When Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible it was both about the Salem Witch Trials and analogies in today's world and the next generation's world. The Salem Witch Trials really happened. People were crazy. The Holocaust happened. People were crazier and more evil. It doesn't speak only to the past, it speaks to the future, for someone else's future.
31
There is a right and duty to respond to anti- Semitic statements made by a member of Congress. If such comments are not challenged they will only continue and get worse. History shows where silence leads.
RI6
36
Douthat's "philo-Semitism" is functionally an encouragement of anti-Semitism, qualitatively thinking of Jews as different from the rest of us.
Many of the Most Recommended comments make the case that to legitimately discuss anti-Semitism, it is necessary to include Israel and the Palestinians in the discussion. That in itself is effectively anti-Semitic. It supports the charge of loyalty and allegiance to another country. I have not noticed such a charge directed at Catholic Members of Congress regarding policy toward the Vatican, Muslim members regarding policy toward Saudi Arabia, Black members toward Africa, or anyone whose family's origin is from elsewhere, which includes all but four Members of Congress.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Trump.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of the Holocaust.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Israel.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of the many Arab despots who used and continue to use Israel and Jews to develop support from their own oppressed people, much the way America's southern aristocracy used and uses Blacks to divert poor whites from their own oppression.
Seventy-five years ago there was no Jewish Israel and no Muslim Palestine. There were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Christian Europeans. And seventy-five years before that there were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Muslim Turks.
35
The elephant in the room. Religion. Rather than bring the human race together it has too many times separated us. That is because all religions are man made. Time for a new philosophy of life.
46
Dear Ross, in Exodus, there came a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph. There is a left that knows not the Holocaust and wishes to throw out the papyrus of history and build a brave new world. There are Jews, including many if not most Israelis, who know not the Jewish values that animated the Diaspora and wish to oppress the Palestinians the the way Pharaoh oppressed the Jews.
Such is the tragedy of history- people want to start fresh and forget history and what is at stake. I as an Israeli and a Jew and as an American and as a man, will agitate against the far right in Israel and the far left in America and anyone making history and policy while high off their own crazy ideologies.
History ought to humble us, that we can mitigate fate but that we are not immune to hubris
45
Have the Israelis and Palestinians cut a deal and most of this goes away.
If not, it doesn't go away.
Next case.
3
I am surprised that someone like Ross Douthat does not comment on the wisdom of our founding fathers to separate religion and the state. The mixing of those two things in the Israeli state is the source of some much trouble. Because Israel is a Jewish state, people conflate criticisms of Israel with anti-Semitism. Sectarian states like Israel are doomed to becoming undemocratic theocracies. After all, if Israel doesn't oppress Palestinians how does it remain a Jewish state when their are more Palestinians than Jews?
52
"The outsize success of Jewish intellectuals and scientists and artists and businessmen and activists was an especially good thing, a unique proof of American exceptionalism — because ours was the one country where a people so long persecuted could not only survive but triumph. And attacks on Jewish success and influence, like attacks on the state of Israel, were treated as particularly dangerous, particularly un-American, because they threatened to undo this great achievement, and return the Jews to their historic state of constant threat and peril."
Ironic that Mr. Douthat would defend Jews against anti-Semitic tropes by citing stereotypes of Jews.
One interpretation of the philo-Semitism Mr. Douthat describes is that the Holocaust was not perpetrated by Americans allowing us to point to Jewish-Americans as an example of our wonderful melting pot meritocracy whereas other persecuted groups in this country, blacks, Native Americans, hispanics and more recently Muslim Americans are not held up because it was and is Americans perpetrating the persecution. Perhaps the opposition to anti-Semitism is exceptional in America only because it makes us look better.
23
The author is looking at the history of Jewish Americans in a very convoluted way. Jewish Americans faced antisemitism throughout their history in this country, from the KKK, the country club and their next door immigrant neighbors who brought their antisemitism from the old country.
The door to wealth and education to most Jewish Americans was shut. I still remember the time that there were clauses in property deeds that the owners could not sell to Jews, or signs that said no Jews allowed, and top level universities openly had Jewish quotas.
But when Jewish Americans were turned away from the establishment, they bucked the system and created investment banks, law firms, hospitals, colleges, basically their own industries where they could grow and proposer on their own. The true exceptionalism of the US is that the Jewish community was not prevented from being able to fulfill our dreams.
But this was not because of philosemitism, but because of an adherence to the Constitution and the uniqueness that the Bill of Rights applies to every member of society. That is the foundation of the American dream. That is the story that still brings immigrants to the shores of this nation.
Yes there is exceptionalism found in the story of Jewish Americans. But it is not that we succeeded because of philosemitism, but that we were able to succeed in spite of antisemitism because what makes the USA an exceptional nation for Jews, is what makes her exceptional for all peoples.
86
It is unclear to me just what your point is here. I have spent some time reading about Congresswoman Omar-her background, thinking, positions. As a refugee one would think that she would understand the history of the Jewish People. Clealy she either does not or chooses not to. If she spoke out against the autocratic nations of the Middel East-and the fact that none of these nations really support the Palestinian people in their quest for success other than to fund terrorism-her comments regarding Israel would carry more weight with this reader.
In short, I believe she is anti-Semitic. Packaged well, she knows full well the language she speaks. She may say she believes in the two state solution, but what she really believes in is the dissolution of the Jewish State. She just cannot say it. She traffics in the worst type of hate speech, claiming ignorance.
If she were so concerned with outsize influence over Congress, why not take on the Koch Brothers, Rupert Murdoch, Fox News, the NRA, Big Pharma. These entities alone effect my life much more the than the US-Israeli Relationship.
The next time she speaks out, she needs to be removed from the Foreign Relations Committee. Put her on a Committee where she will finally learn what is really going on in this country. She needs to grow up and learn.
69
There is an article in the Guardian which takes an opposite tack on the debate in the House. Before there were Omar defenders (indeed, in order for them to exist), there was an “anti-Omar” crowd, and they were overwhelmingly the recipients of sizable donations from pro-Israeli lobbies. If you really want to understand this moment, that article should probably be your starting point.
But Mr. Douthat’s discussion of the “philo-semitic left” is deeply problematic. Perceptual distortions which align with ethnic or racial categories are uncomfortable at best, and quite often dangerous. As a life-long leftist I’ve taken my task as seeing everyone equally. The racial insensitivity Mr. Douthat exhibits in asserting that Jews have special cause to fear ethnicity-based hatred felt like a punch in the stomach. To say that antisemitism deserves special opprobrium on the grounds of the historical harm caused by it completely ignores the devastation and misery we Americans have caused—and still cause--to those of African descent. (continued in next post...)
12
I have a different perspective. Yes,Omar repeated offensive, classically anti-Semitic sentiments; apparently she had been told by colleagues during the campaign that her words would be so construed, so I am assuming intent. But let me ask you, if she followed the oft heard mantra: “you can be against Israeli policies without being anti-Semitic” where would that get her? No where...where did it get Obama, who merely sought to remain honest broker? AIPAC does not have a J in it, but it’s influence has resulted in no administration or Congressional members advocating for the political and human rights of the Palestinians.
Anyone who objects to Israeli human rights violations is ignored at best, but often vilified.
Omar’s rhetoric is borne out of frustration and the defensive tribalism that our politics has devolved to; and the biproduct of pay to play lobbying that insures the voices of the biggest contributors drown out the legitimate concerns of powerless minorities.
The writer fears that Omar represents a deliberate tactic of the new left to change the perception that anti-Semtism is a singular evil. I believe the remedy would be to consider the totality of the Israeli-Palestinian issue, without the influence of lobbyists, with a serious consideration of the needs and rights of all effected parties. To change Congresswoman Omar’s views, let the rest of those entrenched in power show her they take the regrettable
situation seriously.
23
Mr. Douthat condemns "...a left-of-center politics that remembers the Holocaust as one great historical tragedy among many, that judges Israel primarily on its conservative and nationalist political orientation, rather than on its status as a Jewish sanctuary" but he neglects the growing movement AMONG JEWS that conceives of the only effective sanctuary as one that protects all from the harsh discrimination that Jews faced under the Nazis. Instead of insisting that the holocaust never happen to Jews again, we ask that the Holocaust never happen again to anyone, any group. And if the state of Israel treats Palestinians as lesser human beings, then it merits condemnation. Not only Israel is guilty of such violation of human rights, and certainly it does not deserve censure over Russia, Iran, etc. Mr. Douthat's concept of anti- vs Phil-semitism is too simplistic, and basically wrong.
26
Russ says about Progressives judge “Israel primarily on its conservative and nationalist political orientation, rather than on its status as a Jewish sanctuary.
NO RUSS- they are trying to encourage Israel to return to Jewish values, which abhor abusive behavior which is the way the present government functions.
12
I remember watching Bill O'Reilly when he would repeatedly talk about America being built on Judeo-Christian heritage. That used to irritate me because our constitution doesn't mention God and we have no official religion.
What is the basis for the statement "a great deal of the new anti-Semitism would still be coming from minority and immigrant communities?" It says a lot about what Mr. Douthat thinks. Yes, let us ignore massacre of Jews at the Pittsburgh synagogue by a white Christian.
Jews are like any another group of people in the US. They shouldn't be treated as exceptional. All three Abrahamic religions have same roots. Also, success of Jews or bravery of Israelis in 1967 shouldn't make us lose our objectivity.
Jews are fine people and Israel is a great country but let's not make them exceptional or chosen in the eyes of Americans or God.
16
Jean Paul Sartre on Anti-Semitism:
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
Does this description capture the mentality of Democratic Socialists or Republicans?
25
I am a proud American Jew, a Democrat, and strong supporter of Israel, although I have been critical of many of its government's policies for years. And I do not think all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic. But I would like to ask well-meaning "woke" progressives a question: If you believe that 400 years of slavery, segregation and institutional racism have fostered unconscious racism among white Americans, wouldn't 2,000 years of Christian persecution of Jews and 1,300 years of second-class citizenship under Islam have left a residue of anti-Jewish bias even among the most enlightened Christians and Muslims? And might it not seep out in ways you don't understand, like the particular vehemence of the attacks on Israel while other countries that engage in far worse practices don't get nearly the same passionate criticism?
51
Philo-semitism?! At 65 I'm still waiting to feel the philo. Whatever I have accomplished in my life up to becoming, and as, a university professor, has been despite my being Jewish, not because of that party of my identity. I have lived, worked, and done field research throughout the country, and one constant has been encountering anti-semitism in its many forms. There's the genteel "That's a different last name," and the blatant red-faced yelling of epithets. At best Jews are tolerated by Gentiles for our work ethic and cultural emphasis on education and achievement. The Christian rapture community embraces Israel as their launch pad when The Day comes. Tolerant gentiles like Douthat may be comforted to believe that there is a strain of Philo-semitism that partly offsets the long tradition of virulent anti-semitism in America, but that's just a Christian construct that has no resonance with Jews. The long litany of anti-semitic violence like that at the Tree of Life last year reminds Jews of our always tentative status in American society.
33
the human animal is not high in the order of animals.
each color, gender, species, religion, home culture et al
finds reasons to differ and discriminate against each other.
So we will continue to rant against each other. Hopefully,
we can keep it in perspective.
2
Posting a picture of Antizionist ultra-Orthodox Jews outside of Ilhan Omar's office certainly does not advance the legitimate discussion of Antisemitism and Antizionism in this country. Their opposition is based solely on their religious views that the State of Israel is a man-made construct and thus antimessianic. Their view represents an extreme minority opinion, and should not be used to give any legitimacy to Omar.
17
Who would have thought it? After the Congressional resolution this week "condemning hate", we now know that Democrats now accept the phrase "All lives matter...".
12
In response to critics like republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney on Chuck Todd’s “Meet the Press” interview attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar for alleged Anti-Semitic statements on Israel’s Congressional influence:
Once a minority claims that its history of victimization is exceptional to the majority of all the other minorities together in the host country, where they have emigrated after being victimized elsewhere, and positioned itself in a privileged position, hasn’t it unwittingly exposed itself to the very political resentment that has historically threatened it?
All due apologies to Winston Churchill for his florid style borrowed in that question?
13
“This is what the left seems to want in the Omar controversy”
No. Please stop defining what The Left wants. That is a large part of the problem. Whomever you consider to be The Left, it’s a large group with a broad spectrum of wants. The Left, The Right? How convenient that it’s never defined.
How about we discuss political influence instead of trying to deflect on the topic outright?
19
The loss of philo-Semitism is no loss. It's replacement by anti-Semitism, however, is a danger to American democracy. If the American left continues with its hypocritical coddling of hate if it comes from "people of color" America is headed to a time of even uglier political polarization.
12
In some senses, what Omar said doesn't differ much from what the Jewish lobbies J Street and Peace Now, and most of the Orthodox Jewish community have been saying for years: that supporting the Israeli Government is entirely a separate issue than supporting or opposing Zionism or Judaism. Orthodox Jews tend to consider the Israeli Government a desecration of Judaism because it imposes a human element in what they perceive as a divine rule. The J Street ilk contend that the Israeli Government damages the cause of Judaism and the Israeli State by pursuing anti-peace toward the Semite Arabs the State of Israel displaced. In my view, Omar's main sin has been careless semantics more than bigotry.
12
There is nothing inherently anti- or post-religion in leftist political theories, contrary to what Ross seems to claim here.
What the left indeed supports (and has always supported much more than the right), is the constitutional separation of church and state, in other words "secularization".
Israel is THE perfect example of a country whose Constitution rejects secularization to a very large extent. Women living in Israel, for instance, can't go to a secular court when they want a divorce, they have to go to a religious court, where religious law, not state law, is applied (often severely discriminating against women, by the way).
To the extent that Israel isn't a modern democracy, any liberal of course cannot but reject not only the current right-wing government's practices, but also part of its Constitution.
Obviously, doing so has NOTHING to do with anti-Semitism (= having something against Jews as Jews), and is perfectly compatible with philo-Semitism (admiring what Jewish culture has achieved over time, in science, art etc.).
