Antisemitism

It's 2022 and I'm writing on the rise of antisemitism. What is happening?

The ADL posts an index of Anti-Semitism based on survey questions. They post the questions and results publicly. https://global100.adl.org/map 

Another is a chart tracking "harassment, vandalism, and assaults" on Jews in the U.S. between 2012 and 2021: https://www.statista.com/chart/9128/anti-semitic-incidents-are-surging-in-the-us/

When World War 2 ended, many of those from the Sudetenland were relocated to Dachau-Ost. There's even a main thoroughfare called "Sudetenlandstrasse." Situated about 15 minutes by city bike from the concentration camp of Dachau was my grandparents house. I visited the concentration camp often and have been moved through the years by its brutalities and how those brutalities were either tolerated, ignored, or celebrated by those in its proximity. The establishment of the state of Israel was, in part, a way of helping the Jewish diaspora heal from the antisemitism they faced abroad.

Like any other ethnic group, Jews are not a monolithic block. Ben Shapiro is very different than George Soros. When looking at any ethnic group, it's important to realize that within that group there are various personalities, beliefs, and systems of thinking. Labeling a group can be a convenient path to reductionism. This does not mean that groups aren't distinct. It just means their group distinctions aren't necessarily the most helpful in intercultural interactions. To ignore those distinctions invites ignorance. Equally, to assume that a distinction equates to uniformity is lunacy.

Stereotypes exist for a reason (see Sowell's work on Race and Culture). But they can also become scapegoats and tropes for blame. Societies create outsiders upon whom they can place their fears, insecurities, and hate. Hate is real. And people have the capacity for hate. Hate also poisons those who foster it in their lives. Hate is not just a viral killer of others, it kills the host as well.

Let's speak plainly: Antisemitism is evil and wrong. I am not Jewish, but I will defend the rights of all Jews everywhere. There is no place for antisemitism in the world. 

If the Rwandan genocides taught us anything, it's that ethnic hate isn't limited to Jews. Any group can hate another. And some groups are hated across borders (gypsies/Roma peoples in Europe or indigenous mountain tribes in South America). But the mistreatment of Jews specifically has a long and infamous history (infamous meaning "causing or deserving severe public condemnation; heinous.") 

My sincere hope is that this will be the last post of this nature I'll ever write. My concern is that it will not be the last. We should be vigilant against the hate in hearts that poison.