Anti-Semitism is making a comeback, and history can explain why
As an American Jew, I have been surprised by the resurgence of anti-Semitism here. Like many others, I did not see it coming.
The relative economic success of American Jews, awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust and the American tradition of religious tolerance have all mitigated against seeing anti-Semitism as a formidable threat. We have been through a long period during which anti-Semitism undeniably receded.
There is a foundational American history of welcoming Jews and immigrants of all nationalities and religions that is symbolized by the Statue of Liberty. For me, and I expect for many other American Jews, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting shook that foundation.
It would be a mistake to view the Pittsburgh shootings as an isolated event. The Anti-Defamation League has reported 1,986 anti-Semitic incidents defined as harassment, vandalism and physical assault in the United States in 2017.
The 2017 statistics represent a 57 percent increase over 2016, the largest single-year escalation since the ADL began tracking these incidents in 1979.
Unfortunately, there is also good reason to think the numbers are an undercount. Studies show that only about half of all hate crimes are reported to the police. Many local law enforcement agencies do not provide hate crime data to the federal government because the reporting requirement is voluntary. There is also uncertainty as to whether all hate crimes have been properly identified.
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Unlike the author, I did see it coming.
empedocles
(15,751 posts)Personal anecdote. Some years ago, I spent some time in New Hampshire, right near the Canadian border. On the American side of the border there were significant numbers of French speaking people, who as latecomers were lower on the economic ladder. When some whites talked of, 'the frogs', they used the same disparaging language that I had heard used on the blacks and Hispanics. 'Dumb', 'dirty', 'lazy', 'can't trust them', 'they will steal if they can get away with it', etc.
Years later that experience is still a jarring memory and a reference touchstone for me, when I read of conflicts around the world. The ages old tribal rivalries in the Middle East, the caste systems of India, the 'agrarian' South versus the 'industrial North', the 1960's massive transfer of votes from the Democratic Party, to the Republican [earlier hated as the 'Party of Lincoln'], Party was significantly hate driven.
Wars never stop happening. At any given time, there seems to be a double digit numbers of armed conflicts going on around the world.
At any given time, anywhere, it seems that 'leaders' of various sorts are looking for ways to exploit hate any way they can.
watoos
(7,142 posts)The crazy narrative of evil bankers running the economy, and the ever evil Hollywood Jews who are ruining our Christian society.
Bigotry and hatred isn't inborn, it must be learned and taught.
bobbieinok
(12,858 posts)Many didn't realize .how much of Protocols it repeated, just thinly disguised.
IIRC the NY Review of Books had a major article on the book and its near plagiarism.
rickyhall
(4,889 posts)Whenever anyone found out I was a Jew something changed. It was never just, "So?"