Antisemitism Is Evil

Hate is hate. It doesn’t get much more complicated than that.

Antisemitism.

Some of us forget about it. 
Some never learn about it. 
And some resolutely reject it.

But it needs to be discussed, often as a reminder, and taught to the young of each succeeding generation. It is an essential lesson of history, past and present. 

Antisemitism is evil. 
Antisemitism must be condemned in all its forms. 
Antisemitism is a toxic seed that, once sown and cultivated, poisons society.
Antisemitism is never a joke. Never brave “speech.” Never clever social commentary. 

It is hate. Often murderous hate. 

And like racism, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, and other forms of hate, antisemitism is a destructive and violent force that will continue to weaken our nation and our world unless it is continually confronted head on, with unity, energy, and action. 

The inspiration for this post today is the antisemitic vitriol of the musician Kanye West. If you want to know more about what he said and who he is, there is no shortage of sources for that information. But while we should hold accountable the individuals who spew hate, we cannot overlook the broader environment that is allowing this bile to spread. 

And we cannot excuse or condone all those who know better but remain silent, let alone those who wink and nod along for their own cynical gain. 

We have written before about antisemitism on Steady. We do so out of a sense of decency and duty, and because history and personal experience have taught us how important it is. Ancient wisdom needs to be repeated in order to be learned, preserved, and passed on. It is especially important that younger generations learn the historical lessons of hate and that they see adults disavow it. The Jewish holiday of Passover is guided by this instinct; the story of slavery, persecution, and freedom is told every year, and children play an important role in confronting it. But all of us, regardless of faith or other heritage, need to join in raising awareness for pervasive threats to the health and security of our fellow citizens and ourselves. 

Antisemitism is like gun violence, the threats to our democracy, racial injustice, and many other destructive forces that pool beneath the surface, waiting to erupt. In a repetitive raising of awareness, we can build defenses of strength and resilience. 

That all of this has to be said again is the point. 
That it is often not seen as news because it is so prevalent is the point. 
That antisemitism competes with a surge of other hate speech, which also is no longer treated as news, is the point. 
That often this kind of dangerous rhetoric goes by with little comment or notice is the point. 
That too many with powerful voices and platforms condone, excuse, or ignore this hatred is the point.

Hate is hate. It doesn’t get much more complicated than that. 

Those who spew or defend hate often use contortions, rationalizations, and lies to try to obscure the purity of the hate. They want to make it seem that THEY are the victims.

It’s why Putin claims that he is pursuing “de-Nazification” of Ukraine when he rains down missiles on parks, schools, and hospitals, and his troops torture and murder civilians, dumping bodies into mass graves. 

Here in the United States, it’s why politicians have long stoked fear and animosity toward the “other” — defined in different times and places in different ways, as Black, Asian, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Latino, Native American, etc. — as “replacing” and endangering the “real America.”

A few days ago, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville spoke at a Trump rally and said the quiet part out loud. Referring to Democrats and Black voters in particular, Tuberville riled up the Trump base with this straight-up racist rhetoric: "They are not soft on crime. They're pro-crime. They want crime. They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparations because they think the people that do the crime are owed that."

Acyn @Acyn

Tuberville: They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are owed that! Bullshit!

It’s not so different from what segregationist politicians were saying in the 1960s, except then they might have used a more overtly racist term to describe those they were attacking than “they.”

The general response from Republican politicians to Tuberville was largely the same as it was to Kanye West, or Donald Trump for that matter — a combination of silence, deflection, and various levels of endorsement. 

Their cravenness deserves attention, even if it happens over, and over, and over again. 

What can we do about it? We can start by being allies to those under attack. In the case of antisemitism, it’s especially important that the burden for raising this issue does not fall on only Jewish Americans. It’s the same for racism, homophobia, and misogyny. We all must speak out. We must use whatever platforms we have to spread messages of support and outrage, to share history, and to elevate voices of healing and understanding. 

Ultimately, all the energy that those who spew hate spend trying to convince us that it isn’t really hate is a tipoff that hate is unpopular. So let the spotlight of truth illuminate it for all to see — and call it what it is — so that it can be repudiated and defeated, especially at the ballot box. 

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