The broader impact of Antisemitism: beyond just targeting Jews
December 4, 2023
The sharp rise in antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 Hamas massacres in Israel was just the latest in a disturbing trend. It is imperative that we acknowledge this dangerous phenomenon as not simply a reaction to the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, but as the unadulterated, murderous antisemitism it truly is. The world must understand that antisemitism is not just a threat to Jews. It is indicative of a greater problem deeply rooted in society’s core values. Under the guise of progressive discourse, this cancer has been allowed to grow within academia and among the elites of Western society. Until Oct. 8, when the first pro-Hamas demonstrations began, it seemed impossible that elites would legitimize terrorism and terrorist-sponsored regimes as so-called “progressive” movements. The explicitly genocidal crusade of Hamas and jihadist terrorists, as we recently saw unfold, underscores Israel’s mandate as protector — not only of its own citizens, but of Jews everywhere. Jews all over the world fear being publicly identified as Jews. They fear being discovered expressing their support for the Jewish homeland. Today’s outbursts of antisemitism, thinly veiled as “anti-Zionism,” are a ferocious contemporary expression of the persistently insidious hatred against Jews that has plagued human civilization for centuries, for millennia. Recent events have demonstrated that all portrayals and expressions of antisemitism anywhere must be countered immediately and forcefully. World leaders and university presidents must embrace this definition wholeheartedly and employ it in their efforts to eradicate antisemitism.