Jewish Group
Related: About this forumAnti-Semitism: Not a Threat to American Jews
There are plenty of things for American Jews to worry about, but anti-Semitism is not one of them.
Anti-Semitism is not a threat to the security and well-being of the Jews of America.
This is not to deny the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe or the explosion of Jew hatredoften disguised as anti-Zionismin much of the Muslim world. The reappearance of these murderous lunacies in certain regions of the world is a solemn reminder that anti-Semitism never disappears from the human heart.
Nonetheless, a little perspective is in order. The just-released study by the Anti-Defamation League on global anti-Semitism, which suggests that one-quarter of the worlds population is anti-Semitic, argues that 21 million Americans can reasonably be classified anti-Semites. This has caused much dismay among some American Jews. Twenty-one million may be fewer than 10% of all Americans, but it is still a very large number.
Nonetheless, I am counted among those who see no cause for alarm. It is important to remember that the ADL survey is an attempt to measure anti-Semitic attitudes, which are notoriously difficult to gauge; and it does so using methodologies that are much in dispute. What it does not do is measure anti-Semitic behaviors, which are a reasonably objective matter and the means by which Jews traditionally determine their progress in gaining full acceptance in America.
more: http://time.com/2798435/anti-semitism-not-a-threat-to-american-jews/
[hr]
I call "bullshit!" It may not be at the level of Europe, but to pretend, and that what this is, that we shouldn't be concerned is naïve at best and flat-out suicidally stupid at worst. There are no train carts on the rails, but to act as if there isn't a problem worth concern is myopic. I find it interesting the Rebbe doesn't mention the shooting at the Jewish Centers in Kansas. According to FBI stats, 'attacks' against Jews are higher than other groups, and a few years, higher than all other groups combined!
He says:
But these are not the things that make anti-Semitism a real danger; it becomes truly ominous only when those in authority sanction anti-Semitism or choose to remain silent and look the other way. And that does not happen in America.
BULLSHIT! "Kill the Jew" in Chicago based on a video game (one day suspension for the students involved); The "Is the Holocaust a Hoax?" in California and Massachusetts; "Getting Jewed" as stated by an Oklahoma legislator and the list goes on and on. It starts at the ground-level, just like every other movement, not top down as the Rabbi seems to suggest.
Behind the Aegis
(53,935 posts)Yes, rabbi, anti-Semitism remains a threat
In a recent issue of Time magazine, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, former president of the Union for Reform Judaism, writes that anti-Semitism is not a threat to American Jews. He could not be more wrong.
--snip--
As the post-Holocaust taboo against anti-Semitism erodes, the ramifications are troubling. Suppose that one in 10,000 anti-Semites should physically harm or threaten Jews or Jewish institutions in a given year. Under this scenario, serious anti-Semitic incidents would increase to 100,000 per year, even if anti-Semitic attitudes remain constant. In other words, things can get much worse.
Should Americans worry? In Western Europe, one in four Europeans harbors anti-Semitic attitudes. One recent survey indicates that roughly the same percentage (26 percent) of European Jews has been harassed for being Jewish within the last year. Perhaps the worst anti-Semitic incidents will be limited to the Middle East and Europe. But was the Nazi Holocaust no threat to American Jews merely because it remained off American shores? If there is any such thing as Jewish peoplehood, then security threats to any are threats to all.
--snip--
Now consider what Rabbi Yoffie probably meant to say. His point is that Americans do not face a direct threat of severe anti-Semitism. He is right that American Jews are not under siege. But he is wrong to minimize the threat that does exist. According to the ADL, only 9 percent of Americans hold anti-Semitic attitudes. This sounds good, but it translates to 21,000,000 people. It means that there are far more anti-Semites than Jews in America. This may be one reason why the Federal Bureau of Investigation regularly reports that anti-Jewish hate crimes exceed hate crimes against any other religious group. On some university campuses, Jewish students have recently been spit at and called dirty Jews and worse. The problem is greater for those students who are known to support Israel on campuses where anti-Israel activism runs high.
more: http://njjewishnews.com/article/23303/yes-rabbi-anti-semitism-remains-a-threat#.U5_ly-kg-70
question everything
(47,460 posts)Just look at the LBN thread from yesterday about the finding of the three Israeli kids. The hatred spouted against, oh, yes, Israel, was almost palpable. Sadly, it is among the liberals that anti Israel and anti semitism get blended. There are still who call for the Israelis Jews to go "elsewhere," or, like Helen Thomas, go go back from where they came. And this in a country where everyone, except for Native Americans is a descendant of immigrants.
I still remember the two rallies, in 2006, I think, in Miami, where a woman in Muslim garb shouted at the pro-Israeli rally to "go back to the ovens."
And in a another rally, an almost comic placard saying "Kill all the Juice."
I deplore the policies of Netanyahu, but the way so many on DU and other places use this as an excuse for anti semitism is deplorable.
Behind the Aegis
(53,935 posts)The over the top anti-Israel propaganda co-mingled with Holocaust remarks and other Jewish references is tried and true. Even now, there are those who post remarks which aren't even accurate but rely on the poster actually reading the article to see the information is false.
MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)I got a post deleted an almost kicked off this board because I got tired of a poster posting bold-faced lies about Israel and popped off rather emotionally.
Anti-Semitic beliefs are a large problem in the right and a larger problem on the left.
"Every generation" is the deal, I guess.
I'd hoped to be dead before I see it again.