Monday, June 1, 2009

Anti-Semitism 101 (and the Zionist canard)

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The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.



- Elie Wiesel (bio)


The novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand, whose family was victimized by virulent anti-Semitism in Russia, provided a prescient principle that will enable us to begin this inquiry with focus and precision:
"The truth or falsehood of all of man’s conclusions, inferences, thought and knowledge rests on the truth or falsehood of his definitions."
- Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology,
p. 65


One of the greatest incorrect assumptions of our time is that most people know, and accept, the same definition of the term “anti-Semitism.” If 100 (or 1,000) people were gathered in a room, and each was asked to define it, it is unlikely that more than a handful would match – or be correct, beyond saying “a hatred of Jews.”

The fact is that anti-Semitism is far more complex and pernicious, and is unlike any other prejudice or hatred that has ever existed.

For a superb introduction to this issue, read
Seeing Anti-Semitism In 3D, by Natan Sharansky. Also, invest ten minutes to see this terrific video, "The Path To The Final Solution":


Another good starting point is here :

Many critics of Israel vehemently deny that their views are in any way anti-Semitic.
Yet a close analysis of their actual statements often reveals that the definitions and perceptions upon which they are based are direct offshoots of the same acidic premises and double-standards that, for two thousand years, have spawned hatred and oppression of Jews --- and most recently, of Israel.


Thus, we need clear definitions of both “ant-Semitism” and “Israel-hatred,” against which the assertions and evidence contained on Huff-Watch and elsewhere can be measured.

This is especially true in the case of young people in America and throughout the world, many of whom are (a) unaware of these definitions, and (b) are most susceptible to indoctrination and peer-pressure campaigns intended to cause them to blindly accept anti-Semitic and Israel-hating premises and beliefs. (Although many attribute these indoctrination and peer pressure campaigns solely to white supremacist groups and Islamist governments, regimes and terrorist organizations in the Middle East, such campaigns are increasingly evident in Western Europe, on American college campuses, and elsewhere.)

As you review this article, it is worth keeping in mind that despite being only a miniscule minority of the world's population at any given time, Jews have, on a per capita basis, made more significant contributions to the advancement of science, technology, the arts and other vital areas of human endeavor, than any other ethnic group in history (1, 2). Some speculate that this distinction is one source of the historic and ongoing animosity towards the Jews and Israel.

CONTENTS:
(1) A definition of anti-Semitism

(2) Examples of pre-1948 statements reflecting anti-Semitism


(3) Examples of post-1948 statements reflecting anti-Semitism


(4) The Zionism canard


(5) The new anti-Semitism
--- and "the leftist-Islamist convergence"

(6) Modern-day examples of radical Islamist anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and Israel-hatred


(7) Conclusion: How this all relates to Huffington Post

Addendum items






(1) A definition of anti-Semitism


Merriam-Webster defines “anti-Semitism” as “hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group.” (As Jews do not constitute a race, we will leave that part alone.) Let’s take a look at the constituent words that comprise this definition:
“Hostility” is defined as “deep-seated ill-will; conflict, opposition, or resistance in thought or principle.”

“Discrimination,” in this context, is defined as “prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action, or treatment.”

“Prejudice” is defined as “preconceived judgment or opinion; an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge; an instance of such judgment or opinion; an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics.”

Based on the above, we will initially define anti-Semitism as:
The act of pre-judging, discriminating against or denouncing Jews, either individually or collectively, based on a lack of – or in spite of – factual knowledge concerning their history, religion, ethnicity, actions and/or motivations. In its most vicious outgrowth, it also means urging, perpetrating and/or justifying of violent acts against Jews or their property, either individually or collectively, on the same basis.

As indicated in this definition, those who make anti-Semitic statements and/or commit anti-Semitic acts should be divided into two distinct groups:
  • Those who are ignorant of relevant facts, and accurate context, and who have been manipulated into harboring anti-Semitic beliefs and/or perpetrating actions based on them.

  • Those who know, or who have an obligation to know* basic facts concerning Jews and their history, yet either (a) deliberately propagate/justify anti-Semitic beliefs and/or actions – or (b) stand silent while others in positions of influence do so.
    (*e.g. reporters, news editors, politicians, intellectuals and others who in any way deal with Israeli and/or Jewish issues, as part of their profession)





(2) Examples of pre-1948 statements reflecting anti-Semitism


The following are some of the most common accusations and slurs at the root of historic anti-Semitism (and still are, throughout the Middle East). They have served as the basis of the discrimination, oppression, violent acts against, and mass murder of Jews throughout the world for more than two thousand years, almost without interruption:
  • That Jews are not human; they descend from pigs or other swine.

