A SICK WORLD - II

The corona virus is not the only virus to appear on the world scene. COVID-19 will eventually be eradicated, but the virus of anti-Semitism, which has mutated in various  forms throughout history, has again become virulent. When the Jews did not feel safe and were oppressed, enslaved, expelled and massacred, it was in places and at times when there were unstable and traumatic conditions  among the populace.

Contrary to antisemitic claims, the Jews have never considered a doctrine of supremacy and world domination. Unlike Christianity and Islam, they do not seek converts. In every country in which they settled, they have proved themselves to be decent, law-abiding and industrious citizens - contributing in every way to its welfare and prosperity.

When things go badly and people cast themselves as the victims they search for scapegoats to blame. The scapegoat of choice has long been the Jews. It is easy to blame Jews because they are both conspicuous, and a minority. For over one thousand years, they were the most prominent non-Christian minority in Europe. Today, the state of Israel is the most significant non-Muslim presence in the Middle East.

The mutation of anti-Semitism  in today’s world can be defined in many ways as anti-Zionism. It is more acceptable for people to project their anti-Semitism sentiments onto the state of Israel, whilst referring to themselves as anti-Zionists.

The Palestinian Arabs have forged a phony history of their own, while using every means to erase indisputable historical facts, such as the presence of Jews in their homeland for the last 3,000 years.

There is a growing amount of anti-Israel propaganda, not only in Arab Palestinian textbooks, but also in high schools and universities - including maps which delegitimize the Jewish ties to Israel. The fast-paced information arena of the digital age, has proven a hotbed of fake news,  falsified videos, and incitement, demonizing Isael.

Since Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion made his decision, against all odds, to proclaim the birth of a new state in 1948 - no other country in the history of mankind has had to continually struggle in order to survive. No other country has been in a permanent state of turmoil. No other country has had to forfeit the fruits of victory after facing wars of aggression – not once, but three times! To compound the injustice, no other country was required to make concessions to its enemies after defeating them! As I wrote in a previous blog, other nations when victorious on the battlefield dictate peace terms. But when Israel is victorious it must sue for peace. Israel is called upon to make concessions, to be generous, when no other nations has voluntarily yielded a bare outcrop of land to others.

Anti-Semitism has little to do with Jews, and everything to do with dysfunction in the communities that harbour it. Blaming the Jews is not going to heal society.