And obviously, doing so does NOT mean wanting to end our alliance with the state of Israel, or no longer wanting to protect them.
It does mean starting to admit that we've contributed to the Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, for instance by systematically blocking UN resolutions that would otherwise have unanimously condemned certain anti-democratic practices by the Israeli government.
Omar is showing that is third way is possible ...
7
“Israel is not a state of all its citizens. According to the basic nationality law we passed, Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people – and only it."
Is this the philo-Semitism you extoll, Mr. Douthat? The speaker of these contemporary words is Prime Minister Netanyahu.
14
Very thoughtful piece Ross...thanks so much for laying out these trends.
2
You're making a rhetorical mountain out of what is mostly just a reminder that Washington is all about political damage control.
3
Help me please understand. In this terribly difficult to follow paragraph Ross Douthat says something that sounds awful to me - even though I do not fathom what it means: "If the occupation ended tomorrow, ...the Orthodox Jewish population (growing apace relative to more secular and liberal forms of Judaism) would still have religious beliefs and practices that are the very opposite of woke." Can anyone out there explain to me what Douthat is talking about?
3
Regardless of Omar's comments, there is nothing wrong with questioning our relationship with Israel... There is an expectation that our politicians will reflexively support Israel (it has become a litmus test ) but is this healthy..is it honest.? Or is it merely pandering to get votes?
.. Certainly when the Israeli Prime Minister attempts to influence our elections, as Netanyahu has done, it seems as though there is something unhealthy in US-Israeli relationship.
And of course Israeli policy does sometimes undercut our own US policies..
It is fair to question our seemingly automatic support for Israel and it's policies... Isn't that the sort of thing people do in a real democracy?
9
I appreciate people of Jewish faith and have nothing against them. Many of my friends and colleagues I meet on a daily basis are Jewish and I love them dearly. I wouldn't mind if everyone of my neighbors were Jewish and I support Israel as a sovereign nation. However, I can disagree with the Israeli domestic and/or foreign politics without becoming antisemitic. Israel's politics are not a holy cow that is protected from opinions or discussion. This debate needs to grow up.
9
Another gallon of ink expounding on some perceived subtext of Ms. Omar’s comments and barely a word about the actual subject of her comments. In other words, nothing but classic bait and switch. Let’s talk about perceived anti-Semitism, rather than a foreign nation’s deep rooted and undue influence on our political apparatus at the direct expense of the Constitution, the American people, and the very oath of office that our elected officials swore. I don’t care if that lobby group represents Israel, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, or Bangladesh! Any group that holds that kind of influence should be registered as an agent of a foreign nation and should be questioned at every turn, no matter their intentions.
12
Our history suggests that we enjoy freedom for about 400 years in any country until the hammer falls and anti-semitism becomes the rule of the land. If we fail to continuously fight anti-semitism our well-being is at risk. We tend to fight any type of discrimination because it is the right thing to do and because, selfishly, we get caught in hater's webs even when we're not the direct object of their hate. Douhat's perception of philo-semitism denies our history and, by the way, we've been here for about 400 years.
4
It doesn't seem like the government of Israel is acting in good faith when it allows for the continued expansion of Israeli settlements in land that everyone understands belongs to the Palestinians. That's aggression, foreign occupation, and de facto an act of war.
Conflation of this with how people feel about Jews or Judaism to me seems then to be beside the point. The bottom line is that continued deliberate aggression against an oppressed population is terrible, regardless of whatever religion the oppressor espouses.
12
I am glad that there are many including the columnist and members of Congress that closely watch and call out anti-Semitic tropes. I feel for so many other peoples currently oppressed and historically slaughtered that have few spokespeople to speak for their plight or to invoke their tragedy.
6
I am amazed by the way Democrats have changed the definition of being a leftist since DJT came to power. The classic Marxism equates religion with opium and denounces its use in politics.But here we have candidates like Ilhan Omar who wears her religion on her sleeve, recites religious expressions during her victory speech, uses typical Islamist political vocabulary to criticize Israel and the Jewish community, portrays Obama as a murderer because of his decision of drone strikes against terrorists, and yet Democratic Party supports her by calling her a Leftist. For Democratic leadership, the new definition of being a leftist is one who opposes trump. That may help some candidates in primaries, but I hope they don’t forget that there are many even within the Democratic Party who do not agree or accept this nonsense.
10
All groups of people don’t like other groups of people.
But the more we hang together the less we’ll hang apart.
I don’t get why people don’t get and accept these two simple truths.
2
I’ve lived in France, Germany, and the UK. The anti-semitism I encountered abroad pales in comparison to the pervasive and palpable anti-semitism I regularly experience in Christian communities in America.
Jewish Americans are still attacked for their identity more than any other religious group in America today. And to the extent that religious Christians exhibit “philo-Semitism,” it is not out of respect for their Jewish neighbors but as a means to realizing their eschatological beliefs (where Jews do not prosper in the end time).
This revisionist account of the Jewish American experience is more offensive than anything Omar allegedly said or implied.
15
Mr. Douthat, Philo-Semitism? Really?
As an older American Jew I can remember many instances of Anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish discrimination in my lifetime. Discrimination in social situations (golf courses, country clubs, fraternities) was common but less a cause of concern than the discrimination of quotas in higher-education which limited the prospects of Jewish-Americans... again within my lifetime.
The captioned picture of Orthodox Jews in support of Rep. Omar neglects the reason for their support... they do not believe in a Zionist nation as it does not comport with their belief that a Jewish state should be brought about only after the coming of the Messiah. This is a decidedly minority view among Jews.
Let me emphasize that Christianity, not Islam, was the origin of anti-Semitism. The deicide charge against Jews by the Holy Roman Church has been the cause of slaughter, pogrom, and slander against Jews for millennia. Through Reformation and schism, anti-Semitism remained a theological teaching. It has been well inculcated and seems hard to end. I say this not to demonize Christianity, but rather to correct your assertion of Philo-Semitism.
Most Jews ask not for Philo-Semitism, but rather simply an end to the discrimination we have suffered. If you believe that Rep. Omar is not taking advantage of this bias you are gravely mistaken.
11
Mr. Douthat, not being Jewish I don't think you understand the utter anguish that progressive Jews (Americans and Israelis alike) feel about Israel today.
The anguish is not about the Jewish state, which I assume 99.9% of Jews believe was one of the great outcomes of WWII. It's about Israel's present ultra-conservative government and its horrendous policies in regard to Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. Yitzak Rabin was assassinated by one of those crazy ultra-right fanatics. I doubt if he were Prime Minister today that American Jews would be feeling the way they do now.
While there is much to decry on the Palestinian side, progressives believe that Israel, the far greater power, has the responsibility to take the initiative for peace to happen. Events of last week show that Netanyahu's government has absolutely no intention to do so. This horror is just going to keep getting worse, for both sides.
Please, don't accuse American Jews of anti-Semitism. You could not be more wrong.
16
American anti-semitism is NOT exceptional. Unfortunately, many analysts like Mr Douthat make wrong assumptions about the root causes of anti-semitism. Historically, there have been both anti-semitic and philo-semitic epochs, in almost all the diaspora communities where Jews both flourished and were then persecuted. What is happening in the US is not different than what happened in medieval Poland, when Jews for many years were the *majority* of the population, even while the population of Jews in western Europe were diminished due to the crusades. Jews have been both idealized and reviled, all because of the primarily Christian ideology of anti-Judaism, which ascribes western progress to what is not-Jewish. This motivated not only right wing anti-semitism, but left wing anti-semitism as well, which, like the Church Fathers before them, see doing away with Jewish prominence in the world as a way of making progress. Marx, Lenin, the new leftists of the 60's, though the same thing about the Jews. Do yourself a favor, Mr Douthat, and read "Anti-Judaism" by Prof David Nirenberg, of University of Chicago, who can explain it all to you
6
All discussions of anti-Semitism and philo-Semitism aside, there are some basic things that we should consider.
1. All forms of bigotry (whether from the right or left) are wrong and must be loudly condemned by principled people.
2. Being opposed to Israel, or even opposed to its very existence as a nation-state, is not anti-Semitic on its own, but it can be. I’m a Muslim who opposes the Saudi regime and its very existence as a product of European colonial intervention. That does not make me Islamophobic. But some others can be opposed to Islamic governments out of an Islamophobic tendency.
Israel claims to represent Jews everywhere. Saudi Arabia claims to represent Muslims everywhere. That’s part of how they maintain their respective legitimacies.
Let’s not fall for it.
8
I never hear from the anti-Israel leftists what Israel should do about militias in Iran, Syria Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza committed to destroying it. Do you believe a pullout of the West Bank will lead to these actors laying down their weapons? There is so rarely a fair consideration of Israel's geo-political situation and what obeying the left would result in for Jews in Israel. A peace offering has been made but failed; blame can be assigned to all parties. But the resulting question remains the same. What would any nation do to defend itself?
25
This is just to say about the misleading caption on the photo: the men in it are not exactly Orthodox Jews, most of whom do not dress differently from anyone else, but members of a particular ultra-Orthodox sect which opposes Zionism and does not represent Jews in general anywhere – not the other ultra-Orthodox sects which dress similarly but accept the state of Israel, and certainly not the Modern Orthodox stream. I know these distinctions may seem picky, but Jews, like other people, divide themselves into different groups and it's best to try and understand, in order to avoid misleading stereotypes.
15
This is yet another article that underscores how utterly destructive and pointless religion is in this world. My fictional god is better or more supreme than your fictional god--and we will prove it by hating you and killing your people and making our next generation even more beholden to this same delusion. Instead of making the world more sane and sustainable, religion propagates fear and violence. Its incredible we have the technology to publish and read this article and comments electronically and yet cannot undo ourselves from the shackles of the God delusion.
10
On MARCH 11, 2007, ALAN COWELL wrote in the TIMES an article about a 1937 writing by Winston Churchill. That excellent reporting is worth a re-read.
The article, entitled "How the Jews can combat persecution," was not published when it was written in 1937 and when a newspaper sought permission to print it in 1940, Churchill's office refused, saying publication was "inadvizable." The article spoke of the wave of anti- Semitism in Europe and the United States in the 1930s. What follows are Churchill's words, later disavowed.
"It would be easy to ascribe it to the wickedness of the persecutors, but that does not fit all the facts," the article said. "It exists even in lands, like Great Britain and the United States, where Jew and Gentile are equal in the eyes of the law, and where large numbers of Jews have found not only asylum, but opportunity. These facts must be faced in any analysis of anti-Semitism. They should be pondered especially by the Jews themselves."
"For it may be that, unwittingly, they are inviting persecution — that they have been partly responsible for the antagonism from which they suffer."
The article continued: "The central fact which dominates the relations of Jew and non-Jew is that the Jew is 'different.' He looks different. He thinks differently. He has a different tradition and background. He refuses to be absorbed."
Churchill, who was not an anti-Semite, would certainly be accused of being one if this was published today.
6
Hardly a week goes by that Amnesty International doesn't issue a report about some aspect of the mistreatment of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories by the Israeli government. Everything from bulldozing Palestinian homes to restricting access to water to imprisoning prominent Palestinians for months and years without charge or trial. And this same pattern of conduct has been going on for fifty years. And this behavior is seldom reported in the press, so most americans are unaware of it.
A week ago, a U.N Commission of Inquiry issued a report about Israel's use of snipers against Palestinians protesting at the Gaza/Israel border fence. 189 Palestinians were killed and thousands of Palestinians were wounded. The report noted that among those targeted were children, journalists, health workers, and the disabled. The report concluded that the use of lethal force was completely unjustified. There was very little media coverage of this report.
Despite the lack of media coverage, awarenes around the world of Israel's mistreatment of Palestinians has been growing for decades. This has lead to growing public condemnation of Israel for its behavior toward Palestinians. Israel has attempted to suppress public criticism of its policies by characterizing it as anti-Semitism. It is not.
The New York Times needs to do a much better job of reporting Israel's treatment of the Palestinians so that the general public understands what is legitimate criticism of Israel's behavior.
11
I've read Ilhan Omar's comments on Israel and other topics, including her rather thrilling take-down of Elliot Abrams on his record in Central America (https://www.vox.com/2019/2/15/18225109/elliott-abrams-ilhan-omar-venezuela).
My take from all of this is that Omar is not anti-semitic, any more than she is anti-white; but she is squarely in the left-wing tradition that interprets the world through the lens of the (mostly white) oppressor and the (mostly non-white) oppressed. From that perspective, Israel (despite the Holocaust, and despite the threats and attacks it has been subject to by its neighbors) is in the oppressor class, like South Africa and (the former) Rhodesia were under white government; thanks to its continued occupation of the West Bank and treatment of Palestinian Arabs living there and in Gaza.
We're all free to disagree with her views on Israel, and it's certainly possible that Omar really does harbor anti-semitic feelings (meaning a specific dislike of Jews, not just a general disapproval of Israel's policies). Only time will tell. For now, though, I give her the benefit of the doubt, and just hope she learns to steer clear of language too easily interpreted (especially coming from a Muslim) as anti-semitic.
6
This media campaign is unprecedented. It dwarfs everything we've seen before.
How many articles and option pieces have we encountered, in say the last 4 weeks, in which anti-semitism was the subject ..... either related to Corbyn, Omar, or the BDS Movement. They are countless and relentless.
WHY? WHY NOW?
Is it because there has been a surge in anti-semitic activity during these last 4-5 weeks? I don't think so.
Is it because people in Western government positions have dared to challenge the extremist government of Israel? Quite likely.
Is it because an election is looming in Israel and the right wing extremists are worried? Quite likely.
Is it because publication of the Trump-Kushner-Netanyahu-MBS "peace plan" , otherwise known as the "Deal of the Century" is just weeks away. Most likely.
Talk about an opportunity for an investigative journalist !
6
Mr. Douthat bases his belief in alledged American philoSemitism on a single link to Samuel Goodman’s book on Christian evangelical philoSemitism. He cites no particular examples of actual American group actions which confirm the existence of philoSemitism. He neither quotes Mr. Goodman directly nor cites any official statement of actual Protestant organizations declaring antiSemitism sinful.
