Tag: Antisemitism

My wife, Lisa, and I recently saw, Giant, a play on Broadway, featuring John Lithgow, the American actor, playing Roald Dahl, the truculent children’s book author from Great Britain.  We had previously seen Lithgow recite by heart some stories by Ring Lardner while playing the roles of the characters in each story.  Quite a performance.  Lithgow performed admirably as the embittered Dahl adapting a British accent in playing this part.

The core of the play, written by Mark Rosenblatt, was an event that took place in August of 1983, when Dahl wrote a book review in reference to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon saying the following: “Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers.” Subsequently, he underscored his comments in an interview with Michael Coren of the New Statesman when he stated: “I mean, there’s always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere, even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on Jews for no reason.”  Despite the fact that Dahl never apologized for his antisemitic comments, his books sold millions of copies during his lifetime.

  In approaching the age-old problem of antisemitism, I have begun my discussion with Dahl to illustrate the complexity of this issue.  Dahl was in Britain’s Royal Air Force during World War II, had been married to the American actress, Patricia Neal, and had found fame and success as a story book writer for children.  He was educated and quite bright so why did a man of such background become not only anti-Israeli, but also by his own admission, antisemitic?

Of course, Dahl is only one person so he represents a mere microcosm to the vaster popular antisemitic tropes heard with much greater intensity presently.   Much of the current anger toward Jewish people started after October 7, 2023 when Hamas led an attack on Israel killing 1200 people and took around 252 hostages into the Gaza Strip.  This act resulted in subsequent bombings by Israel in an attempt to destroy Hamas.  What everyone was seeing on their television screens, however, appeared to be the deaths of many Palestinian civilians with little accounting of how successful Israel had been in wiping out Hamas.  The repeated broadcasts of Israel’s bombing the Gaza Strip resulted in world outrage and condemnation of Israel.

Particularly painful for many Jews like myself was that former progressive groups that many Jewish people had supported were now condemning Israel’s actions.  Younger people, such as college students, were chanting: “Free Palestine from the river to the sea.”   The meaning of this, whether understood or not by those that shouted it, meant abolish Israel as the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea are the geographic locations encompassing Israel.  The irony of this, as I pointed out in an earlier blog, is that Israel more than any other country in the Mid-East treats women with respect and does not persecute those that people that are not heterosexual.  Suddenly, Israel along with being Jewish no longer received the support of young people that could be classified as progressives.

Although President Trump is not an antisemite, a reaction to his refusal to accept the election results of 2020 when he was defeated by President Biden, spawned conspiracy theories that some of his past followers have integrated into their thinking.  Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens are some high-profile people that have taken on far Right positions with their commonality being in denigrating Jews.  Many influencers of their ilk without any evidence to support their claim, believe that Jews were responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk.  The consequence of all this is that both extremes of the Left and Right, although polar opposites, have come down strongly against Jewish people.

When it comes to antisemitism, social media has added gasoline to the fire spreading messages to their followers that don’t have a vestige of truth.  Podcasts say all sorts of things such as the Old Testament is about genocide and violence.  But going beyond social media, according to Yoram Hazony, in an interview with the American author and columnist, Ross Douthat, enlightened rationalists have dropped God and tradition that represent particularism.  They oppose the Jewish Bible in seeking out a universal truth that is accessible to everybody.

The distinction between being critical of Israel and being an antisemite is one of utmost importance.  Jews in both America and Israel are critical of the manner by which Benjamin Netanyahu is leading the Israeli government.  The view of Jewish congregations toward the conduct of Israel has been polarized pretty much throughout America.  I have witnessed this with my own two eyes.  But though many may detest Israel’s behavior, for the most part, they have not forsaken this Jewish Homeland.  But the reaction to these people is similar to Roald Dahl when he claimed to not only hate Israel but also to be an antisemite.  Here the disdain for a Jewish State, as manifested by Zionism, extends to anyone of the Jewish faith.  If one disagrees with Trump like so many do, that does not make that individual an anti-American.  Foreigners that dislike the way Trump is running the American government would be foolhardy if they were to hate all Americans.  But somehow that same type of judgment has created ill feelings by many, both from the political left and right, toward Jews.  Consequently, in various places from in the Western world, there have been attacks on individual Jews or their temples.  Unfortunately, this ubiquitous atmosphere of hate toward anyone calling him/herself a Jew has necessitated congregations in hiring security to protect the real possibility of an attack.  Those that belong to temples have incurred an additional expense, that of security, as part of their membership to these houses of prayer.

In his interview with Douthat, Hazony saw antisemitism is much more far reaching than Israel’s battles with its neighbors.  Hazony stated that antisemitism runs far deeper than foreign policy. Rather, foreign policy is one of the tools that antisemites employ to denounce those of the Jewish faith.  He told Douthat that a small group of people with a lot more influence than their numbers would indicate is an irritant to many people.   Foreign policy may have ignited the smoldering hot ashes but those ashes were there prior to the attack by Hamas that precipitated Israel’s reaction.  