  • That Jews believe that their religion is superior to others. (This accusation is leveled while ignoring the fact that each major religion seeks to inculcate the belief that it is superior to others --- including, if not especially, Judaism)

  • That due to their nature or religious training, Jews are greedy, manipulative, cheap (e.g. bad tippers in restaurants), and always seek to cheat others in business dealings.

  • That throughout time, Jews have conspired to employ nefarious means to take over vital industries and institutions, particularly regarding finance, news and the arts.

  • That due to their religious beliefs, Jews routinely engage in horrific acts of savagery* against those of other religions – such as murdering Muslim children and draining their blood to bake their matzoh (unleavened bread), engaging in the systematic rape of Muslim women and children, etc.
    (*These accusations are often referred to as “blood libels,” because those to whom these lies are directed, primarily young adults, are often encouraged to exact violent “revenge” – and they end up doing so.)

  • That Jews are violent by their nature, and are “warmongers”; that they perpetrate unprovoked violence against other cultures, and trick nations into attacking one another.

  • That Jews, by their nature, conspire to subvert the cultures in which they are allowed to live --- thus making them so universally unwelcome, and hated.

  • That due to all the above, Jews have been the primary cause of most or all the major problems and wars in the world --- and thus, hatred of and oppression against them is at least somewhat, if not fully justified.

The following are superb writings for the beginner on the history, expressions and outgrowth of anti-Semitism:
The Coordinating Forum For Countering Antisemitism: Antisemitism Through The Ages

Natan Sharansky: On Hating The Jews

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Introduction To The Holocaust

U.S. Department of State: Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism: A Report Provided to the United States Congress (summary here)

Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism

MORE:


"Anti-Semitism: Hitler's Rise to Power" (Britannica.com; 2:59)


"Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution'" (Part 1: BBC; 9:52; also see parts 2-5 here)


"The Association Between Naziism and Arab Anti-Semitism" (7:44)







(3) Examples of post-1948 statements reflecting anti-Semitism


In the aftermath of the Holocaust, and the establishment of the state of Israel in the Jews’ ancestral homeland, the following accusations and slurs have been used as justifications for the continuing campaigns of hate, discrimination and violence against Jews in general, and Israelis in specific:
  • That Jews seek to deflect from any criticism of them, by using false or overblown claims of what they, their ancestors or their loved ones suffered at the hands of the Nazis, Communists, and/or other militaristic, anti-Semitic entities.

  • That along the same lines, Jews and/or Israelis claim justification to use the same savage barbarism and oppression they suffered at the hands of the Nazis, et al, against anyone whom they claim is an enemy or threat --- including collective punishment, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

  • That despite comprising only a small percentage of the U.S.’s population, Jews “own” its government, and dictate its foreign policies – a status they achieved through bribery, threats and/or intimidation.

  • That all Jews’ primary loyalty is to Israel, and will support it without criticism or question, even to the detriment of the nations in which they live.

  • That due to all the above, Jews are and have been the primary cause of most or all the major problems and wars in the world; and thus, hatred of and discrimination/violence against them is at least somewhat, if not fully justified.







(4) The Zionism canard


“Zionism” refers to the advocacy among Jews and non-Jews alike for a safe, secure existence for Jews in their ancestral homeland, which culminated in the development of the state of Israel --- a desire that was first articulated between two and three thousand years ago.

For an introduction to Zionism, see here.

Many anti-Semites and Israel-haters publicly claim that their opposition is not to Jews, but rather, to Zionists (or, as is documented throughout this section of Huff-Watch and elsewhere, via the radical leftists' derogatory term for them, “Zionazis”).

Yet it is notable that these same individuals are strangely silent, or dismissive of the fact that with the exception of Israel, the Middle East is dominated by governments, regimes and peoples who believe:
  • That Muslims are entitled to exclusive ownership of all the lands in the Middle East, and have the right to refuse entry to and/or expel all non-Muslims.

  • That due to the above, they are entitled to destroy the state of Israel – and some, such as the leader of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, openly claim a desire to exterminate Jews from the Earth altogether: “If the Jews would all gather in Israel, it would save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.”