AntiSemitism and philosemitism are beliefs deeply rooted in human emotion, not reason. That said, both can be expressed public positions that are strictly transactional. Groups may profess love or hatred of Jews to further a desired political agenda or a religious conviction that Jews are necessary to achieve The End-Times. Moreover like American antiSemitism, philoSemitism confounds political support for Israel , the nation state, with love of the Jews as a particular People. Some Jews are Israelis. The majority are not.The photograph of anti-Zionist American Orthodox Jews which begins Mr. Douthat’s piece confirms that love or hate for the Jewish people is different from love or hate for the the Zionist State.
"Israel is the most democratic state in the middle east."
That's a bloody low bar, huh?
Ms. Omar thinks that Israel is not without sin, and she spoke up about the motivations of those who believe otherwise.
How many of those attacking her would want to live as the Palestinians in Gaza must.
9
I think said "philo-semitism" either never existed or was a molecule deep, at most.
I've spent my live in progressive, even left/socialist environs and the casual antisemitism of friends and even family members is constant.
To clarify, I'm Jewish, born in 1950. So here goes a sampler.
Mom's elegant WASPy horsey best friend on the subject of my grandparents, "Those little Jews live a long time don't they!"
My stepfather explaining why he yanked me out of Temple and made me go to Unitarian Church at age 10, "Jews aren't real Americans! You had to learn how to be a real American!"
My neighbor, recently: "I can't stand Jewish culture. The way they treat the Palestinians!"
My African - American friends, don't ask.
An evangelical relative-by-marriage, "Your way of doing Passover is all wrong. Jesus would never have done it that way. We will show you how to do it right!"
On the subject of my nose when I was a kid, "You look like a B-52!"
OK so I had it fixed.
But just sayin.'
Antisemitism is constant. That probably isn't surprising given Western history, and religious history both Christian and Muslim. Both religions depend in part on the claim that Judaism is flawed, that their way is better.
What we have enjoyed, though, was protection from an antisemitic GOVERNMENT and that is vital.
I'm dismayed to see anti-Jewish commentary becoming more and more common from actual government officials, from the House to the White House.
That's terrifying.
13
There are some syrupy misrepresentations here. First, when Douthat writes "This is what the left seems to want", which he suspects the left will get, he is describing what is clearly a minority view within the Democratic Party. The espousers of this view are barely within the party - his two main examples are more members of the Socialist Party than Democrats, and they do not have their hands on the levers of power. Second, Douthat misrepresents significantly what House Democratic Whip Clyburn said.
3
Rarely have I read such nonsense on the pages of the NYT. No, Mr. Douthat, as a member of the philo-Semite Left, I can assure that it is in fact solely the "right-wing Netanyahu government [and] the cruelties of [its] occupation" of the West Bank and blockade of Gaza that have turned me against Israel policies and actions relative to Palestinians.
I understand why Jews are hyper-sensitive to the possibility that antisemitism is what motivates those who criticize Israel. To expect them to think otherwise is to ignore more than 2,000 years of bigoted behavior by non-Jews. But unless they can can see that there are many of us non-Jews whose criticism is motivated by our genuine love of Israel, the vicious cycle of violence, recrimination and hate will continue to be its future.
As understandable as hardcore toughness was seen as the only way Holocaust survivors and others who founded Israel shoukl deal with adversaries, it's time for Israelis to reach out genuinely with peace and friendship to their neighbors. Israel has proven its toughness and that it can never be driven into the sea. Those like Netanyahu who continue to play upon the absurd existential fears of Jews are the true enablers of terrorism and brutality. Israelis need to embrace their Palestinian neighbors with genuine friendship, including tearing down that hideous Wall and offering reparations and/or compensation. Together, bound by friendship and financial help, they can best control zealots from both sides.
5
I see many comments on here stating that criticism of Israel is fair. And of course it is. But that’s not what gets Omar into trouble; it’s her trading in anti-Semitic tropes. In addition, a lot of countries receive deserved criticism. But only for the single Jewish state do people call for boycotts, and question it’s right to exist.
12
A very interesting article. Who ever heard of "philo-Semitism" before? I didn't. Despite Netanyahu's odious politics, Israel is our natural ally and friend, and we should continue to support her in dealing with her very dangerous neighbors. BDS is the sort of juvenile entertainment thought up by campus leftists. I should know. I was a campus leftist too.
5
Ross,
Your confuse both Jewish contributions to all societies during dispora and the Nation of Israel political policies. These are two entirely different matters.
Liberal Democrats are comprised of a greater percentage of American Jews than the Republicans, truly are criticizing the polices of the State of Israel, certainly not themselves.
The overt rise of antisemitism in America has been stoked by the very same man of hatred and fear, our trump. Yes, there is your correlation!
5
As a long time leftist I recognize that there are some on the left that argue that the Zionist project was illegitimate from its inception and therefore the state of Israel should become a democratic secular state. I do not agree with this position.
However, I do see the Zionist project under Netanyahu's stewardship engaging in ethnic cleaning. It was the Jewish experience in Europe that caused ethnic cleansing to be declared a crime against humanity by the UN. I believe America should oppose these crimes.
I also believe that the US can and should guarantee the security of Israel through a treaty, which would provide obligations on both parties.
And the US should guarantee Palestinian security with peace keepers on the ground and a significant aid package.
These are the prerequisites of peace and security. Of course this has not been the US position and has rightfully brought criticism from the left to our government and that of Israel.
This has also resulted in a form of "philo-Semitism" where congress supplies aid to a cause that is clearly illegal under international law, but worse, it has stifled debate here at home.
Some, though admittedly not all the 'left reaction' around Omar is because of this silencing. Twenty-seven states have contributed to this silencing with laws that penalize those who support BDS.
These are all separate issues but when they get conflated in this atmosphere of dictate and non-debate we invite distortions and misunderstanding.
2
@Stephen N. Your second paragraph is spot on but if you cared about the Palestinians why not press Jordan to take the land back, Egypt to take Gaza back, both lands they stole from the Palestinians? Let them give them the state they denied thoughIsrael x5 offered? Why not suggest that Islamic countries establish trade and embassies with Israel at the same time doing so with Palestinians? Why attack Israel with BDS politics DIRECTLY attacking Palestinians’ jobs? Why not suggest a mutual defense pact among the countries in the Levant? Why not? All those things would improve Palestinian lives. Oh I see, it takes away from keeping Israel and Jews in the international cross-hairs.
7
So, I guess the bottom line is this: Can a person be pro-Israel but anti-Israel in its policy towards its Arab population, the West bank and Gaza? Is discussion of Israel's behavior simply off-limits to anyone who supports Zionism?
Are Palestinians entitled to some measure of sympathy in their plight? I happen to think so.
I don't believe Israel—even the idea of Israel—has a lock on virtuous human behavior. Jews, for all the 2,000 years of suffering at the hands of Christians, are not without the capability to be much like their tormentors, it appears.
So who should speak out?
The rest, Ross, is just words.
10
“It is not fair, however, to intentionally twist her remarks, or to automatically label criticism of Israel as antisemitic. The response to her remarks seems to be driven ... by a virulent hatred for Omar herself. As Joshua Leifer pointed out [http://tinyurl.com/y3kz687j], Omar did not say anything about the pro-Israel lobby that other critics have not said before.
“It should not be difficult to recognize the meaningful distinction between Ilhan Omar’s recent comments and the kind of antisemitism and xenophobia surging on the right that led a rightwing extremist to murder 11 Jews in a synagogue. The current moment demands the ability and the moral clarity to distinguish between real threats and manufactured ones.” It’s a shame that we have spent the last week discussing Omar as if she is a threat, when Donald Trump and his allies continue to make America a more dangerous place for Jews and other minorities.” [http://tinyurl.com/y3hvffwx]
“The Israeli government has invested millions of dollars in its campaign to combat BDS around the world, equating BDS – a non-violent tactic to secure Palestinian rights — with antisemitism, arguing that it denies Israel the right to exist. As an Israeli and a Jew, I do not challenge Israel’s right to exist, but I do challenge its right to exist as the Jewish supremacist, undemocratic, violent state that it is. That does not make me an antisemite, and neither does solidarity with the call for BDS.” [https://tinyurl.com/yy4fwzcv]
5
Yet another opinion piece discussing Omar, who voted in support of the anti-Semitism measure a few days ago, without any mention of the 23 GOP Freedom Caucus members who voted against it.
The double standard here is astounding.
7
"This last shift was helpfully distilled by James Clyburn, the Democratic House whip, who defended Omar last week by basically saying that the Holocaust was a long time ago and her personal experience as a refugee and Muslim immigrant was more immediate and relevant.)"
I am missing the dots that connect this thought--that she is a refugee from Somalia and therefore it is Israel's fault. Can someone explain? Anyone?
1
"the Orthodox Jewish population would still have religious beliefs and practices that are the very opposite of woke."
This is an interesting statement about Orthodox Jewish religion considering that Mr. Douthat is a member of the Catholic Church that is far from woke with all the child and nun sexual abuse.
American has looked the other way and never adddressed:
1. Slavery
2. The Holocaust
3. The murder and plunder of many Native Americans and then stealing their land.
It's time to talk about all these horrendous crimes not just anti-Semitism.
5
After the Holocaust and long before Netanyahu a lot of antiSemitism previously expressed by liberals shifted to condemnation of Israel. This first became apparent to me
in 1956 when one of my non-Jewish high school classmates
came out ferociously against Israel, something I could never
understand especially as Israel's motive in joining the English
and French, who later turned against it, was to stop the terrorism coming from Sinai. Later during the First Intifada, the liberal
Methodist minister and Chaplain of Johns Hopkins, a man I respected, spent eleven days in Israel but all of it with the
Palestinians. Upon his return he wrote a letter to the editor
stating that what he had seen made him reconsider his rejection
of antiSemitism as a young man during the Holocaust. This
is why I must reject Mr. Douthat's comment that antiSemitism
itself has nothing to do with Mr. Netanyahu let alone Israel itself.
Never before have Jews here been so strongly criticized for
their support of a tiny state that came into being in no small
way despite the sad fact that throughout the Nazi period
both Democrat and Republican leaders did their utmost to close our shores to all but a few of the fleeing Jews. Finally, given my years of active involvement in civil rights, to which American Jews contributed way out of proportion to their numbers, make me aghast at the level of Israel hatred long preceding Netanyahu expressed by many Afro Americans as well as by others.
6
The uber tolerant left-brethren of my tribe have embraced trumpian truth telling.
There is nothing subtle in the anti-semitism spouting from the mouth of Omar. It's naked and there.
To come to the conclusion, birthed by her ridiculous defense, that she is unaware of what she says is the kind of denial that encourages deeper expressions of anti-semitism.
Now that she's in the spotlight she's not done and my apologetic brethren have encouraged her.
They should have nipped this in the bud and they didn't. Endangers all of us.
8
Impossible to read this from Douthat without the gorge rising and the sense he is inventing and using words he has no right to. If there is an incubator for "the anti-Jewish violence befouling Europe" it is culturally what it has always been - Catholicism.
8
What is this babble? The congresswoman essentially tweeted that our relationship with Israel centers around money. "philo-semites" and "ant-semites" seems to be blowing a simple tweet out of proportion. Connectedness and real-time communication with mass amounts of people is our current experiment - social media and its implications unfolding before our eyes . We are a polarized people, easily associating with those that share our beliefs (primarily due to the internet/social media). People that simply obstinately believe in what they believe. At the first opportunity of further polarization, they jump at the chance.
3
Very few, other than KKK minded people, will openly say that they don't like Jews. That is why the tough politics of Benjamin Netanyahu have become the tool to make Israel look bad and to question inherently the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish State. The liberal left always supports those that they consider weak and I remember, living in Europe, how everybody stood with Israel in 1967 when it was perceived the weaker.
With all her experiences growing up in a tormented environment in a Muslim country, Ms. Omar could have (and should have) used her voice to seek democracy, human rights, equal rights for women etc. in the Muslim world. But unfortunately the hatred for Jews that she grew up with won over her sense of justice.
Liberal Democrats as a matter of distorted principle reject anything that Trump and Republicans say and do. And because Trump and Republicans are perceived as pro Israel, liberals prefer to follow an antisemitic Ms. Omar. I question why we let her come to US in the first place. In some things Trump is right.
6
As an American with Jewish heritage, perhaps I am overly sensitive, but like the statement years ago by the French Philosopher Jacques Derrida who said, in effect, when I hear an ant-Semitic statement I know it. I also think the philo-Semitism is just an updated form of anti-Semitism, like oh you are Jewish, oh how wonderful, your people have been so.... I think of my self as a cynic, and worldly, but I had to ask my wife what the "Benjamins" are about? perhaps this remark was nothing more than ignorance--I would even give Congress woman Omar that, but she had to aware growing up the Jews are all about money. Freedom of speech, yes, but speech can be hurtful, and indeed this comment was deeply hurtful.
7
Ross in this my final comment/reply submission I open with the same overall view of your column as already expressed by an early comment writer.
Your column is so tangled that writer and I find it very difficult to understand what you want to tell us. Philo-semitism, something I never heard of even though I lived for decades in Brighton NY and the adjacent part of Rochester with the greatest percentage of Jews - all factions - anywhere outside NYC.
Instead of telling us, apparently, that Jews are so exceptional we should set up a philo-semite foundation why don't you instead take up this question:
How and when will Israel bring about a democratic One-State or Two-State Solution?
Pose a serious question like that instead of writing about philo-semitism and see what presidential hopefuls and even Ilhan Omar have to say about that.
