John Chuckman
EXPANSION OF COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN BREITBART
“British Baroness Tonge Blames Israel, Netanyahu for ‘Reigniting’ Hatred Against Jews”
She may well be right. Her statement is not something to be casually dismissed. It does seem to me that you cannot assert increased anti-Semitism in the world while at the same time instantly rejecting a quite plausible explanation for its rise.
Yet, that is just what we see being done in article after article and speech after speech. Yes, they say, anti-Semitism is growing fiercely, but, no, Israel’s often-appalling behavior could not possibly have contributed, and for anyone to say that it did, just represents more anti-Semitism.
I don't know how anyone can see Israel's horrors in Gaza and not think they would exert influence on the attitudes and perceptions of many people. It could not be otherwise.
Of course, it is important to keep in mind that Jews are not the same as Israelis. Most of the world’s Jews do not live in Israel, but it is Israel itself which insists on blurring the distinction in so many matters, including its latest racist-tinged laws, its efforts to inject itself into Jewish affairs in other countries, and in its incessant pressure on Western governments to pass unjust laws equating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.
But I still question the whole idea of appreciably increased anti-Semitism in the world. I read a good deal of the press every day, and I see very little credible support for the notion.
It is unproved, being supported only by "stats" generated by diligently pro-Israeli organizations, the idea of widespread anti-Semitism being a founding principle for Israel and a key element in its defense by all supporters.
We have some very revealing events in the recent long and terrible campaign against Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour Party. It was a campaign marked by all the ugly features of the late Senator Joseph McCarthy’s campaigns in 1950’s America against “commies in government.”
The campaign against Corbyn was nothing less than a witch hunt by a minority who regularly hurled accusations of anti-Semitism against a thoroughly decent and fair-minded man, all without ever a piece of supporting evidence. Indeed, a couple of times, what proved to be embarrassingly spurious “evidence” was produced. Someone actually busied themselves producing such things.
The pressure was so intense, Corbyn was forced to win his leadership a second time, which he handily succeeded in doing. We even saw the Prime Minister of Israel join the attacks (directly interfering in another county’s politics) with statements which proved he did not know what he was talking about. So, important recent experience demonstrates how readily charges of anti-Semitism are used as a tool for political advantage.
Why was Corbyn, a man with a lifelong record of decent and fair behavior, so viciously attacked? Because his views on Israel and Palestine are also decent and fair, and that really isn’t allowed by some.
In today’s political environment, when we hear charges of anti-Semitism or blanket statements about rising anti-Semitism, we have every reason to remain skeptical. We have a number of ugly examples of the words being unconscionably used for political advantage.
The inconsistencies and the effort at cheap exploitation of the terrible crime in Pittsburgh are simply appalling.
I am always distressed by senseless killings. We have far too many, a sad reflection on the human condition.
But just because one obviously sick man said something about Jewish people has nothing to do with the assertion of increased anti-Semitism.
When Anders Breivik slaughtered about 70 children in Norway, one of the most terrible crimes of our lifetime, did people immediately start talking about a rise in hatred for children? The talk about Pittsburgh and anti-Semitism really does make as much sense as doing that would have made.
I could cite many instances of hideous crimes by sick people - Columbine, Las Vegas concert shooting - but it should be obvious that generalizing from any of them about numbers of people is completely wrong-headed.
I feel fairly confident in saying that talk here about rising anti-Semitism exploits the crime in Pittsburgh to provide cover for other, even larger, crimes - in particular, Israel's ongoing military ambushes in Gaza, shooting literally thousands and slaughtering about two hundred unarmed people. It is just utterly unethical.
Readers may enjoy:
https://chuckmanwordsincomments.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/john-chuckman-comment-my-definitive-points-against-the-ongoing-shabby-effort-to-conflate-criticism-of-israels-behavior-with-the-prejudice-of-anti-semitism-those-two-things-are-no-more-the-same-th/
AFTERWARD
Mike Pence, in his appearance at Pittsburgh, brought with him a Rabbi from the organization, Jews for Jesus, an organization many American Jews regard as offensive and as merely a gimmick for evangelizing Jews. It was an exercise in bad taste by both Pence and the Rabbi.
The Rabbi managed to offend even further by invoking prayers for the Republicans Party in upcoming midterm elections. It was the trashiest injection of politics and personal views into a terrible event that I recall.
Clearly, the fact is that there are always people ready to politically exploit tragedy. Here was the Vice-president of the country doing just that.
