Anti-Semitism is an emotion tied to the perception of a Jewish threat that does not exist
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK / SHEILA FITZGERALD
SO much for the anti-Semite. Now, one word about his target, the Jew. Is the Jew worse off since October 7?
The second of the two words that characterize the anti-Semite, after paranoia, is confusion. The Jews are “rootless cosmopolitans,” yet the Jews are “capitalists.” Jews have no roots, yet Jews are at the core of society. Confusion is especially rich in 2024. In Gaza, Israelis are the defenders, yet Israelis are the aggressors.
Confusion, as the second term befitting the anti-Semite, originates in the second verse in Balak’s story (22:3): “And Moab was disgusted in the face of the Children of Israel.” Disgust is an emotion. Disgust does not lend itself to rational analysis. Disgust lashes out in different and contradictory directions. Jews are demeaned for not picking up arms, for (enemies say), “They went like sheep to the slaughter” in the Holocaust; yet Jews are demeaned today for doing exactly the opposite, for taking up arms in their self-defense. Confusion. Disgust. Contradictions.
Is the target of this paranoia and confusion — the Jew — worse off today? Has anti-Semitism dramatically increased? Some say it has. Others say it was there all along, but now is coming out. Which is it?
Create a free account to keep reading.