Then you will get my undivided interest and even respect.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
5
I'm glad the unquestioned loyalty to Israel by both Democrats and Republicans is being questioned. They are a strong ally in the Middle East but they are not above being criticized. But when it comes to a minority group that should be strongly protected in the USA, I would have to say that our African-American citizens should have "exceptional" protection -- given the fact that their ancestors suffered for decades due to government-supported SLAVERY. I question why the US Congress has not updated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that protected minority voters in 9 Southern states. The US Supreme Court ruled in recent years that can't be enforced because of widespread racist voter suppression in Ohio and other Northern states. The Supreme Court urged the the US Congress should address the need to fix this!
Regarding "loyalty" to Israel: It's not a matter of "religion" it's a matter of conduct and the Netanyahu administration is horrific!
American Jews are often as outraged as many other citizens of the USA at the actions of a nation that seems to have no desire for peace and continues a 50-year brutal occupation and land-grab. #Israel also recently expelled many of its black immigrants.Just today, in a campaign speech, Netanyahu said that Israel is "not a state of all its citizens" referring to its more than 20% Arab citizens in Israel.
5
This is a well thought out and written piece. I find much value in the analysis.
As for the debate about meaning of the tropes:
1. Why can't she just fine more precise language to make her point if she is not trying to fan the flames of anti-semitism among her supporters?
2. Why can't is juts be demanded that she opine clearly on whether she feels Israel should exist?
3. Why can't the party support explicitly protecting one group [Jews] but can support another specifically [Blacks]?
4. What does the Congresswoman think about the surrpounding nations and the human rights issues occurring therein?
2
I do not have a solid concept of what anti-antisemitism is. I know it exists because I've heard that it does. But it could hit me in the face and not know it. It certainly is not like racism, the likes of which bombards me every single day. I suppose that makes me a liberal, or just a halfway aware white guy.
But after reading this essay I find it hard to figure out who likes Jews and who do not. Sort of like bi-polar in Semitics. Perhaps I have some kind of benign form of anti-semitism that is called philo-semitism? It is happy to feel both good and bad toward Jewish people because they have experienced a Holocaust? Not sad today, but good tomorrow, according to their actions?
It is not clear unless I conclude that Jews are like groups of people who need to be treated differently, with a bonus that people who are Jewish can be viewed as earning (?) sympathy, indifference and/or hostility.
Got it Mr. Douthat.
Is Omar the only anti-semitic in America?
Bashing her won't make anti-semitism go
away. Ms Omar is being used as a punching
bag. If America cared about fair treatment
of minorities, they should have also
condemned Islamophobia. Anti-Islamic
hysteria comes from secular, religious
Christians, like Franklin Graham, pope
Benedict and secular Jews . There are
cases of antisemitism in France and Britain
where Ms Omar is unknown. However,
antisemitism is bad particularly in America.
Jews stood by Muslims when they have
been attacked by islamophobic secualr
and religious Christian hordes. Muslims
should condemn antisemiticism. Many
Somali Muslims are uncomfortable with
Ms Omar's statements. She needs to visit
her constituency and hear from Somali
Muslims and the Jews. That probably would
have salutary influence on her. Thoughwith her
silence, antisemitism won't go away. This
is a larger problem in the society full
of hate groups- some hate blacks, others
hate Jews and Muslims, yet others Hispanics
our president included.
2
To put it bluntly, The distinction of antisemitism in the pantheon of bigotry is the body count. What-about-ism ends there, unless you are ignorant of history or a racist.
The intersectional hierarchy, by definition answers the question.
1
It is a tangled web we weave...........
Mr. Douthat -- affinity for one's own tribe, and suspicion of outsiders is as old a homo sapiens themselves. However, the focused hatred of a single people, be they Africans or Jewish, is unusual and usually stoked by evil men for their own political gains. Yes, I meant to say Tribe, and Men.
4
Only a person living in New York would think that Americans have become philo-Semites. I lived in NY for many years and I can tell you that other parts of the country have never come around to that way of thinking. No, we may not be like the America of the fifties, sixties, and seventies - the America that wouldn't allow Jews to join private clubs. But many Americans still view Jews with suspicion - at best. If they're Evangelicals, they love Israel, but they're wary or hostile to Jews. The conservative and alt right's love of Israel is based upon Israel's place in the Bible as well as its geographic place. But the difference is that their "love" of Israel
does not extend to the Jews. Even their loud protestations of "love" for Netanyahu do not extend to his Jewish identity.
It's a political/pseudo-religious 'love.'
How many times in the last ten years have I heard people in polite company say: "Well, you know he's a JEW?" How many times have I heard people tear down Jews in casual conversation, the same way that they would tear down blacks or Mexicans?
There has been a lot more more of this in the last three years.
Even more blatant shows of anti-Semitism have been on the rise across America (Charlottesville stands out). And you can bet your life that the perpetrators of those acts say they LOVE Israel - but chant "Jews will not replace us."
Conservative Christians carry on what you might call a
philo-Israelism strapped firmly to an anti-Semitism.
9
Dear Ross and any other Conservative listening:
This is your monster.
You created it by enabling and continuing to enable a racist and avowed white supremacist to occupy the White House. Because by allowing the highest office in the land to become a recidivist agency promoting a return to publicly sanctioned prejudice, you signal to everyone - no matter where they sit on the political spectrum - that it is ok to hate again.
Anti-Semitism is to the left what Islamic terrorism is to right: it’s a distraction from the real threat, which is domestic right wing extremists who are armed to the teeth and ready to engage in sedition on behalf of Trump, even within the military as the Coast Guard incident proves. Just like the real threat to Islam is from its leaders, not Israel, you are perpetrating a lie for your own political purposes.
This is not the time for conservatives to say “it’s not just us, it’s you too”, when you should be uniting with liberals in decrying this outrage across all forms of hatred. As a Jew, I’m just as insulted by the right using us for political gain as I am by this woman’s attempt to vilify us for her political ambitions. The longer this goes, the greater risk there is of more Pittsburgh’s. So please, stop it, you’re not getting our votes by saying you’re on our side while Trump is still your leader. We know when we’re being used.
Love,
Jews in America
3
In the 1960s I believed in the philosophy of Martin Luther King--that people should be judged by their character and not their color; and I still do. But in the 60s, I was considered a liberal civil rights activist; today, I am considered a racist.
Just as I did in the 60s, I believe that race should never be a criteria for anything, jobs, aid, admissions, etc. That color and race blindness, now characterizes me as a "racist."
To single Israel out to be judged by a different standard than all other countries is anti-semitic. It is also a characteristic of anti-racists like Omar and "Black Lives Matter. In fact, "racism" and "anti--semitism" are almost opposites as the terms are currently employed by the "progressive" left. There were no expressions of "racism" or any of the phobias in the Democratic Resolution by any Democratic Congressman, only anti-Semitism.
The Democratic Resolution was an insult to Jews, and is very dangerous to the Democratic Party.
7
There have always been bigots. Antisemitism is no different than any other form of bigotry. But why is it that some Americans cannot separate antisemitism from criticism of Israel? Israel is a country. Judaism is a religion.
Many people the world over think it is unfair that Israel gives Jews special rights over the occupied Palestinians. But it has nothing to do with Judaism or religion. It has to do with discrimination and mistreatment of one group of people by another group of people.
7
I’m sorry but a post-religious vision is not what Ilhan Omar and other so-called left-leaning politicians who also happen to practice a very oppressive religion (in its orthodox literal incarnation, to women and liberal ideals), very similar to that of ultra-religious Jews, are espousing. How hypocritical is it to say that the Islam she practices is more post-religious or “woke” than that of religious Jews. Come on!
5
So long as Palestinians are held captive and marginalized, there is a stain on the State of Israel. Pro-Israeli groups who support that policy don't give money to members of Congress who oppose that policy. Saying this doesn't make me an antisemitic.
7
As an emancipated, enlightened, educated liberal I've got to say, we hope and pray for the melting pot to finally overcome all this racial difference.
People are running around desperately defending their cherished "values"- without which they fear the loss of their identity. To become lost and unmoored, however, is the beginning of insight. All others are blind.
Zionism is fascism.
3
There is no real defense of anti-Semitism or hatred. it’s all mental gymnastics by the left or one may say a ruse to align themselves with European progressives and to their promote identity politics.
2
After decades long studying anti-Semitism, I arrived to a single antidote and simple recipe:
Avoid using the "s".
In fact, it serves as a universal anti-discriminatory solution to be applied everywhere and regarding everybody.
American"s", Black"s", Uruguayan"s", Jew"s", so on and so forth.
Judge INDIVIDUALS based on proven facts. Stop generalizing. Not only is respectful and smart, it is also logical: nobody knows every single person within persuasions, races or nationalities of any kind.
Just makes me sick having to write this here.
2
Here's exactly what was "distilled by James Clyburn, the Democratic House whip, who defended Omar last week by basically saying that the Holocaust was a long time ago and her personal experience as a refugee and Muslim immigrant was more immediate and relevant": Illhan Omar has divided loyalties.
5
Here's a thought as people pile on Israel and their 'oppression' of Palestinians with many leftist-marxist calling for boycott, divest and sanctions (BDS) - why aren't we, all Americans, calling for BDS for Saudi Arabia and the rest of the repressive, tyrannical regimes across the Middle East and North Africa? Or BDS for China on their treatment of Tibet and their Muslim minorities? Or BDS for India as they continue to allow caste discrimination and repressive, violent treatment of women and young girls?
Why? Because there is no compelling 'injustice'.
Let's face it, the world has been, is and will continue to be an ugly, repressive place for many, many people. We should all be doing what we can to change it with in the confines of current political and societal constraints.
Yet, unless we are facing the two most reprehensible forms of human repression - slavery and genocide - most of what we are blathering on about is our first world privilege of trying to impose our liberal concepts of freedom and human rights on those that haven't reached our level of 'enlightenment'. Well meaning, but not going to happen at anywhere near the speed we all would like.
4
In North and some other parts of Africa or M.E. Governing is taken as an entitlement by some Ethnic Gp or sect and they try to cling to power as long as they could and every time they have to face a pressing challenge they look for a scapegoat.As a result problems simmer long enough to destroy the respective Nation.What is at issue is not the conservatism of the columnist, instead countries like Somalia,S.Sudan,Now Al Bahir's Northern Sudan,Afghanistan (there the Taliban),etc. all blame Israel or conspiracy of The Jews,The West for their crippling Socio-Political-Eco woes.They don't allow fair participation of their citizens in harnessing their countries resources and be beneficiaries.Usually many of the so called elites of most developed countries they act as if that when their egos or feelings r hurt then the interest of the people they claim to represent is hurt.She too have to agonize over how to help the Somalis take advantage of the long border they have with Indian Ocean,get rid of Al-Shabab who kills poor Somalis in Mogadishu via suicide bombing,make Somali stable enough to repatriate Somali refugees.That by itself is a great help to her adopted country.Some African Diaspora make great +ve contribution in building their Native country, some from the safe heaven of their adopted country they fan civil strife inflaming people .Actually Africans, including Somalia should partner more with Israel and revolutionize their Agriculture+Dairy there r enough Anti-Semites.TMD.
2
Funny to me, as an American Jew, to be lectured by a white Christian man about antisemitism. The Orthodox Jews who came to Rep. Omar's office to support her surely aren't antisemitic. It is white European Christians who have developed and pushed all the tropes about Jews, not Somalis. It is CUFI who are some of the most ardent supporters of Israel and yet think Jews are going to hell when they die because they haven't accepted JC as their savior. I wonder what Ross thinks about that. Just listen to what Rep Omar actually said at that bookstore. It's easy to find the video and what she says is powerful.
7
Interesting picture to illustrate Douthat's column. Growing up, I'd never heard anyone say anything bigoted about Jews until I went to work as a nurse at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. Whenever there was a Hasidic patient, the JEWISH doctors and nurses would say vile things and make crude jokes. Is that anti Semitic?
6
Anti-semitism? Sounds almost antiseptic.
Call it what it really is: Jew hatred.
And Democrats have tolerated Jew hatred for decades in the likes of irredeemable scoundrels like Al Sharpton of the Freddie’s Fashion Mart pogram and Louis Farrakhan of the hate-filled Nation of Islam sect.
I guess they get a pass because of — what? — intersectionality?
19
Yawn. For trump followers, every single hate-filled rant he spits out is to be taken seriously. We are supposed to discuss the good intentions of Nazis, and believe the well-timed shrieks about caravans.
Now comes a new Rep who wears a headscarf and gets slapped down by her fellow Democrats, and....suddenly the silly Mr. Douthat is here to sob quietly at the death of civility on the left. Tell you what: when Rep Omar starts telling us (as trump does about everyone who disagrees with him) that Jews should not be allowed any voice in America, we'll care about it. Ross and his crocodile tears! Telling the left to clean the house, while a dumpster fire rages at the white house.
9
I have never understood my leftism to require me to give race- or ethnic-based distortions a pass. That means I don’t truck in pro- or anti-ethnic biases because I feel both are harmful. Though I’m not Christian, I realized rather late in life that this is what the best adherents of Jesus’ teachings have been talking about all along: There is great power in loving humanity in its entirety—and it is, in fact the way to be. I have never understood my politics to require me to countenance wrong-doing on the grounds which boil down to the childish argument of “they did it to us first.” Two wrongs never have and never will make a right. My take on these things makes me love and hate “Inglorious Bastards” every bit as much as I do “Django” and for pretty much identical reasons.
So when Israel mistreats its Arab and Palestinian populations, it must be condemned. To willfully turn a blind eye to injustice will get us nowhere, nor will it advance the human cause around the globe. Those who wish to muzzle condemnation of systemic racism are simply on the wrong track. Criticizing Israel is simply not the same thing as antisemitism, and in fact a very sizable minority of Jewish, Arab and Palestinian Israelis agree with me. Money is the language of all lobbying. To say it is out of bounds to decry the role of money in politics—which is one of the things Ms. Omar is being excoriated for doing—is simply untenable.
8
There is not just one kind of anti-semitism": there are those who believe that "just one drop" of Jewish blood is enough to damn one for eternity, there are those who do not see a difference between religion and Zionism, there are those who cynically use a hallowed tool for rabble-rousing and there are those who are just plain ignorant.