This is nothing new; the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (the leader of Muslims during the 1920s and 1930s) openly admitted that he’d formed a pact with Hitler to help murder all Jews – years before Israel was formed. Thus, if critics of Zionism (or the misnomer “racism”) were honest and consistent, they would express vehement opposition to any and all states that claim they enjoy a cosmic, religious or racial entitlement to land.

This would be especially the case when it comes to Islamists, whose stated goal (via either a “soft” or “hard” jihad) is to conquer the entire world, and place it under the absolute rule of fundamentalist Islam.

For a brief overview of this threat, please see the 30-minute excerpt of a new documentary, "The Third Jihad," below (producer's site here):


July 20, 2009 update: A radical Islamist group met in Chicago, and openly admitted its intention is to destroy capitalism, and replace the U.S. Constitution with sharia law (the Koran), here.

Yet many of the same individuals and groups, who so vehemently claim that their strident opposition to Zionism is not anti-Semitism, are deafeningly silent (if not worse; see below) when faced with:
  • The irrefutable fact that much if not most of their criticisms are based in anti-Semitism.

  • The irrefutable facts concerning the clear, present, mortal threat to their (supposed) values of "liberalism," "diversity," "inclusion," "tolerance" and "peace" --- not from Zionist or Jews, but from radical Islamists.





(5) The new anti-Semitism
--- and "the leftist-Islamist convergence"

The primary emitters of anti-Semitic hatred are Islamist groups – the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, etc.

Within North America and Western Europe, however, the fact is that the bulk of what is referred to as the “new” anti-Semitism is being espoused by radical leftists, and is often identical to that which is created and disseminated by radical Islamists (see next section).

Many people find this assertion shocking, as anti-Semitism is traditionally ascribed to white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, etc. It must be noted, however, that in addition to a hatred of Jews, the Nazis and Communists shared major elements of left-wing ideology: authoritarianism and anti-individualism, onerous regulations over business, personal activities and speech, the welfare state, government-dictated and -controlled education, etc.

Numerous researchers, bloggers and columnists have provided insight into what has now been termed “the leftist-Islamist convergence” (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). al-Ahram Weekly, an Egyptian newspaper, acknowledged this “convergence,” here. “Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam And The American Left,” by David Horowitz, also sheds crucially-important light on this matter.

The anonymous blogger “Zombie” regularly infiltrates, photographs and videotapes demonstrations and protests by radical leftists and radical Islamists in the San Francisco Bay area, in which overt anti-Semitic hate and libels are openly espoused (1, 2, 3, 4). The above photos were taken by "Zombie" at a January 2009 anti-Israel rally, here. "Zombie" also chronicles the global leftist-Islamist convergence (here), and writes detailed analyses of issues of anti-Israeli propaganda and libels generated by radical Islamists, which are often uncritically reported as fact by the Western mainstream media and "human rights" groups (here). (Note: Also see the bottom of Answering The Libels for a detailed look inside the "PallyWood" propaganda machine.)

Other news sources and bloggers have documented this “convergence” throughout the U.S., Canada and Western Europe (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, elsewhere on the Web). One prime example:
Critics of Israel are often quick to insist that they’re not anti-Semitic
just anti-Zionist, anti-“occupation,” or something along those lines. But not these guys: at a protest against Israel in downtown Calgary on the weekend, the Nazi group, the Aryan Guard, showed up to march alongside the Muslims.

Of course, the Aryan Guard is honest enough to admit they just plain hate Jews, not bothering to strain themselves with arguments of nuance. They fit right in on Saturday with their posters of Israeli flags defaced with the accusation “Terror State.”

As Darcey at Dust My Broom notes, the 150 “anti-racists” who came out in force to protest an Aryan Guard march in downtown Calgary last year didn’t complain this time.

In fact, they marched right along with the Aryans, united under the swastika: the Arabs and Communists labeling the Jewish State a “Nazi” regime;
the skinheads hoping to resurrect the Real McCoy.

- United Under The Swastika, by Kevin Libin, The National Post (Canada), January 19, 2009.
Photo source here; h/t AtlasShrugs; more here.

March 31, 2011 update:
Radical leftists at the University of Quebec act as useful idiots for Hamas, Al Qaeda, calling Jewish speaker "Zionist murderer!!!" [h/t Jawa Report]






(6) Modern-day examples of radical Islamist anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and Israel-hatred


This section documents some of the unvarnished statements by "official" political and religious voices on the other sides of Israel's borders --- in Gaza and the West Bank --- as articulated by their sources, or their progenitors.

