WHERE do people come up with this? “For the moment, most of the American public seems free—solidly free—of the anti-Semitism that infects American universities. According to the most recent Gallup poll, seven in ten Americans view Israel favorably, up substantially from the 47 percent that viewed it favorably in 1991 around the time of the first Gulf war.”
-Ruth Wisse in ‘Mosaic’, May 4, 2015
WHAT does liking Israel have to do with anti-semitism? Many Jews don’t view Israel favorably. So what? Are they all anti-semites? How is it that the ONLY litmus test of anti-semitism has become Israel? How is it that Israel has become the sole defining feature of anti-semitism?
The Israel issue has colonized American Jews, so that anti-semitism has been re-defined as “viewing Israel unfavorably.” And that has NOT helped the cause of anti-semitism. The definition of anti-semitism has been so broadly defined, in order to create an illusion of vast legions of anti-semites, that Israel is the sole issue that people ask about, so that actual anti-semites can run wild, because the notion of what is “anti-semitic” has become so broad.
This tendency is insane. It means we cannot trust anything when it comes to discussing anti-semitism. So long as everyone who views Israel unfavorably is the bar by which anti-semitism is judged…the ability to confront anti-semitism has been lost…because anti-semitism has to be fought not on the “do you like Israel” playing field, but on the “do you hate Jews” playing field.
And don’t tell me anti-Israel views are a cover for anti-semitism. That is precisely the reason real anti-semitism must be ferreted out, so that it cannot slither around and run wild among the anti-Israel crowd, or even the “I view Israel unfavorably crowd.” I mean, I view most salads unfavorably, but I don’t hate lettuce.
Seth J. Frantzman - author - analyst 