There is not only one way to counter anti-semitism
2
Never read a comment by a catholic conservative writer condemning mel gibson's movie.
6
Defend-Omar project? …the defend-Omar project is a project that seeks to push us away from the age of philo-Semitism?
Nauseating. There is no "project." And American Jews don't need such patronizing while we hold conflicted views about Israel, Netanyahu, and human rights issues.
Talk about bad faith.
4
Right Wing Evangelicals support the State of Israel. But only up until The Rapture, when all Jewish people will have to convert to Christianity or be thrown into a pit of fire.
But Left Wing people are deemed anti-Semitic because they dare to criticize actions taken by Israel.
I thing Jewish people are better off supporting the Left Wing and accepting a bit of criticism. Who knows when the Right Wing types might turn on them?
6
Anti-Semitism is rooted in one of the 7 deadly sins: Envy. Anti-Semites don't hate Jews because of the religion they practice. Many devout Catholics and Protestants feel a simpatico for observant Jews. Envy is the root cause of anti-Semitism. Henry Ford, Joseph Kennedy, and many other prominent anti-Semites promoted a belief that Jews were perilous for the nation's economic well-being. That belief was fueled by envy. They witnessed Jews thriving in the business world and wondered why. By comparison to Christians, the overwhelming majority of Jews thrived in many business sectors, from Wall Street to Hollywood, and they continue to do so. From Goldman Sachs to MGM/Warner/Paramount, and other Jewish controlled enterprises, the Jews have flourished.
4
"status as a Jewish sanctuary"?
"philo-Semitism"?
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't Israel a theocracy? So does the Israeli state think it deserves a "get out of jail free card" because Israel and the Jewish faith are married at the hip?
IMHO they don't. Sadly, most religions become corrupted, just look at our own South Baptist Convention - the name itself was created out of racism and the Convention tolerated racial terrorism for many decades, indeed some say it still does.
So was the Holocaust bad? Yes, and it was bad for the socialists, the homosexuals, the liberals, the disabled, and lots of people, not just Jewish people. How does it compare to decades of race targeted terrorism? Just trying to compare the two is a horrendous exercise.
So where is the American Black peoples' sanctuary?
Where is the philo-Black movement?
For that matter what about the Native American's sanctuary and the philo-Native Americanism?
Or does an oppressed group have to somehow be "connected" to the God of Abraham to deserve that status?
6
I am Mexican and queer. Why would any other group's oppression, discrimination and trauma earn exceptionalism over mine? Over anyone's?
I will fight anti-semitism as much as I'll fight racism and homophobia or any other scourge of the far right.
11
It appears to me that the goal of AIPAC and the GOP in pushing this issue is not really to combat anti-Semtiism, but to divide the left, because they both prefer the GOP's blind support for Likud's authoritarian policies to the Democrats' more varied opinions on the policies of Israel's government .
In view of that, its unfortunate that the NYT seems to be aiding them by continuing to push their false narratives on this issue.
6
Ross Douthat gives a non-Jew the feeling that rubbing shoulders with Jews could be a complicated affair. Either one is “philo-Semite” or “anti-Semite.”
What’s more sensitive is the issue of Israel-Palestinian conflict. Anyone critical of Netanyahu’s policy of illegal settlements on occupied land has to watch the weight of his/her words.
He says: “The outsize success of Jewish intellectuals and scientists and artists and businessmen and activists was an especially good thing, a unique proof of American exceptionalism.” Many of these remarkable people do not emphasise their Jewishness. They are admired simply for their brilliant achievements.
Although Ilhan Omar is entitled to criticise Israel, she needs to walk a tightrope in order to avoid scathing criticism from her opponents. This is sapping much of her energy which could be focused on more pressing issues.
4
I was a journalist for 40 years. I got into journalism was that I used to read the NYT, and on progressive politics, particularly the Vietnam war, they got the story wrong.
(For a documented example, see the chapter on the Columbia building takeover in Gay Talese's book, The Kingdon and the Power.)
In particular, the NYT would regularly quote people and get them wrong -- paraphrasing them or quoting them out of context to say the opposite of what they meant.
To avoid the same mistake, I did 2 things: (1) When I attacked someone, I would try to contact them to get their side (as the NYT claimed to do but didn't) (2) I would try to get a good quote from them stating their position, read it back to them and say, "This is what I think you're saying. Am I getting it right?" That saved me from embarrassing mistakes -- and gave me a better story.
Now Douthat is doing it. The logical fallacy he's committing is creating a straw man. He's describing what the left "seems to want" based on his own interpretation. He makes some interesting arguments -- but I don't think they're true. More important, he's missing the main issues.
I would challenge Douthat to call one of the people he's attacking, and do what I did. Repeat back what he thinks they're saying, and ask whether that's right. Ask what they really think. That's what the NYT style book says you're supposed to do. That way you'll avoid making more embarrassing mistakes. Most important, you'll get a better story.
6
I’d like to tell James Clyburn that the Civil War was even longer ago than the Holocaust, and that anti Jewish sentiments are far older than both.
As a Jew I find Ilan Omar’s attitudes towards my people abhorrent. I have to as she is a threat.
It has been said, and I agree, one cannot be anti Israel and not he anti Jewish.
8
No one is saying anti-Jewish racism is treated exceptionally. On the contrary. Right now what I get from otherwise-'progressive' fiends, is Jewsplaining that what I'm experiencing isn't racism, that Judaism is a religion, that I'm 'white', even though I've never in my life identified as white, passed as white, & have experienced Jew hatred all my life. No matter. The facts that Jews are targeted far more than *any* other ethnic or racial group in America, including Muslims, including African Americans --this doesn't matter either. So yeah, I'm not asking for 'exceptional" treatment. I'm asking to be treated *like any other racist victim.*
No one, literally no one, is saying you can't criticise the Israeli government. That is a straw man. But hint: if you can't find a way of criticising the Israeli government without a) wishing it were destroyed b) accusing it of genocide (absent of facts) c) ignoring literally any other country's actions, d) conflating all Jews with Israelis & finally e) talking about Jew money (Benjamins, baby), conspiracies, hypnotism, dual loyalty--you are not talking about criticising a state. You're racist. You hate Jews.
3. Aipac is not a nefarious organization manipulating representatives with Jew money. You wanna criticise money in politics? Fine. critisize South Korea, Japan, UAE, china--And this is from foreign countries directly.
Omar herself got tons of money from Pacs, including Cair! I guess it's all about the Somali shillings, baby..
16
I laughed at the photo under the byline of this column. It depicts a Jewish group which is "anti-Israel," and indeed once traveled to Iran to show their support for that regime. Just shows that every community has its oddballs, like the Kanye West of Jews.
But this column seeks to explain "philo-Semitism" and the Left's embrace of anti-Semitism lite.
The real danger is that the Left's hostility to Israel/Jews is at its core a rejection of the Western values which gave rise to America. Jews are a reminder of that great symbiosis of religious and scientific debate and the advance of individual freedom of conscience and conduct within a democratic political context. The exact opposite of "socialism."
It is not just Jewish "exceptionalism" which is under attack, but that of America.
And the embrace by the Left of an identity politics which currently sympathizes with "Leftist" fascism, like that of Islamic fascism, and rejects capitalism, which lifted Jews, like America in general, to a standard of living unequaled in human history.
Jews are just the "canary" in the coal mine here.
8
I was in the Jerusalem's Old Town and close to the Jewish Quarter. Two Jewish boys of about 10-11 years old were beating two smaller Arab boys. An old and tiny Arab woman intervened and tried to separate them, to no avail. One of the Jewish boys was kicking one of the Arab boys with his foot in the groin. I grabbed his foot and held it high; the kid was now hopping on the other foot. All of a sudden both Jewish boys turned against me with a fury and hatred that knew no bounds, yelling at me to go away. It was their business, not mine. It was a demented scene, sick, horrible. I shudder even now.
What I have experienced was disturbing in the extreme. I only wish others to place themselves in the shoes of the little Arab boys who were beaten by two bigger Jewish boys who started the fight.
And yet only a few decades Arabs and Jews lived peacefully in Palestine and did so for centuries, both being semites people. Moreover, we should remember that Jews fared much better over centuries under Muslim rule wherever they were compared to the Christian lands where anti-semitism was born.
My point is that we should approach this issue with a greater degree of historical awareness and a conscience that sees past and present with consequence, meaning that We Must look for solutions of resolving the Jewish occupation of Arab lands, which, is the most salient issue, one poorly addressed by the US and certainly by the current and extremist Israeli government.
10
What's abscent from this analysis is an analysis of the causes of anti-semitism. To do such an analysis one needs to read the Torah (the old testament) and also the new testament. The former stresses Jews as a race. It prohibits marriage between Jews and gentiles; the deuteronomic theory of history (if you obey God's word good things happen and vice-versa) implies material prosperity indicates worth and God's blessing. The common attribute ascribed to Jews is greed. The latter, Christain based religions do not so prohibit marriage, nor do they stress worldly materialism. So, an analytic stance on causal factors of anti-semitism is: when a culture is possessed by greed, purges of Jews takes place. They are taken as symbols of what is wrong.
The historical prevalance of this model suggests it is something like the reason Judaism exists -- in a biological sense. They're utility is as a scapegoat -- when all else fails break this glass.
The only good fix is to avoid signs and realities of greed: income inequality for sure.
It may not be fair, but it is real. Attempts to supress anti-semitism just pour gasoline onto the mix. Let us pray there is not a authoritian figure with a match and Warren or another brings better income-equality to our country.
3
While the label of cultural appropriation appalls me, I don't think, after reading the comments here, that anyone who has not grown up in a Jewish milieu can have an understanding of the tacit anti-semitism that pervades our society, any more than someone who has not grown up with the legacy of slavery can grok the African-American experience.
Because I don't "look Jewish" I have often been around groups of people who see themselves as unprejudiced, but will frequently say things like, "she's Jewish, but very nice," or "He wanted too much, but I Jewed him down."
The stereotypes die hard, and are rarely recognized as such.
One time, when discussing a bargaining session, I said "I really Christianed him down." The people I was talking to looked at me like I was from another planet.
My wife told me that her first roommate in college, on learning she was Jewish, asked to see where her horns had been removed.
Much of what we see as anti-Semitism, can be fairly construed as cultural conditioning. We have many more recognizable cultural hate targets these days, but the tribal reflex to cast out aliens remains strong. Israel, as a state has a history of having to defend itself against constant attempts by its neighbors to destroy it. While it's current leadership is worthy of criticism, the need for Israel to defend itself remains. That defense may be against Iranian provided missiles coming from Palestinians, or it may be from (we hope) well meaning but misguided Americans.
8
What no one wants to talk about is the elephant in the room. The elephant is Religion. As a strict believer in science and the ability of us human capable of solving (or creating) our own problems, I find it fascinating that in this day and age we still cling to outdated beliefs.
Just consider for a moment if some group suddenly showed up in the US and claimed that some "Almighty" power appeared to their leader and "endowed" them NYC. Would we clear NYC to make room for this group? This is exactly what we are seeing, except that the date is not now but 3000+ years ago.
We have got to stop using Religion to gain power or land or whatever. It is time to separate religion from politics completely and look for peaceful and equitable solutions for all people living in a given territory without one group dominating and annihilating another group. We are intelligent beings and we can do it without the help of this "Almighty" who somehow has been completely absent for the last two or three or more centuries!
4
Showing a photo of representatives of a very minor Jewish cult that has nothing or no connections to any other Jewish religious or community organization - Orthodox or otherwise - and yet lives in Israel and accepts generous financial support from the Israeli government while its men are exempt from military service is deceptive at best, if showing that photo at the lead of the story is meant to prove that anti-Zionism is not akin to Antisemitism.
4
“If the occupation ended tomorrow, Israel would still have a nationalist and religious identity at odds with the left’s broadly post-nationalist and post-religious vision.” Fair enough, as a conservative traditionalist you can’t have a true understanding of a deeply thoughtful left-orientation mindset but please don’t state so boldly what you falsely believe it is. Nationalism and religious identify are not “at odds with the left’s … vision.” Only the use of these dogma to subvert other’s ways of life and beliefs is at odds with mis-guided (not post) nationalism and mis-guided (not post) religious vision. National pride and religious vision are wonderful when used to fulfill one’s own life and abusive (“at odds with the left’s …”) when used in an attempt to fulfill (compel compliance) another’s. This is a very clear an powerful distinction that you need to get your head around, and that if you are able to, will let you see the “left” as pro nationalism and pro religious vision and pro … vs. anti-what you or someone else believes.
3
Omar is 100% correct. Let's end the Israeli lobbyists undue influence in our government. Let's end the billions in our tax money that support Israel. I have no reason for my tax dollars to support Israel way out of proportion to any other country on the planet. The entitlement disgusts me. NONE. I am soooo tired of the go-to cry of anti-antisemitism whenever the subject is broached. Carry on for the people, for the truth Congressman Omar!
9
@Kim
The United States does NOT give cash to Israel. We provide them with military equipment, made in the USA by American workers who earn wages and pay taxes. Our ally provides us with advanced technology, intelligence, and a base of operations in the Middle East, benfitting both countries.
4
Once unchecked numbers of Muslims and Hispanics were allowed in the country Anti Semitism on a large scale was inevitable. The Pew Hispanic polls found Hispanics the be the most Anti Semitic immigrant group in the country. The muslims will never be satisfied as long as Israel in any form still exists. They've made that quite clear with their river to the sea chant, which means no Israel in between.
It's getting close to the time for Jews to look for the next haven.
3
Or you might simply believe Israel doesn't deserve any special consideration outside a normal geopolitical strategic relationship. Israel is a country. Israel is the only nuclear armed country in the Middle East. As far as I can tell, the US has fulfilled their primary commitments to the security of that nation many times over. Israel does not the deserve a continued primacy in the US political discussion regardless of how you feel about Netanyahu or Palestine. Israel is only relevant to the US in so far as Israel can promote and affirm US interests in that part of the world. Not US Jewish interests. US interests.
