What’s up with this new anti-Semitism?

Growing up in New York City, I didn’t have to face the level of hate and anti-Semitism that existed throughout the Western world. But, there really is no escape from hate no matter where you live.

When I was a young teenager, I often went to the Bronx Zoo, not to see the animals but to pick up girls. One day, while walking through Bronx Park with a friend, we came across a couple of girls and began talking to them. Suddenly, the girls informed us that they could not talk to us any further. Why we asked. The answer . . . my friend and I were Christ killers.

Where did these girls learn this? They eventually admitted that this was something their priest taught them, Jews were Christ killers.

But hate is not a one way street. While attending a synagogue before my Bar Mitzvah, my spiritual leader, the rabbi, suggested that we not play with non-Jewish friends because they are not to be trusted.

My real education about anti-Semitism came from WW2 when, as a young boy, I heard the stories of Hitler, the Nazis, and the extermination of 6 million Jews.

When the war ended and I learned that the Jews were to have their own homeland, I was happy. Of course, I was young, naive, and didn’t understand the ramifications of a Jewish state. I had not yet been told about the Nakba in 1948, when over 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes, many killed in the process, in order to allow the Zionists to claim possession of that territory as part of the Jewish state. Honestly, even if I was aware of the Nakba, I’m not certain I would have had much sympathy for the Palestinian people. I understood that Jews had been the target of hate for hundreds of years and that having their own land, a safe haven, was necessary.

Meanwhile, while the Palestinians were driven from their land, the world was silent.

Since 1948, the Zionists have continued to spread the boundaries of Israel through the establishment of illegal settlements, land for Jews only. These Israeli settlements were located in what was Palestinian territory, causing thousands more Palestinians to have been rendered homeless. Many were relocated into camps.

The world remained silent.

For decades, Israel’s policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide was protected by the West—the U.S., England, France, and Germany. There are three factors that explain this. One, the shared guilt among these nations regarding the Holocaust of WW2, two, their reluctance to be labeled anti-Semitic, and three, Israel is the eyes and ears of the West in its imperialistic goals in that area of the world and serve a crucial role. They are also a client state of the U.S., an entity that will involve themselves in acts that the U.S. would rather not be associated with. Jews were now the “In Group.”

Israel, during the decades of ethnic cleansing, successfully hid its brutality behind the Holocaust. Israel portrayed itself as the victim and its mantra was that they were defending themselves from hostile forces. With the Western countries trumpeting that message, they were never held accountable. In other words, Palestinian resistance to Israel’s brutality was defined as aggression. Once again, the narrative cast the Zionists as the victims and the Palestinians as the perpetrators.

However, during the summer of 2014, Israel overplayed its hand and destroyed a large segment of Gaza, including schools and hospitals while killing over 2,200 Palestinians, most of them innocent and unarmed. Over 500 children were among the dead.

The world finally responded with disgust and a program that included boycotting of Israeli goods, divestment of investments in Israel, and a call for sanctions against Israel (BDS) began.

But Israel was not to be denied. This global movement to confront Israel’s treatment of Palestinians was redefined by Israel as acts of anti-Semitism.

That kind of response is a discussion stopper leaving the accused nowhere to go. I’m reminded of an incident when I was a teacher in a Harlem junior high school. It was an all boys school and being in Harlem, all the students were African-American and I, white. While teaching a physical education class of about 90 boys, one young man was acting out, creating a disturbance. When I confronted this youngster, he yelled at me, “You’re picking on me because I’m black.” Since all the students were black, needless to say, I was temporarily speechless.

Israel and its Zionists have successfully redirected everyone’s attention away from their crimes by making any criticism an issue of religious prejudice. For those critics who are not Jewish, they are labeled anti-Semites and for those critics who are Jewish, we are self-hating Jews. The essence of our concerns are never addressed.

Are there anti-Semites in the world? Of course there are. Are there anti-Semites who are part of the BDS movement? I assume so and I would not be surprised if there were.

Let us look at President Obama’s 7+ years in office. I have been critical of many of his policies and actions. Does that make me a racist? I am not challenging his heritage, I am challenging his policies. Are there people who criticize him because he’s black? Definitely. But that doesn’t negate the legitimacy of the arguments against his policies.

The same holds true for Israel. To criticize the Zionist ethos and the policies that flow from that ethos is not the same as being anti-Israel because Jews live there.

There are people who are using Israel for political advantage. In Britain, they are focusing on the BDS movement and defining it as an anti-Semitic movement and, therefore, a criminal activity. Right here in the U.S., we have our own Hillary Clinton who, after receiving millions of dollars from Haim Saban, a strong supporter of Israel, has assumed a fanatical position in her support of Israel. She has called the BDS movement, a statement of anti-Semitism and has vowed to lead the fight against it.

Israel is a political entity and a national construct. It has little to do with religious doctrine, ethos, and customs. It is no different an entity than is the U.S. The U.S. is a Christian dominated country who, let’s say, if they so desired, could declare this a Christian country (which some have attempted to do in the past). This would result in non-Christians (Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists, etc.) becoming second class citizens or being forced out of the country all together. As non-Christians, those who remained would likely not be afforded full citizenship and full rights and protections. After all, the goal of this country would be to eliminate all non-Christians so that it would truly by a Christian country.

If the world expressed criticism of this country, would that constitute anti-Christian sentiments or would it most likely be seen as a criticism of the nation state’s policies?

Those who accept the Zionist program, by its very nature, must accept the ethnic cleansing program that follows. You cannot have a Jewish state without ridding the land of those who are not Jewish. That became evident from the very beginning when the Zionists forced over 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and villages.

To criticize this program may make one an anti-Zionist but certainly is not an example of anti-Semitism. To portray those who are disgusted with the Zionist program as anti-Semitic is a maneuver to close discussion and redirect the conversation to accusation and defensiveness over a non-issue. It’s a strategy that allows the pro-Zionists to avoid responding to the crimes they have committed in the past and continue today.

BEING ANTI-SEMITIC USED TO REFER TO PEOPLE WHO DISLIKED JEWS. NOW ANTI-SEMITIC REFERS TO THOSE WHOM THE ZIONISTS DON’T LIKE.

Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.