Is blatant anti-Semitism rampant here at DU?

[reorg]

124. but this was not disputed

the previous poster, msongs, said it NEEDS a more narrow definition.

The term originally was and still is, I believe, Euro-centric, it denotes the prejudicial attitude of the German (also French, Polish, Russian etc.) middle class towards what they felt was a "foreign" element in their society which threatened their status. Their paranoia found expression in certain wild conspiracy theories, but also in common expressions, such as when someone who was good at bargaining was called a "Jew".

In its more recent use, most obvious in the reports, statements and complaints about chants shouted at demonstrations, attempted attacks on synagogues and so forth in Paris and Berlin, this Euro-centric term becomes a paradox. Now it is (mostly) not Europeans hating on "foreigners" - no, on the contrary, it is even more "foreign" individuals and groups who are subjected to hate and abuse themselves (mostly by Europeans) allegedly harbouring prejudice and hate against all Jews.

I cannot tell if the allegation really holds true if these incidents were to be profoundly investigated - at least these most recent manifestations of "anti-Semitism" could obviously be explained in other terms - but the fact remains that this "new wave of anti-Semitism" sweeping "all over Europe" is not at all a "European" phenomenon. It may be something completely different from what the term was used for, originally.