If you're worried about another Holocaust, Jewish or otherwise, you should focus your attention on the current US President who is working relentlessly to undermine the immigration policy established in response to the Jewish Holocaust. WWII is the reason why asylum seekers are allowed to enter the United States from anywhere before their immigration status is determined. This issue is a lot more relevant than anything Omar has to say.
7
“Philo Semitism” is actually a subset of anti Semitism. Anyone who professes to love and admire all Jews and support Israel without reservation obviously doesn’t take Jews seriously as people.
6
Four consecutive days of NYT columnists vilifying Representative Omar and not a single one has interviewed her. Wow! It is like a shark feeding frenzy. Perhaps instead of intuiting every tweet or utterance from the woman, one of these writers might want to actually verify that their interpretations are correct.
5
This “contraversy “, such as it is has a few holes and contradictions that are hard to square
1) the March 3, 2015 shoehorning of PM Netanyahu’s speech to Congress where he essentially repudiated President Obama for perceived “unfriendliness”. There were press rumors he might be an anti-Semite because he didn’t jump to Netanyahu’s barking
2) Steven Miller’s anti Central American refugee policy that has a) separated children from their parents b) has placed children in cages. c) has racialized Meso-Americans. Yet, no Jewish organization has condemned an approach that is nothing short of fascist planning.
3) AIPAC and other Jewish organizations pressed Congress to invade Iraq with the current results. Millions of displaced people, many migrating to Europe
4j the same forces are now beating the drums for war and invasion of Iran. For what purpose?
5) is the land grab of Jerusalem legal or ethical?
Rep. Omar’s inelegant comments are being exploted by interpretative extrapolations that are false and conveniently expedient. Should we acquiesce to hatred for any group in America? Clearly no, But, we can’t also be selectively outraged.
5
Ill grant you anti-semitism exists, but outrage can't be limited to high visibility predjudism of one kind. Equally blatant biases and injustices need to be stamped out.
1
Anti-Semitism has been a Western Church/State policy staple for 2000 years. Every regime/religion/majority needs its scapegoats, usually the weakest segment of society, the least able to defend itself and the least likely to respond defensively. From blood libels to pogroms to Hitler, Jews have been the West's scapegoat of choice.
Western thought does NOT see anti-Semitism as evil, depraved or corrupt.
At best, Western thought sees anti-Semitism as a mild embarrassment not to be discussed in proper company but not grounds for chastised or detachment, either.
Anti-Semitism came to America with European immigrants and has always simmered beneath surface American civility, occasionally reaching a boil. This time the pot boiled over.
Why should anything change? Religion and politics haven't
Two millennia of Western Church and State support and sponsorship of anti-Semitism are hard to ignore. Or forget.
5
If the following passage holds any truth then the words “Never Forget” are slowly fading away if not already forgotten:
“James Clyburn, the Democratic House whip, who defended Omar last week by basically saying that the Holocaust was a long time ago and her personal experience as a refugee and Muslim immigrant was more immediate and relevant.)
1
@MDCooks8
You decide if that's a fair characterization of what Cliburn said:
"In the interview with the Hill, Clyburn said he had spoken at length with Omar, who was born in Somalia and fled with her family to a refugee camp in Kenya where she lived for four years as a child.
She “is living through a lot of pain,” Clyburn told the newspaper, drawing a contrast between Omar’s firsthand experience and the perspectives of those whose parents or grandparents survived the Holocaust or other historical atrocities.
“There are people who tell me, ‘Well, my parents are Holocaust survivors.’ ‘My parents did this.’ It’s more personal with her,” Clyburn said in the interview.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/rep-james-clyburn-says-ilhan-omars-experience-is-more-personal-than-that-of-holocaust-survivors-children/2019/03/07/fcda705c-410c-11e9-9361-301ffb5bd5e6_story.html?utm_term=.6ab3a56e1428
3
Anti-Semitism........No. Everybody is a victim. "All the left-wing people are Anti-Simitic. The hard core Republicans are Anti-Simitic. The Muslims are Anti-Semitic (actually, I believe that is correct). The Catholics are Anti-Semitic. The Protestants are Anti-Semitic. Asians are Anti-Semitic. Hispanics are Anti-Semitic. African-Americans are Anti-Semitic. " Did I leave anyone out? You can go through life being a victim (or at least, feeling like a victim), and seeing bias against you everywhere you look, whether it is true or not, or possibly, move forward with your own life, and not worry about what everybody else thinks or does. Everyone is a victim now.
1
What we need is an honest discussion, especially for American citizens, is how Israel became Israel. Why did the survivors of the Nazi genocide, who had been living in Europe for centuries, suddenly get their "own country" and displace the Palestinians who had been living there for centuries.
And yes, I know about the Saudi princes who incurred enormous gambling debts in the early 20th century and sold off land they owned in Palestine to pay those debts, to persons who then sold them to Great Britain?
But the real issue for me is, how can Western countries/governments explain this to the rest of us who are trying to understand the real issues in this modern construct of a country created out of guilt in 1948.
4
Jim Crow. When an African American is punished severely for doing what others have done for years without comment. Nothing but Jim Crow. Shameful and painfully obvious.
1
The comments to Ross’s essay are filled with ramblings trying to justify the left’s blatant anti-semitism. You need only look at the Women’s March, Linda Sarsour and the embrace of Louis Farrakhan. Not only did the resistance give a big wet kiss to anti-semites, the main stream democrats did, with Bill Clinton appearing on stage at Aretha’s funeral with Farrakhan and Obama holding secret meetings with him during his presidency. I will remind you also of Reverend Jackson’s comments while running for president about NYC as “ Heimitown” or perhaps Al Sharpton and the Crown Heights riots? Why are Democrats surprised about the left’s anti-semitism? Who is supporting BDS? Not Republicans. The left and democratic attempts at denial are laughable if there were not so dangerous.
6
I view Omar's comments as ignorant. They don't frighten me. What frightens me is Trump's comment that Nazis at Charlottesville are "very fine people", Matt Goetz bringing a Holocaust denier to the State of the Union and Steve Scalise speaking before white supremacists. I can't see how some Jews believe Omar is much worse than these examples. Why would they vote for people that David Duke votes for?
6
The strangest alliance in recent history is that between ‘Leftists’ and Arab/Islamic supremacists, joined at the confluence where the fashionable ‘New Antisemitism’ (BDS, anti-Zionism) meets the old familiar Antisemitism (pogroms, inquisitions, dhimmitude, and genocide).
To borrow from another commenter, “the Left has confused Arab/Islamic anger at military defeat to Israel (a nation comprised of their former dhimmis) to broader repression of ALL minority groups.” Once again, Jews...and by extension, Israelis...are a convenient scapegoat for the imperialist failings of others.
As for the Arabs identifying as Palestinians, themselves, the descendants of invaders, colonists, and 20th century economic migrants to the Levant, who rejected statehood (repeatedly) in favor of waging endless terror wars attempting to wipe Israel offf the map by any means necessary...THEY are the authors of their own misery. It’s called ‘consequences’. There’s not a country on earth that would tolerate for even 1 year what Israel has had to deal with for over 70 years. The United States certainly wouldn’t....and didn’t!
6
When will people realize that hate for any we perceive as other, is simply hate. Period. Most of us, if asked and if willing to admit it, don't love any group other than our own completely and unreservedly (And we don't always like ALL members of our own tribe), so why the insistence on separate language Anti-Semitism vs racism. A matter of semantics? Realistically, yes; politically, a world apart. Is it really too much to ask that we ALL challenge the mindless hatred of anyone who expresses hostility toward the "different" among us.
1
No one wants to say it so I will.
Omar is an observant Muslim. A basic belief of that faith is that Jews are bad and that they must be done away with. It says so in the Koran. Look at the increases in anti antisemitism in European countries as their number of Muslims increases. This Jew hatred has absolutely nothing to do with Israel. Israel, as is so often the case,is used as a cover for antisemitism. And why single out Israel for criticism? It is certainly a more just and equitable society than any Muslim country in the world. Why---- because of antisemitism.
20
@Alan Phoenix
"No one wants to say it so I will.
Omar is an observant Muslim. A basic belief of that faith is that Jews are bad and that they must be done away with."
I'll say it.
Omar has "triple cover" as a Democrat. Foreign born, woman of color and Muslim. That gives her unlimited license to say just about any incendiary thing she wants to about Israel and/or Jews, then turn around and play the race/minority card when called out on it.
Congressional Democrats need to continue to hold her feet to the fire if she continues on her current trajectory. She should receive no pass whatsoever based upon her "origins".
3
Pssst, hey Ross- there is not monolithic "The Left" in America. Your invention sounds really scary, almost like a secretive organization intent of destroying Jews.
In her heart, maybe Omar is an antisemite, who knows? There is nothing specific in her words that show that, however. Certainly there are Jews who are bigoted towards Palestinians. This conflict does not nourish the best angels in any of us
But there is no left-wing wave of antisemitism, just a lot of Americans, including Jews, who want to see this conflict settled with a 2-state solution that Netanyahu has abandoned.
When their is an epidemic of left-wing criminals defacing Synagogues with swastikas, let us know.
Right now, most liberals in America have Israel's back and nothing but love for Jewish Americans, but that doesn't mean we support everything the Israeli government does or that they are entitled to billions of dollars of our money when they pursue policies not in the interest of the U.S.
9
I wonder if Ross is suggesting that anti-Semitism has shifted from the right (Nazis, KKK etc) to the left (Rep. Omar, US universities and UK Labor leader, Jeremy Corbyn etc).
Certainly Likud Israelis have spoken. They love Trump and the Repubs but had/have no time for Obama and the Dems.
3
There isn't any love of Jews in the US, or philo-Semitism, or whatever you want to call it. There is love of the idea of Jews, especially the idea of converting them all, but the fact that we are real people with real ideas on what our religion is and means to us, that doesn't go over well at all.
I've had a lot of Christians try to tell me what being Jewish means and how much they love Jews, but the fact that I'm a liberal-lefty atheist Jew and that this is not a big deal to other Jews? The fact that Jews argue with G-d, tell him that he's wrong? The fact that Jews tell G-d that he gave us the laws and now it's up to humanity to live with them, and if there are cruel or inhumane laws we're just going to rules-lawyer them out of existence? That if religion and science conflict, of course you go with science? That goes over like a lead balloon most of the time.
No, Christians do not and have never loved Jews in the US. They've just seen us as puppets in their apocalypse story, but not as our own people with our own religious and cultural traditions.
7
Just last week, a highly educated Muslim friend told me that the Rothschilds were behind 911!
When Arafat died, I asked a Palestinian co-worker, how Yasser became a billionaire, since he came to the region from Egypt, a pauper. He mentioned seeing him in the West Bank showing off his Rolex watch collection and his bevy of White Mercedes Benz.
Seems like Israel's treatment of Palestinians, who have freedom and hold high level positions in Israel, always has Broadway lights, while the starvation issues in Yemen, the Rohingya massacres in Myanmar, the war in Syria the Chinese treatment of Muslims in their nation and the still simmering problems in Kashmir barely make it to the back page!
15
An interesting question to ask of Ilhan Omar is why is she so concerned with Israel in the first place? This is one of the burning issues that her constituents want this first year legislator to focus in on? Right.
It's becoming clear that "classic right wing anti-semitism" is on the wane and "new left wing anti-semitism" is ascendent.
It remains to be seen whether or not this newer, sleeker modern version will go the way of "New Coke" or if it will have the staying power that "anti-semitism classic" had.
From my perspective, the "classic" version has all but petered out, the burning embers kept alive by fringy KKK types and other random kooks that you might find holed up in underground prepper shelters in big sky country.
"Country Club" anti-semitism is essentially a relic at this point, taken down for the most part by the overwhelming financial success of American Jews. Most gentiles came to the realization that it was more beneficial to do business with Jews than to continue to discriminate against them.
One of the "new" version's ploys is an attempt to claim the high ground on the specious basis of how Israel has become an "occupier", while conveniently ignoring the history of how this came to be. They attempt to analogize Israel to South Africa, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Ilhan Omar and others attempt to piggyback on that idea to further their anti-Israel agenda, leaving the blocking and tackling to young, naive ideologues.
14
In the firestorm over Ilhan Omar, anti-Semitism, Israel, Omar's harshest critics & most ardent defenders distort the debate: now is a chance to learn & come together & I believe she can, wants to, & will do better, as I note here: https://realcontextnews.com/much-ado-about-omar-what-congresswoman-ilhan-omars-fiercest-critics-and-most-ardent-defenders-miss-how-to-overcome-the-toxic-discourse-surrounding-her/
It has always been confounding that the Christian Right supports the Jewish state of Israel. The Christian Right's belief that Jews were responsible for the demise of their savior would lead one to think they would be inimical to a thriving Jewish state.
2
The only anti-Semitic actions I've seen recently in my limited experience were in the photos of Nazi salutes at Trump rallies.
That's the GOP, my friends, not the Democrats.
4
@Panthiest, trump kind of philo-semitism, "In a 1991 book, one of Trump’s former colleagues recalled him saying, “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.” (Trump called the things written about him in the book “probably true.”)"
1
Another useful term for philo-Semitism is reaction formation, when we claim to love what we really hate.
4
The issue is quite clear: Omar is clearly and obviously an anti-Semite, like Corbyn is. Her statements about Jews and Israel are out of the PLO playbook. It's almost laughable when she and her defenders try to explain away her statements as born out of ignorance or bad typing or something. She was caught like any thief with hands in the cookie jar. I do however feel sorry for her decent constituents. This is a moment for them, as it has been for years with Steve King's (and his constituents have failed that test). So do they just not mind her blatant anti-Semitism? Then that will fall on them.
9
The left-wing is objecting to the right-wing and it is not a decline in philo-Semitism. I strongly disagree with Rep. Ilhan Omar's statements and they are not representative of the majority on the left. Her words adding to the problem and not part of the solution.
3
Ross, If you really want to focus on discrimination and prejudice then focus on the Trump organization and all those "Fine People" that support him. What the President says and does has much more impact. Under the Trump administration Hate crimes have increased by 17 percent.