Here are Hamas's and the Palestinian Authority's little-known, common "solution" to the Israel issue: The murder of Jews, and the theft of the Jewish state

And here are Hamas's words of peace, diplomacy, tolerance, diversity, inclusion, and understanding:
  • "We will not rest until we destroy the Zionist entity" (January 2009)

  • "Suffering by fire is the Jews' destiny in this world and the next... Therefore we are sure that the Holocaust is still to come upon the Jews" (April 2008)

  • "Jews are a people who cannot be trusted. They have been traitors to all agreements. Go back to history. Their fate is their vanishing." (April 2008)

  • "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it... There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors." (Hamas charter, 1988)

Yet Americans are constantly being told that we must support and establish diplomatic ties with Hamas, just as some European nations have, because it is the elected "government" of the Gaza Strip. In fact, the U.S. has pledged and has started to deliver $900 million of American taxpayer money to the Gaza strip, the bulk of which will be controlled and distributed by Hamas.

The following are some of the many reasons why this is a perversion of justice, and can only further endanger Israelis and Jews (also see Answering The Libels):

A famous Islamic scholar endorses Hitler's approach to dealing with Jews
(1:02):


"Anti-Semitism And Jew Hatred Portrayed on Palestinian TV" (4:59)



Hamas TV: Indoctrinating Toddlers In Anti-Semitism
(2:59)



Hamas TV: Saudi Scholar - All Jews Must Be Murdered (1:00)






(7) Conclusion: How this all relates to Huffington Post


Reviewing the documentation here at Huff-Watch of the virulent anti-Semitism at HuffPost may not be enjoyable, but we contend it is a valuable peek inside how it is incited and facilitated by the political left, even when disguised under the auspices of a "nonpartisan," "legitimized" news source (also see Fast facts about HuffPost).

In fact, it we argue that HuffPost's acts and omissions are themselves a form of anti-Semitism.

In his seminal essay Seeing Anti-Semitism In 3D, Natan Sharansky identified three key means of identifying anti-Semitism, especially when it is cloaked within supposed benevolent criticism of Israel: demonization, double-standards, and deligitimization. Although Sharansky hinted at it, we contend there is a fourth “D” that should be added to our definition of anti-Semitism – denial.

And nowhere is this denial more pernicious (or potentially deadly) than in regards to reporters, editors and headline-writers at a (supposedly) nonpartisan “news” website like HuffPost, who are, or should be aware of vital facts concerning Israel, and the history of the Jews – and of their antagonists – yet who:
  • Almost exclusively feature stories that present Israel and notable Jewish figures in an unjustifiably negative light, and accent these stories with inflammatory, decontextualized headlines and photos (here).

  • Choose to source stories from “news” sources with well-documented (or easily-discovered) anti-Israel/pro-Islamist biases --- including the notorious, jihadist-celebrating al-Jazeera (1, 2, 3).

  • Select photos of non-Jewish political leaders --- including radical Islamists --- that make them look normal and positive, while choosing the worst photos of their Jewish counterparts, and editing them to make them appear nefarious (here, here, here).

  • Isolate and vilify prominent Jewish public figures such as Sen. Joe Lieberman*, and hold them to egregious double-standards --- then stand by while this incitement results in anti-Semitic user comments (* 1, 2)

  • Fail to enact safeguards against echoing the staged propaganda that Israel’s antagonists are well-known for producing --- up to and including blood libels --- which has directly led to physical attacks on Israelis and Jews worldwide.

  • Fail to prominently account for the acts of Islamist terrorism that invariably precipitate Israel’s actions to defend its territory and its citizens (here, elsewhere).

  • Fail to prominently post corrections and credible rebuttals to “news” stories when they are later found to exonerate Israel, or at least cast serious doubt on the allegations leveled against it (1, 2, 3, 4).

  • Fail to acknowledge the extraordinary lengths to which Israel routinely goes – as a matter of policy – to protect Muslim civilians from harm, and to provide them with vital, lifesaving aid, during and after its anti-terrorist operations (see here).

  • Fail to dissociate themselves from explicit and implicit anti-Semitic bloggers, and even one who claims that Adolf Hitler had higher morals than George W. Bush.

  • Routinely review, approve and decide to publish user comments containing vicious anti-Israel and anti-Semitic libels and conspiracy theories --- and on some occasions, even urgings, threats or justifications of violence against Israelis and/or Jews (here, here, elsewhere).

