Anti-Semitism: What is it?

Considered hatred of the Jews, and also Israel

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The late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously remarked, “I know it when I see it,” referring to obscenity.

When it comes to defining anti-Semitism, it’s not difficult to see that it is mostly considered discrimination against the Jewish people and often extends to a hate for Israel, according to Jewish leaders and organizations.

Beginning in biblical times, the ancient Hebrews were periodically persecuted because they refused to adopt the dominant religion of the kingdoms where they lived. With the advent of Christianity, a new form of anti-Judaism developed, as the Jews’ refusal to accept Jesus Christ as the messiah was seen as a threat to Roman rule and the new religion.

Rabbi Steven Graber, the spiritual leader of Temple Hillel in North Woodmere, said that anti-Semitism has been a known phenomenon ever since an Egyptian pharaoh — as documented in the book of Exodus — enslaved the ancient Hebrews and then tried to eliminate them. That story is recounted each Passover.

“I would define anti-Semitism as a baseless and irrational hatred of Jews, often expressed through a hatred of Israel,” Graber said.

In 1873, Wilhelm Marr, a German political activist, coined the term anti-Semitism in his treatise “Judaism over Germanism.” Marr’s theory was that the Jewish people were conspiring to run the state and should not be citizens.
Anti-Semitism, according to Rabbi Nochem Tenenboim, spiritual leader of the Chabad of Hewlett, prevents some Jews from practicing Judaism, which should not be socially acceptable.

“For the Jewish people, this term is a big part of our history,” Tenenboim said. “Anti-Semitism has existed since the time we had received the Torah, but the reasons behind this prejudice have changed over time.”

A large reason for the change is Israel itself. Established in 1948. after the Holocaust, when six million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany, the Jewish state’s existence has given many reason to broaden the boundaries of what is termed anti-Semitic.

“Anti-Semitism is hostility, prejudice and/or discrimination against Jews,” said Avi Posnick, managing director of the New York chapter of StandWithUs, an international Israel education organization. “At StandWithUs, we also unfortunately see that some criticisms of Israel end up crossing the line into anti-Semitism. We believe that rhetoric that demonizes Israel, delegitimizes Israel or holds it to a double standard is a form of anti-Semitism.”

The Anti-Defamation League defines anti-Semitism as “the belief or behavior hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews.”

Etzion Neuer, the director of community service and policy and a deputy director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that definitions can be limiting, and the tone and framework are critical to understanding whether words or perceptions are truly anti-Semitic.

“When seeking to understand whether an incident, image or attitude is anti-Semitic, the textbook response is often insufficient,” Neuer said. “Nuance and context are far more important. Certain things are sarcasm, satire or humor. If a remark is uttered by a serious TV news anchor, it’s different than if a comedian on Comedy Central says it.”

Graber said that throughout history and across the globe, Jewish people have been forced to live in ghettos, forbidden from certain professions and sometimes forced to convert, leave or die. He added that the Crusades (1095-1291), the Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834) and the Holocaust (1933-1945) are three of the most horrifying examples of anti-Semitism.

“When I was a child, anti-Semitism usually took the form of hate speech from my peers, which they undoubtedly learned at home,” Graber said. “They would substantiate their vicious words, which sometimes were followed by fists, by claiming that I, as a Jew, was inferior, that I, as a Jew, was stingy and immoral, and that I, as a Jew, had killed their God.”

The rabbi said that in the past few years, anti-Semitism has taken the form of anti-Israel rhetoric through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, in which anti-Israel groups push colleges, companies and governments to stop doing business with Israel and importing of Israeli products.

“Palestinian propagandists, using anti-Semitic rhetoric, have worked diligently to delegitimize the state of Israel and to deny the Jewish people’s historical and religious connection to the land of Israel,” Graber said.

Tenenboim noted that Passover — which begins on April 10 — is considered the “holiday of freedom,” and is a time to promote freedom, to increase the number of Jews engaged with Judaism and to ensure that every Jew can take part in traditional customs. “It is a time to reflect on the real freedom the Jewish people had once experienced,” Tenenboim said. “Freedom from slavery, freedom from hostility and freedom from prejudice.”

Have an opinion or story on anti-Semitism you want to share? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.