"Of these, 1,679 hate crimes were anti-religious. 58.1 percent were anti-Semitic, and 18.7 percent were anti-Muslim."
What Ms. Omar does or says is a "Tempest in a Tea Pot" compared to the actions and statements of President Trump.
9
Maybe a lot of animosity between religions, races, ethnic groups, sexual orientation comes from fear. It may be the fear that the children will grow up and marry or find a partner outside the group - thereby diluting the group. Clergy may be especially jealous of preventing any straying. You can think of any continent or situation and find the same scenario again and again. Hatred or jealousy serves as a social vaccine. But, fortunately for our earth, people are starting to live their own lives and not listen - progress is not easy but there is still progress.
4
I am neither Christian nor Jew, but grew up in communities with a Jewish majority.
This issue is fascinating and multi-faceted and, although I generally yawn at Douthat's pieces, this one added to the debate.
The dimension missing in all I've read is this: Language matters. Omar certainly has a point of view worth consideration. The lavishing of uncritical praise (and money) on Israel is worthy of criticism. The litmus test flavor to one's position on Israel can stifle important debate.
But language matters. In that respect, her multiple gaffes are similar to Trump's dogwhistles, albeit more intelligent and probably less intentional. We are all imbued with biases and prejudice, usually subconscious, and when we fail to examine how our language is heard by others, we can perpetuate bigotry. Just as many references and phrases can evoke the raw sense of racism in black Americans, other references and phrases do so with Jewish Americans.
The political art is both/and, not either/or. Both Omar and her critics are right. Omar and others who rightly criticize Israel policy or the uncritical fawning of some politicians have a deep responsibility to avoid coded language and to parse their language with much greater sensitivity.
This unfortunate incident can be instructive if we use it to be more thoughtful in the language we choose to address a very complex political and historical matter.
11
As an assimilated Jew who was born and raised in Eastern Europe, I have encountered various forms and manifestations of anti-Semitism. I can say that I feel a lot safer in the US than in Europe because the tradition of anti-Semitism is non-violent and because - despite the misgivings of a minority - we have been able to participate in civic life.
The emergence of vocal and unambiguous anti-Semites like Ms. Omar on the Left is a bit shocking, especially as I happen to be one of her constituents. I know, I know: she claims to dislike only those of us who live in Israel and those who support Israel; therefore, there are potentially many Jews she doesn't mind.
It is unfortunate that she, who is a fellow refugee, has taken to bashing us. Her community includes many Jews and Muslims. She could have chosen to build bridges and draw on the traditionally liberal attitudes of Minnesota Jews to make our foreign policy more fair. Instead, she chose confrontation and name calling. This is a lost opportunity to do good together and a great pity.
48
When you are raised from birth, to feel that the other side does not have a right to exist (that is a term I hear repeatedly from members of both camps), it is hard, if not impossible, to think objectively about "those people". And yes, both sides do this. When you truly feel, that the other side is beneath you, that you teach your kids to hate, absolutely HATE, the other side, you're just perpetuating the problem. It isn't going to end.
2
Following Bush's re-election, Ken Mehlman, Bush's campaign manager and Chairman of the Republican National Committee said this.
Republican candidates often have prospered by ignoring black voters and even by exploiting racial tensions by the '70s and into the '80s and '90s, Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong.
Somehow this behavior admitted by the chairman of the GOP has over the years received less media attention than a couple statements coming from a single junior congress person.
Is our nation completely insane? How is it that conservatives have so much power in running the narrative?
13
Because people will believe what they want to believe, Alan.
Prejudice, bigotry, hate speech...all are a permanent feature of humanity. They will never be erased, they have to be understood.
Any person who makes negative statements about a group or groups to which they do not belong is exposing him/herself as feeling deprived, or treated unfairly, because they do not belong to the group, AND they want to DO SOMETHING to bring that group, to which they do not belong, down.
I happen to have earned a Ph.D., so you can call me overeducated, a pointy-headed intellectual...all fine. But you can't do anything like hit me, rob me, tax me, deny my right to vote, or live, without being a criminal.
My father taught me that because I was a Jew, there would always be a negative attitudinal balance in this country. I would have to work harder and better to get along, and I would never be fully accepted by most members of non-Jewish groups. It didn't matter that I didn't believe in God, or any religion. It didn't matter that I did nothing to become Jewish, or proclaim myself as a Jew. It was, he said, a condition I could do nothing about.
He was absolutely right. Bigots will always be there. And I have to beware - not of their words, but of any actions they may take to bring me down.
The Democrats were absolutely correct in adopting an anti-hate-speech solution, both morally and politically, because to single out one group to be protected offends all others, and if you want to win elections, you don't want to offend anyone who can vote.
8
I have to say I agree with your view of the author’s conclusion in general though I think you do the same thing by not recognizing that his true protection of the right wing antisemitism doesn’t detract from his necessary exposure of the left wing version. However I see such reluctance on his part of his acknowledgement of the Christian role in Europe as the strongly religious view of what’s right. Same as what I believed to be Scalia’s originalist point of view.
2
The biggest reason you have to suspect Ms. Omar's comments as being anti-semitic is that they really don't ring true. Sure AIPAC's campaign contributions are welcome, but, like the NRA's money, it is only a small part of their influence. It comes from people's legitimate beliefs in both cases. To say it's "all about the Benjamins" is insulting and anti-semitic, but it's also just wrong. If you want to change the policy, legitimately, you better understand the motivations. Evangelical Christians may be the most important supporters of Israel, because they represent the base of the Republican party. Their support has nothing to do with AIPAC, and it certainly doesn't emerge from some "dual loyalty" nonsense.
Many people honestly believe that Israel is the U.S.'s best friend in the Middle East and genuinely support Israel based on this. Personally, I'm not so sure about this anymore, at least with respect to the current Government of Israel, but I certainly understand the argument.
If you're going to say, dumb, lazy, untrue things that also sound bigoted, people are going to assume the worst.
20
In the 1960s and 70s during the Civil Rights movement the country and the media began to wake up to the common use of racial and ethnic stereotypes as a means of oppression. Facing up to the effect of words and changing terminology helped to change the culture until someone in the Reagan administration - Ed Meese I believe - came up with and deployed the derisive term ‘political correctness’ as another Republican dog whistle to racists telling them to stand your ground. It’s also true that pro Isreal organizations cynically used the language of the social reform movement to thwart any political criticism of Isreal even as Isreal has instituted it’s own version of apartheid. I commend Rep Omar for standing up to that because as a political tactic turning the language of defeating social oppression on it’s head to work against the repressed is spreading. Since when is the word”globalist” anti- semmetic? Does that mean we can’t criticize the international monetary system now or the use of free trade policy to undercut labor in the formerly industrialized nations, dismantle the middle class, and accrete wealth in the upper 1% of the international oligarchy? Please, tell me, what is the correct term?
10
My God, this article was difficult to parse. As a "lefty" who grew up in an Italian household with Jewish relatives and neighbors[and now wonderful grandchildren]. I have loved respected, and enjoyed Jewish success and culture and supported Israel as a necessary homeland for Jews [especially as now we see how fragile American Democracy can be]. But that doesn't mean I need blind support for the despicable policies of a right wing government, or need to overlook the insular Medieval society presented by Orthodox and ultra Orthodox practitioners in Israel and the United States. In my experience right wing anti-Semitism remains much more dangerous to American Jews than those few left wingers who chose thoughtless cliches to voice their frustration with the treatment of Palestinians. Choosing the correct words in this context resembles a mine field.
28
Conservative Catholics like Mr. Douthat might be forgiven for a bit of chuckling over this Democratic circular firing squad. He describes a schizoid attitude toward Jewish influence that is of very long standing in the Left. What I fear he might not like is that this kind religious dust-up will most likely lead to the further secularization of our society, & an increased decline in religious observance, or even suppression of religions, something our founding fathers & our Constitution tried so hard to avoid. Why are three great religions, Judaism, Islam & Christianity, only being defined by the bigotries their various members practice? It is easy to dismiss religion as some sort multi-culti apple of discord, but it has also been a civilizing influence as well. Think of all of the great philosophy,architecture, music, literature, painting, sculpture, etc. that has been produced in humankind's search for religious answers. Religion gives us a basis for tolerance & compassion for others as well. Much of the New Testament describes Christ's embrace of outcasts like tax collectors, prostitutes & foreigners. Apologies for only coming up with Christian examples. Religion also can provide and reinforce a code of conduct for behaving with honesty & fairness to our fellow humans, many values which form the basis of a civil society. We might wind up throwing out the baby with the bath water. I know this comment will throw the anti-relgious into a tizzy.
5
"The outsize success of Jewish intellectuals and scientists and artists and businessmen and activists was an especially good thing, a unique proof of American exceptionalism — because ours was the one country where a people so long persecuted could not only survive but triumph."
Thank you, Ross.
15
Interesting article, and interesting thesis regarding the left's defense of Omar.
Could it not just be that the Left is tired of hypocrisy of the Right when they turn a blind eye to far more grievous infractions (on any number of issues) by their own, while Democrats quickly cast out those of its own with less serious infractions? Al Franken was forced out by hid one party in a heartbeat, while 90% of Republicans still support Trump.
Yes, the Democrats are being hypocritical here, and as is often the case with hypocrisy, their rationalizations don't stand up to reason. But hypocrisy is a weapon the current Republicans wield quite effectively, while Democrats only wound themselves with their self policing.
11
Ross you are totally, 100% wrong to say that in this country Jews are admired and sympathized, and Judaism and Jews are "liked". Sorry, only a Gentile could propose this fantasy. I am Jewish, successful, and happy. I have more non- Jewish friends and associates than Jewish, not by choice but largely the result of regional demographics. I live every day with the absolutely real experience that fully half or more subconsciously do not like Jews, not me per se, but they have been brought up to be suspicious of the Jew, and is evidenced by an occasional statement usually founded by ignorance. They don't sympathize so much as they suspect that Jews are different. They don't admire so much as 'fear' the Jew's success may someday impinge on their own. Very little of this is outwardly manifested but it is still very much there even if the hostility is not.
26
I find it interesting that so many commentators here ignore the backlash against Israel generated by Netenyahu’s highly partisan actions in the US, including his Republican-generated speech to Congress. As a student of US foreign who is neither anti-Semitic nor anti-Israel, I find those actions highly objectionable.
9
@Bill Stueck
Which actions: the backlash against Israel or Netanyahu's highly partisan actions in the US?
As an American, I will tell you this: Mr. Boehner's inviting Mr. Netanyahu here to make that speech will turn out to be the biggest mistake he made. Why? Because people like me who have been automatically supportive and generous toward Israel for decades without even having to think about it suddenly took pause. I approved of the Iran Nuclear Deal, I respected and still respect the judgment of all the people who forged that agreement including Dr. Ernest Moniz, an MIT nuclear physicist who headed our DOE at the time. I deeply resented a foreign leader being invited here to undermine that policy.
So, although we may not be mentioning it (largely because we're all very tired of mentioning it,) we haven't forgotten it.
Is that what you call backlash against Israel? Okay, but it doesn't mean we're anti-Semitic. It just means we're anti-Bibi.
1
It needs to be said, loud and clear, that criticism of Israeli policy does not equate to anti-semitism, however much the right would have us believe. Where is the author's criticism of this administration's brutal and racist family separation policy? Or the cozy relationship between any number of Republicans lawmakers and white supremacists organizations? The crocodile tears fall so fast that the unprepared run the risk of being carried away.
13
Really interesting column. Ross often says what others are afraid to say. Anti-semitism in the black American community is still a problem, and they need to solve it themselves. Right-wing anti-Semitism is closely bound with their other racisms. Left-wing white people can move on.
7
Did you notice the inflection point when Congress chose to weaponize support for a right-wing Israeli head of government to try to undermine the President of the United States?
11
Thank you for this very thoughtful and well composed article about Israel. Before reading it I had already received an email from J Street this morning about the last weeks events including Rep Omar and the resolution against bigotry. The very short email mentioned anti-Semitism seven times. As Mr. Douthat wrote, younger people on the left are aware of all the tragic historical events that occurred including the holocaust. There is also a negative reaction to extreme right-wing Israeli politics and to the cruelties of the occupation. In addition, the left's modern views are in conflict with the nationalist and religious identity of Israel. It was necessary to express these views that concern many young people today and Mr Douthat did it logically and fairly.
1
Let's not forget that there are many people out there who are truly, deeply, ardently anti-semitic... but 'religiously' support Israel and its policies to the hilt. Many stalk the right side of the aisle in congress.
Let's not forget (how many times must this be repeated?) that being critical of Israel, its leaders, and its modus operandi is NOT the same as being anti-semitic.
10
The so-called Post-war success of the Jews in America is limited and peculiar to say the least. While enjoying success in education, business. science and the arts. At the very highest levels of Government , Jews have been absent. No American Jewish President , no Vice President . Exceptional? Perhaps not the way Douthat lays out here. How do we explain this? I don't think, and here I may be wrong, there are no American Jewish Astonauts?! There are few American Athletes. What this suggests is that Jewish Americans have not fully "triumphed" as Douthat has it. As for Ilhan Omar's comments, I would say they are tropes believed by many Americans of all political stripes. What makes them exceptional, it that they are made by a Somalian Congresswoman wearing a hijab.
@peccary There are plenty of Jewish members of Congress. Considering Jews are no more than 3 percent of the population, it can't be that weird that we haven't had a Jewish President. We haven't had a woman President yet and we're more than half the population.
