Wayne Pines
The release of hostages from Gaza and the cease-fire will hopefully lead to an end of the immediate military conflict and the beginning of building a peaceful Gaza.
But we in the United States must not let the progress in Gaza distract us from what has occurred here in the U.S. since Oct 7, 2023. There have been a significant number of overt and public expressions of antisemitism in the U.S., not just on college campuses but also in schools across the country, in the workplace and in our communities.
There has been a much more visible effort by BDS interests to avoid Israeli products and to encourage universities and others to divest investments in Israeli companies. Students for Justice in Palestine has been banned on many campuses, but their voices, influence and organizational skills linger. More recently, there have been news stories and reports about Jews being excluded from hiring for jobs.
The Nazi-like salute by Elon Musk, of course, underscored the concern that Jews should have about the national mood on antisemitism. His failure to explain his actions or apologize is even more disturbing. His salute followed the release of Jan. 6 prisoners, many of whom hold antisemitic views.
Even before the Oct. 7 attack, from 2019 to 2022, the number of people with highly antisemitic attitudes in the U.S. nearly doubled, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League. The numbers in 2023 and 2024 have been worse.
On a broader scale, the ADL just released a worldwide survey which showed that nearly half of all adults worldwide hold “elevated levels of antisemitic attitudes.” The survey, which included over 58,000 adults from 103 countries and territories, found that 46% of the world’s adult population, more than 2.2 billion individuals, “harbor deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes, more than double the number of people with similar attitudes in ADL’s first worldwide survey a decade ago.”
So, even as the Gaza conflict may be headed to some resolution that, at least for now, ends the armed conflict and released hostages, we in the U.S. must not be complacent about the surge in antisemitism that Gaza unleashed.
There are a few factors about the surge that are especially disturbing. For one, the pro-hate elements succeeded in setting the information agenda. Who would have expected to see Jewish students expressing sympathy and support for the pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas demonstrators? How did Israel, and by association Jews, come to be viewed internationally not as victims of hate but as the aggressor/oppressor? Regardless of when and how the immediate conflict in Gaza is resolved, that perception will remain.
The environment is confused by the debate within the Jewish community itself on how to distinguish between antisemitism, anti-Zionism and anti-Israel sentiments. Students and others who say they oppose Israel’s military strategy have been successful in claiming the high ground by saying that they are not antisemitic, just anti-Israeli political and military policy. Many in the Jewish community have bought into that messaging.
Seeking to draw a distinction between being antisemitic and anti-Israeli policy is an interesting intellectual exercise. But it provides a justification for pro-Palestinian advocates and for the vast majority of people in the U.S. who know little about the Middle East and its history. The “I’m not an antisemite, I’m just anti-Israeli policy” positioning makes it more difficult for the American Jewish community to establish a common view and effectively combat, with a unified voice, the surge in antisemitism.
Moving forward, the Jewish community cannot ignore what is clearly an increasingly hate-oriented environment. The challenge we face is complacency. We must view the recent antisemitic surge as a warning. We cannot dismiss or forget what we have seen in the U.S. since October 2023, and the earlier threats in Charlottesville and Pittsburgh. And we must remember what the ADL found in its worldwide survey.
We need to recognize and call out antisemitism when we see it, in our personal lives, our
communities and the workplace. We need to support and encourage programs that educate about hate and bring them more broadly to the local level and K-12 schools. We must demand that the federal government’s new leaders enforce Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.
On a broader scale, we must not let the hate element continue to set the information agenda. In the school/university setting, they have defined hate/antisemitic/anti-Muslim speech and demonstrations as academic freedom. Hate speech is not academic freedom.
We should not live in a country where our synagogues need police protection or where we need to fear wearing a Star of David. Our challenge is to be vocal and active and avoid complacency.
Wayne Pines is a health care consultant who lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.