  • Censor and/or ban users who attempt to publish defenses of these libels, or identical comments against Muslims/Islamists --- while protecting the most egregious violators of its policies, including spewers of anti-Semitic hatred (here, here, elsewhere).

It is said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. If this is true, and if Americans still cherish liberty, they will take note of the facts contained in this article and throughout Huff-Watch, and make their voices known. Because as Elie Wiesel said --- the opposite of love is not hate... it is indifference. Further, as Edmund Burke said*:
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
(*Commonly misquoted as, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.")
We contend that our culture can no longer remain indifferent to the ongoing, metastasizing assault targeting Jews for being Jews, and Israelis for being Israelis, and for acting to defend themselves against those who wish to destroy them --- regardless of the political label their antagonists wear on their sleeves, or in their minds.

We further contend that any website that has mass appeal, yet which knowingly or negligently allows all the above to occur must be exposed, and held to account for its acts and omissions. And this, ultimately, is one of Huff-Watch's central purposes.





ADDENDUMS

ADDENDUM 1:
Elie Wiesel physically attacked by anti-Semite at "peace" conference


While attending a "peace" conference in San Francisco in February 2007, Wiesel was reportedly "dragged from an elevator and roughed up." Excerpt (emphasis added):

"Until today they used words; now they have switched to violence," Wiesel told Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera. "Their numbers are growing by the day."

The assailant fled after Wiesel began to scream, and police have opened a criminal investigation.

The 78-year-old Holocaust survivor said the incident shook him and that, for the first time since World War II, he felt he was being personally targeted.

"I feared for my life in a way that hadn't happened to me since 1945, before the end of the war," he told Corriere. [...]

"My incident shows a global trend; if society doesn't act immediately against these individuals it will end up encouraging others to do the same," he said. "Every time I make a speech somewhere in the world there is a group of deniers in that place waiting for me."



ADDENDUM 2, Nov. 23, 2009:
Ten middle-school students in Naples, FL suspended for participating in "Kick A Jew Day"


Given today's political climate, can you imagine what would have happened to these kids had they participated in a "Kick A Muslim Day" Or "Kick a Homosexual Day"?


The story is here. Excerpt:
NAPLES — Ten North Naples Middle School students were suspended last week after district officials said they participated in “kick a Jew day.”

District Spokesman Joe Landon said a student told the dean of students at dismissal on Thursday that she was kicked because it was “kick a Jew day.”

The following morning Principal Margaret Jackson addressed the entire student body on the morning news regarding the incident, reviewing the code of student conduct, explaining why what happened was wrong, the need to respect one another and possible consequences, Landon said.


ADDENDUM 3:
A continuing roundup of articles & reports documenting the resurgence and legitimization of anti-Semitism around the world


There is
clearly a linkage between the incitement and tolerance of hatred against Jews and Israel on certain websites (and beyond), and the increasing number and severity of anti-Semitic acts that are being perpetrated around the world:
(2/09) Rise in antisemitic attacks 'the worst recorded in Britain in decades'

(9/09) Anti-Semitism in Spain on the rise

(9/09) Anti-Semites attack in Argentina, Russia

(12/09) French interior minister says anti-Semitism at an alarming level

(12/09) Anti-Semitism in Canada taking on new forms, inquiry hears

(12/09) Study: Anti-Semitism, homophobia on rise in Europe; nearly 25% of Europeans agree with statement, "Jews have too much influence"

(12/09) Global Anti-Semitism: Selected Incidents Around the World in 2009

(12/09) Anti-Semitic slurs erupt at high school basketball game in Philadelphia, including shouts of "Warm up the ovens" against Jewish players

(2/10) Jews Flee Swedish Town in Wake of Anti-Semitism; more here

(3/10) Positioning Israel as the Nazi of Nations (anti-Semitic double-standards and vilification of Israel and Jews by academics, featured in American Thinker)


ADDENDUM 4, Jan. 6, 2009:
New child indoctrination video from Hamas


From Solomonia, which also gives key background info the significance of the child with the bloody hands at 5:00 in, and a pro-Hamas march in Boston:


ADDENDUM 5, January 2011
Film: "Antisemitic Incidents 2010"


This 8:30 documentary by the Coordinating Forum for Countering Antisemitism provides grim testimony of the continuing rise in hate crimes against Jews, throughout the world. How many of these crimes were committed by individuals who were incited, at least in part, by the egregiously anti-Israel bias at HuffPost?



Send tips for new items that you think should be included here to:
huffwatcher1 (at) gmail.com



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