’t want me to live in
Israel. So where am I to live? I also would make the distinction between low
frequency-high severity incidents like the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue
in Pittsburgh where Weiss became a Bat Mitzvah and the high frequency-low
severity attacks on Orthodox Jews in New York City and Europe. The former are
performed by right win extremists while the latter are performed largely by
African Americans in America and Islamists in Europe. Because they are not done
by stereotypical right wingers, these high frequency attacks make the Jews who
worship at the altar of secular liberalism very uncomfortable. Weiss notes that
half the reported hate crimes in America are against Jews or Jewish facilities.
Before I get criticized for using the
term “Islamist” I would note the experience of the former Somali refugee and
Dutch Parliamentarian, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I had the privilege of meeting her
several years ago. She grew up in Somalia and Kenya and from the get go she was
taught to hate Israel and the Jews. It took a number of years in the West to
learn the error of thinking. Thus it is no surprise that recent immigrants to
Europe are involved in anti-Semitic attacks.
Perhaps most insidious is the rise of institutional
anti-Semitism in academia and in the precincts of the progressive Left. Unlike
the extreme Right that has been given new life under Trump, the anti-Semitic
left is closer to power in the Democratic Party and it has taken over the
Labour Party in the U.K.. In their world
Jews are part of the white power structure and the view demonizes Israel as
oppressors of the Palestinians. So great is their hatred of democratic Israel
is that they view worldwide Jewry as their enemy. To be sure one can have and
does have political differences with Israel, but that is a far cry from calling
for the destruction of the Jewish State as BDS does.
Weiss’ solution in a nutshell is not so
much to argue with the anti-Semites of the world, but rather to live our lives
as proud Jews and stand strong in support of the State of Israel. Note I used
the word state, not government; on that point we can disagree. Remember we are
no longer the cowering Jews of 1930s Europe and 1880s Russia.
My criticism of Weiss’ book is that it
seemed very rushed and in many respects had the aspects of a long magazine
article. Further footnotes and a bibliography would have helped. I am a geek
for sources. Nevertheless Weiss’ book should be read by Jew and non-Jew alike because
as she notes anti-Semitism is a symptom of a very real disease in our
democracy.
The full Amazon URL appears at: https://www.amazon.com/review/R3TQ65B69CJTE6/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