Perhaps most disturbing about antisemitism is that it comes from both those that are educated as well as those that are not.  Mr. Dahl represented the educated when he made his disparaging remarks about Jewish people.  It did not appear to matter to Dahl that his British publisher, Tom Maschler, was the child of Holocaust survivors.  A recent article in the New York Times, pointed out that Jewish officials, whether supportive of Israel or not, throughout America have been confronted with a wave of antagonism.  Unfortunately, as the Times article stated:  “For some, the line between anti-Israel protest and antisemitism feels increasingly blurred.”

In the early 1980’s, in the incipient stages of developing a private practice in psychology, Paramount Community Psychiatric Hospital (no longer exists), in the Long Beach Area, had invited me to be on staff with admitting privileges.  I was invited to a dinner for new staff members like me, whereupon, I saw a familiar face, an Egyptian psychiatrist who I had met at the hospital, who like me was just starting his private practice. He beckoned me to come join him at the table that he was sitting where one seat remained.  Upon introducing myself, the others informed me they had come from other Arab countries in the Middle East.   When they heard my name, they asked me if I was Jewish.  When I replied in the affirmative, they then proceeded to ask me how I felt about Israel.

When I voiced my support for Israel, however, adding I did not support all of its policies, the conversation at the table became dicey.  Upon hearing my response, I suddenly was assaulted from all sides about the evil Israel had cast on the entire Middle East.  As they continued non-stop, I realized that anything I said in support or in defense of Israel would have given them more ammunition to fire back in my direction.  Although I was no expert in the Middle East, I did know that a few years earlier Egypt and Israel had signed a peace accord when Jimmy Carter was in the White House.  Unfortunately, this had little bearing on the Egyptian psychiatrist, as he readily sided with his friends that appeared more like his family.   As I bid my colleagues farewell, the introduction to the hospital, along with the dinner, left a bad taste in my mouth. 

The above example stressed my identity foremost as a Jew rather than an American.  However, for the greater part of my life, I have regarded being American, as my primary identity, with my being Jewish though certainly an intrinsic part of my background.  Thus, I have viewed myself more as an American Jew than a Jewish American.  Moreover, I am quite sure most Jews in America would identify with this perspective.  Then came October 7^th in which the world witnessed the murder of 1200 Israelis and kidnapping of about 240 others by Hamas’ forces.

Rather than express their contempt for the incident, several students from Harvard wrote a letter essentially backing what Hamas had done.  In effect, they were condoning the mass murder of Jews.  The initial response of other academic centers of “higher” learning was in the same vein.  Only after alumni from these universities responded with letters and the threat of withholding their gifts, did these same universities back off and condemn what Hamas had done.  Suddenly Jewish students on these college campuses felt imperiled by rife antisemitic acts such as pro-Palestinian groups tearing down posters of kidnapped Jewish children. The result of all this has been the open intimidation of Jewish students.  I do not consider this type of protest emblematic of what we Americans regard as Free Speech, a right protected by the First Amendment.

I can draw some sad ironies to all of what has occurred on October 7th and subsequently.  The first is that few of the people slain on that day were members of the Israeli military, some of whom were not even Jewish but rather Arab Israelis.  Some Jews that were killed had been working with Palestinians to achieve a better understanding among them and Jews with the ultimate goal being peace between the two peoples.

The second irony is that most of the Jewish population in American vote democratic and believe in progressive causes often voiced on college campuses.  Suddenly these same Jewish students have found themselves on the receiving end of much hostility and anger by their so-called politically aligned comrades.

The third irony is the divergent origins of the antisemitism currently being expressed today.  The political left, rampant on elite college campuses, and in much of the news and social media, accuse Israel and its followers (i.e., Jews) as the oppressors with Palestinians being the oppressed.  Here Jewish people are regarded in the same camp as white supremists.  Movements extant today, such as Jews for Color, clearly point to the diversity of the Jewish people.  Furthermore, we know Israel has helped Ethiopians, who claim a Jewish background, to migrate to Israel. Finally, it is unclear how American Jews of mixed ethnicity will be treated in this most recent spread of antisemitism.     

The last variant of antisemitism, though more illogical than ironic, comes from Elon Musk, said to be the richest man on earth, who recently endorsed a post on X (his company) espousing baseless antisemitic conspiracy theories that Jewish people are promoting “hatred against whites.”  This idea originates from the belief that the Jewish aim is to “replace whites” with minorities or people of color, a trope that white nationalists and antisemites have trumpeted for years.

In one case Jews are said to be too white, whereas in the other case they are not white enough. The rampant antisemitism expressed by both the Left and the Right is so absurd that it is almost comical.  However, one cannot laugh at the danger it may augur for those of the Jewish faith.  Let us hope that the antisemitic actions occurring here in the United States, the home of the free, do not lead to the violence wreaked on the Israelis by the Hamas on October 7th.  Here I congratulate President Biden for taking the controversial approach of standing up for Israel as both an important and enduring ally of the United States.  We, as Jews and Americans, need to hope and pray that the current chaos in the Middle East ultimately will resolve itself in a peaceful resolution between Israelis and Palestinians.

