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Israel
and the Rise of the "New" Anti-Semitism
Rabbi David Zaslow
June, 2004
Someone
recently said, "Everyone who criticizes Israel these
days gets accused of being anti-Semitic." I told him,
"That's not true. The most intense criticism of Israel
can be found in Israel itself. Israel is a thriving pluralistic
democracy founded on Torah values. Self-criticism is not just
a right, but a moral obligation." What's the difference
between legitimate and passionate criticism of Israel and
the kind that gets labeled by non-partisan watchdog groups
like the Jewish Anti-defamation League as anti-Semitic? It's
simple: if the criticism is offensive due to hyperbole (i.e.
Israel is fascist state, Sharon is like Hitler, Zionism is
racism, the Israelis are rapists, etc.) then the comments
are justifiably called anti-Semitic.
Secondly,
if a double standard is being applied to Israel that is not
applied to any other nation, then the statement is subject
to scrutiny. For example, there are dozens of nations that
call themselves Christian, and dozens of other nations that
call themselves Moslem. There are a handful that call themselves
Hindu or Buddhist nations, yet none of these nations are accused
of being "racist" because they proudly wave the
banner of their particular religious majority. Yet, there
are those who proclaim that "Zionism is racism"
simply because one tiny, sliver of a nation proudly proclaimed
itself to be a haven for Jews fleeing persecution after the
Holocaust.
Many
of us grew up at a time when much of the world's anti-Semitism
came from the far Right. Ideas about the Jews controlling
the media and the banking system, and other conspiratorial
fantasies were plentiful. Today, much of the current wave
of anti-Semitism is coming from the far Left, and statements
of Israeli "racism" and "Nazi-like brutality"
are plentiful. Left or right, it really doesn't matter - extremism,
hyperbole, and false accusations are destructive forces. Extremist
Arab propaganda would have the world believe that Israel is
the root cause of the conflict in the Middle East.
As
Haim Harari recently wrote, "The millions who died in
the Iran-Iraq war had nothing to do with Israel. The mass
murder happening right now in Sudan, where the Arab Moslem
regime is massacring its black Christian citizens, has nothing
to do with Israel. The frequent reports from Algeria about
the murders of hundreds of civilians in one village or another
by other Algerians have nothing to do with Israel. Saddam
Hussein did not invade Kuwait, endanger Saudi Arabia and butcher
his own people because of Israel. Egypt did not use poison
gas against Yemen in the 60's because of Israel. Assad did
not kill tens of thousands of his own citizens in one week
in El Hamma in Syria because of Israel. The Taliban control
of Afghanistan and the civil war there had nothing to do with
Israel. The Libyan blowing up of the Pan-Am flight had nothing
to do with Israel..."
The
bottom line is that Israel, like America, is despised by extremists
for its pluralism and democracy. The last thing Al Quaida
wants to see is a thriving union movement in the Middle East,
or a thriving ecology movement. Imagine the welcome that feminist
ideas or gay rights are receiving right now in Saudi Arabia
or Iran. The excuse that Israel (code word for "Jews")
is the root of all evil is simply a smokescreen for the fear
of the internal transformation that the Arab and greater Islamic
world is now going through. This is a transformation not unlike
the Reformation and Age of Reason that Europe experienced
a few hundred years ago. May those who are working for change
within Islam itself be strengthened, blessed, and protected.
May those who are working for peace, pluralism, and democracy
in the Middle East prevail.
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