        

The overt antisemitic comments by rapper, Kanye West and Net basketball player, Kyrie Irving flashed danger signals to such Jewish organizations as the American Defamation League.  Because these two Black performers are so well known their comments that support antisemitic tropes, such as Jews controlling the banks and Hollywood, it can cause their huge numbers of followers to accept these tropes as a truth.  But what I found even more annoying and perhaps even more dangerous was the fact that David Chappelle went on to both normalize and reinforce these beliefs in his monologue on Saturday Night Live (S.N.L).

In an earlier blog I posted, I had complimented David Chappelle for pointing out how Jussie Smollett, a Black American actor, had hoodwinked the media and the police department in believing that he had been mugged by three whites wearing MAGA (Make America Great Again) in downtown, Chicago in the wee hours of the morning.  I lauded the fact, that as a Black comedian, he did not pull any punches when satirizing the actions of another Black.  This has rarely been done by other Black comics. 

Mr. Chappelle, however, disappointed me in his recent routine on SNL, when he audaciously stated many negative stereotypes about Jews. To illustrate one:  He pointed out when he first came to Hollywood, he learned never to say the following two words together: “The Jews.”  The underlying stereotype is that there are so many powerful Jews in Hollywood that you must be careful what you say.  In an attempt to dismiss this statement, he said there are also a lot of Blacks in Ferguson, Missouri.  But although this was meant to be funny insofar as he is alluding to the fact that Blacks have little power or influence in Ferguson, it does not lessen the implication of his basic message that Jews control Hollywood so beware!  He concluded his riff by saying:  “It’s not a crazy thing to think Jews own Hollywood, but it’s a crazy thing to say it out loud.”

In the past, Jewish comedians have dealt with ethnic humor.  Here I am specifically thinking of Jackie Mason.   But when Mason satirized any other group, he would be sure to start his routine by pointing out the foibles of his fellow Jews.  So first it would be Jews that were satirized before he would hit on non-Jews or Gentiles.  Moreover, even in today’s politically correct society, it is deemed appropriate to criticize your own ethnic group rather than other groups.  Imagine a Jewish comedian putting down Afro-Americans as part of his/her routine.  I don’t think that individual would last too long on the comic circuit.  And heaven help any non-Black who utters the “N” word, a word that has become sacrosanct in the English language, where only Blacks can say it in vain.     

Now we come to the interview that Jon Stewart (nee Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz had with Stephen Colbert, late night show host.   Previously the two of them had hosted The Daily Show in which leftist political satire became the core of their comedic content.  This show actually set a milestone of sorts inasmuch as earlier T.V. hosts, and here I am thinking of Johnny Carson (one of the all-time best comedians in my opinion), avoided any kind of political commentary.  Stewart’s dialogue with Colbert focused on the recent rants of antisemitism by Kanye West (now called Ye), Kyrie Irving, and David Chappelle.  In an effort to satirize the idea of Jewish control of Hollywood and banks, he said: “I hope to see a Christian president in America.”  Stewart’s underlying satire reflects the irony that if Jews are so powerful why hasn’t a Jew ever been elected president.

Rather, than censoring Ye and Irving for their antisemitic diatribe, Stewart thought a better approach would be to understand the Black perspective.  Furthermore, he mentioned the censoring of someone’s thoughts will not erase these thoughts.  However, the obvious problem with this is that both Ye and Irving, who may carry a huge amount of influence on others, let their thoughts go public.  And yes, it’s a free country, but people in a free country also have a right to react negatively to such comments.

Stewart pointed out the importance of reacting to antisemitic tropes by denouncing their invidious fallacious roots. But in admitting that Chappelle, in his routine, normalized the antisemitic tropes of both Ye and Irving, he made no comment.  In the past, when Stewart received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Chappelle told the audience how Stewart had mentored and inspired him when he first started out.  What a chance this would have been for Stewart to set the record straight, and criticize the ugly stereotypes of Jews that Chappelle had normalized in his routine.  Coming from a person he highly admired, I believe Chappelle may have reconsidered and even apologized for his “bad humor.” 

Censoring and penalizing individuals that have a huge public following is one way of handling hateful speech.  However, I have a better idea.  Clint Smith, a Black journalist, recently published an article in the Atlantic Magazine titled:  Monuments to the Unthinkable.  The article refers to the plaques and central city monuments that have been built in Germany to memorialize that were murdered in the Holocaust. Rather than censor Ye, Irving and Chappelle (the latter, who, to date, has not been censored), why not have them take a trip with Mr. Smith, as their guide, to the places (i.e., concentration camps etc.) where the Holocaust took place.  I would add Donald Trump to that tour, who recently hosted two virulent antisemites, Ye and Nick Fuentes, for dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

Stewart concluded his interview with Colbert by saying he has been called an antisemite because he’s against certain policies of Israel toward the Palestinian movement.  No, Jon, I don’t consider you an antisemite if you disagree with certain Israeli policies as many American Jews, including myself, feel the same way. One can only wish that Mr. Stewart would speak out as vociferously against antisemitic comments, even if made, by friends of his. Mr. Stewart was asked why he changed his birth name with one response being that “it sounded too Hollywood.”  Rather than hiding from his Jewish roots, I think Mr. Stewart might revert back to his birth name of Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz for the next month as his penalty for shying away from defending his people.