2
"a left-of-center politics that remembers the Holocaust as one great historical tragedy among many, that judges Israel primarily on its conservative and nationalist political orientation, rather than on its status as a Jewish sanctuary, and that regards the success of American Jews as a reason for them to join white Gentiles in check-your-privilege self-criticism"
To me, an American liberal Jew, this nails it. I've always felt that some of my fellow Jews want to see our suffering as more important than the suffering of other peoples. I admire how someone like Ellie Wiesel, understood our horrors in the whole context of tragic human cruelty while also being fully Jewish. I am also struck that the whole debate about Jewish tropes, some of the tropes seem partly true. I have met Jews, often older ones, who say "I am a one issue voter," meaning support for Israel (or more accurately, Israel's government) is more important than whatever else America needs. What is this if not disloyalty to America? And if Aipac influences congress on behalf of the Netanyahu government, isn't this an example of some Jewish people using money on behalf of the Jewish state to influence American politics? It blows my mind that saying so is considered prejudiced (or "evoking tropes") when what it is is accurate. Since it looks to me like true some of our people behave like the stereotypes, it angers me that they hide behind our history of persecution to avoid accountability.
14
It so easy to accuse your critic of racism or antisemitism but that doesn't address their criticism. Do large sums of money from Catholic, Jewish and Muslim communities seek to influence American politics? Of course. Fourteen years ago the Pope told American priests to tell their congregations to vote for the candidate who supported the "sanctity of life." That meant vote for Bush. Does saying that make me anti-Catholic? AIPAC is possibly the most powerful lobby in the United States. Does saying that make me anti-Semitic? Dual nationality or hyphenated Americanism has long been an issue of debate in the United States. Does opposing dual citizenship or hyphenation make one a bigot? When does a dual citizen become an agent of a foreign country? Shutting down discussion by name calling doesn't address the underlying issues. When most immigrants become citizens, they swear an oath to give up all loyalty to their former country's government. How many perjure themselves when they take that oath? I suspect 90% based on the conversations I've had. Hiding behind accusations of anti-Semitism to avoid discussions of policy and fact actually creates anti-Semitism.
7
Some good points. I would point out that while the Holocaust was a singular event it wasn’t isolated from historical antisemitism nor was it equivalent to the black experience in North America. Arabs in the Middle East were aligned with the Nazis and many would have then and now support the Nazis intent
The problem with false equivalencies is not just the obvious lying that Trump et al performs, but in situations like you describe where it is a fair discussion, it discourages understanding of either of the “equivalencies”. It also fosters the belief that the Holocaust was just one of many bad things that humans experience. Both points of view discourage true learning and encourage self-righteousness.
3
Notably President Trump and Republicans have repeatedly denounced anti-Semitism. The Democrats refuse to denounce the anti-Semites among them.
There are people alive today that remember the holocaust, that remember the camps. There are many children of holocaust survivors today.
Yet, none of that matters to the Democrats and Pelosi.
As someone who has been to Israel many times and have read about the situation there, Netanyahu gets elected as a symptom of the bad choices of the Palestinian people and their leadership.
It was the Palestinians that turned down their state 70 years ago and decided to try to annihilate the new State of Israel.
Arafat turned down Camp David in 2001.
In 2006, Palestinians elected Hamas, according the EU, US, and Israel a terrorist organization that also refused to recognize Israel as their leadership. A Palestinian civil war with Fatah with many deaths ensued. Hamas, instead of using concrete and funds to build houses in Gaza, dug tunnels and sent missiles into Israel with the 3 Gaza-Israeli conflicts as a result.
New Palestinian elections were supposed to have happened nearly a decade ago in 2010, but they have not happened. Thus, there are no legitimate Palestinian leaders.
Netanyahu does what he can to help the West Bank economy run by Fatah, but there is nothing he can do for peace until a new Palestinian leadership is elected.
Once Palestinians elect a leader that wants their own state, they will have their own state.
20
Contrary to what Mr Douhat may think, Ms. Omar’s blatantly obvious Jew hatred (the term anti-Semitism is too antiseptic to describe the oldest hatred) is not unique; there is plenty on the extreme right that conservatives are too quick to write off. I condemn BOTH extreme right and left for this bigotry and I call in both major parties to do likewise.
11
This column is fantastic!
As in, full of fantasies untethered to the real world.
The left wing "defend-Omar project"? Do I really have to point out there is no such thing? In the real world of the American left, there are probably as many shades of opinions on Omar's comments as there are people having them. Don't take my word for it; consult The Google.
Too many other fantasies in the column to critique, but let's just take "if the occupation ended tomorrow, then ... " Yes, and if Donald Trump suddenly became a nice guy, his haters would turn to loving him.
See what fun "if statements" are? Science fiction and fantasy writers learned that a long time ago. Maybe the columnist missed his calling.
11
I agree - there is a "perverse resilience of Jew-hatred". In the U.S. there is also a perverse resilience of hatred towards multiple other groups. Worldwide, the targets of this hatred vary according to the local cultures, although Jews are arguably on more target lists than other groups.
This pervasive bigotry creates distrust and makes it challenging for all groups - Jews, Blacks, Muslims, Native Americans, Catholics, etc. to work together. It is challenging to truly hear the fears and opinions of the "other". Yet for any positive change to happen, we all have to hear and learn from each other. Perhaps, if we let them, Ms Omar's comments, and the reactions to them, could become a positive contribution to our understanding and acceptance of others. Perhaps not.
Still, she said what she said and she meant it. Her choice (my choice, our choice) is to learn from it, change, and be better people as we move on.
5
Omar criticizes the Jewish community for what every other political interest group does, but at the same time uses her influence to advance the interests she supports. American Jews have the right to ask their representatives to support the issues they believe important. What I rarely hear from the anti-Israel crowd is any mention of significant strategic role of the American Israeli relationship in which the US and Israel have strong and mutually beneficial relationships in military affairs, security and intelligence, trade, investment, and technology. In addition Omar, et al fail to mention that, alone among the countries of the Middle East Israeli society, is democratic, has a free press, free speech, and embodies many of the values that the US, at least in the past, sought to spread to the rest of the world. So the American Israeli relationship is not rooted in nefarious political influence but on the national interest of the United States.
18
I am certain that the voters who sent Representative Omar to DC did so with the understanding that she would work for legislation that would make their lives better---and there are a host of problems and policies that would support this goal. In order to advance those policies you have to become knowledgeable about the policies, how the legislative process works, and most importantly, how to become a respected voice on a legislative team. This formula is not only true for those entering congress, but any job you take, your bosses and colleagues expect you know what your doing, you know the organizational processes, and you are a team player. Unfortunately, Representative Omar had violated this formula and in turn is not being faithful to voters who sent here to DC. An important component of becoming an effective legislator is separating your private self from your public self---once you enter Congress or take on job, you are now in the public sphere and are expected to pursue public/organizational goals. As we can see from Rep. Omar's first months in office, indulging her private beliefs has marginalized her ability to deliver on the promises she made to the voters in her district.
21
Ross Douthat wants us to see him as a philo-Semite, one who loves Jews more than other people.
But understanding the Ilhan Omar does not take rocket science, or posing to be a friend of this or that minority group.
The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Freedom of speech should apply to members of Congress. So Ilhan Omar should be perfectly free to criticize policies of Israel which hurt Palestinians. She should be free to criticize the Netanyahu government for its policies.
And Congress should not make resolutions which chastise this or that religious group, whether Jews or Muslims.
Free speech in the House is doubly important, because freedom to maintain and examine unpopular views for the purpose of determining the best legislation is how democracy works. Without freedom to investigate unpopular positions, democracy cannot solve the problems that confront it.
One of those problems is overpopulation. That means people should be free to advocate for limits to immigration without being labeled bigots and racists.
The Democratic party seems to be abandoning that part of freedom of speech. There is NO DISCUSSION of legitimate methods of achieving immigration reform. Such discussion would be predicated on the notion that the best solution would involve some version of compromise.
Instead Democrats and the NY Times demonize those who do not take the most extreme positions such as open borders.
That's one reason Trump was elected.
10
@Jake Wagner
Your "open borders" statement is just silly. So is the wall. We've become polarized on this issue for no particularly good reason.
The absolute best "wall" is a two-pronged approach: first, every single employer, including the hypocritical Trump organization, uses E-Verify. It's an extremely effective program. But, no, employers whether it be hotel owners, farmers, home builders or meat packers simply refuse to use it. That's what has created the problems we have now.
Second, humanitarian interaction with our neighbors. Obviously, Central America has become unlivable for many as some of those countries have become almost lawless. Desperate people migrate to our border. We need to work with our Nafta partner to the south as well as the rest of the countries in North America to help these people. Billions spent on a wall is obscene; billions spent to help suffering people is Christian.
while she is free to use whatever language she wants, others are free to criticize her words. She can choose anti-Semitic tropes, but don't expect people who understand them to stay silent, we've seen how that can turn out.
1
My naive thought for the day . . .
Can't we all just get along?
Can we for once just try a complete reset and stop letting the history of man's inhumanity to man drag us down into the pit of arguments about the time when who did what to whom?
Can we for once simply agree to practice the golden rule going forward?
Can we for once recognize that every single individual on the planet deserves same care and consideration?
Ah, yes. Of course, human nature. Will never happen. Grudges. Etc.
I'd say we have less that 100 years to figure out how to put these petty divisions aside that are distracting us from facing the enormous threat to human survival posed by climate change and related environmental catastrophes that are bearing down on us.
We debate intersectionality. We're rearranging the chairs on the decks of the Titanic.
7
@David Paul
I’m with you on this.
Basic decency, respect and kindness: shouldn’t that be our harm?
5
If it is true that resentment is a recognition of debt, then one might view antisemitism through that prism. Both Christianity and Islam not only drew heavily on Judaism but it can be argued that neither would exist if Judaism hadn’t. But how does any self-respecting revealed religion deal with its forbear other than by diminishing or attacking it as either replaced or false?
Much of our liberal democratic world owes its philosophical foundation to concepts forged from what came to be called our Judeo-Christian heritage. Again, a significant portion of that heritage derives from insights from the Hebrew Bible and Jewish wisdom literature. So again, we have a debt that expresses its resentment by holding Jews collectively responsible for the downsides of modernity and the perceived failure of some embittered individual who must blame his/her failure in life on someone else. For nearly two millenia in the West, that go to group was the Jewish people - only the justifications given morphed through time.
Despite it all, Jews have survived through the ages and have been a force for advancement in any society that allowed it, even if grudgingly. For those who pretend to a moral superiority by charging that the Jews have failed to "learn the lesson" of the Holocaust, they and others would do better by trying to understand those core values that have allowed for Jewish survival: the importance of the bonds of community, confidence in your identity and a focus on memory and learning.
25
Above everything else - all the aspects, I mean, of this complex and many-sided issue, it would be advisable, seems to me, to pay less attention to any further anti-Semitic - in essence albeit not necessarily in form - exploit, that I'm sure is coming in the future from the Progressives. The less we pay attention the less impact - undoubtedly negative one - it has on our main task of defeating Trump in 2020.
Lots of commentary about how terrible for the Palestinians is the Netanyahu government.
I would argue that Rep. Omar -- with her insensitive commentary about Jews, dual loyalties, "benjamins," Allah, money, etc. -- is concretizing support for Israel like never before and thereby doing the Palestinians a far greater disservice than Mr. Netanyahu could ever dream.
I'd like to hear Rep. Omar's views on the imminent closure of the US consulate in Jerusalem as an independent unit, and its absorption into the US Embassy there. That is an important shift in the direction of US policy that spells the end of US support for "Palestinian statehood" -- something the Palestinians have far less interest in than Rep. Omar, I would argue.
10
While you say, "The shifts here would not just be, as is sometimes suggested, a reaction to Israeli politics, to the right-wing Netanyahu government or the cruelties of occupation." My opinion is America's long time unquestioning toleration of right wing Israeli politics and the consequent horrible creation of the Palestinian segregation and deprivation needs to be on the table. Even today raising these issues is forbidden. This is accomplished by making expressing them the equivalent of "anti-Semitism."
6
@paradocs2. Your comment about the US's “long time unquestioning toleration of right wing Israeli politics and the consequent horrible creation of the Palestinian segregation and deprivation" is false as to the US - Presidents George HW Bush and Barack Obama consistently pushed Israel alone for concessions to Palestinian rulers who to this very day refuse to acknowledge Jewish history and the right (established in international law back in 1922) to self-determination in a portion of their historical homeland.
It is also false as to the description of the plight of Palestinian Arabs on two counts. First, since the 1993 Oslo Accords, over 95% of Palestinian Arabs have been ruled either by the PA or Hamas. Second, if things were truly as you describe,how do you explain the fevered Israeli Arab rejection of a peace plan that would have set a future border with a state of Palestine that put those communities under Palestinian sovereignty?
4
Not sure where this forbidden. There is unbridled criticism of some Israeli policies relating to Palestinians in our press, within our universities, in some faith based institutions and I dare say a in host of American Jewish organizations. The same holds true in Israel as well. That’s democracy. The problem is these voices are always defeated by the simple truth that Palestinian leadership still aim for the destruction of the Jewish State. Until the Palestinians want more for themselves, Israel will continue to suppress Palestinian capability to wage war against it.
7
Any form of racism should be denounced strongly. Mr. Douthat must remember that the" Holocaust as one great historical tragedy" was carried out by Europeans not by Muslims. The later have been targeted for destruction through invasion and occupation (e.g., Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, etc.) or through having dictators imposed on them. The dictators denies free speech, personal growth, human rights for their subjects and this was sanctioned by the elite in Washington. We should also treat worshiping Israel and its discriminatory policies as a form of racism whether it was practiced by Evangelical Christians or by right wing Jews. If Douthat likes to denounce racism, he has to start with racism coming from Trump, Steven Miller, and Pence.
11
Good piece. In Weimar Germany, Jews were over represented in many of the professions and in the arts. Their success in pre WW II Germany was comparable to their current success in our own country. Anti-Semitism runs very deep and long. After the Holocaust, it was taboo. But like all taboos the underlying impulse remained, awaiting the opportunity when it might resurface.
14
@Harvey What exactly does 'over represented' mean? Are African Americans 'over represented' in professional basketball? Are Indians 'over represented' in medicine? That term kind of suggests that there should be some kind of proportional representation, based on the general population, and no more than that.
10
@Howie Good point. It means their numbers in the professions and in the arts, as a percentage, exceed their numbers, as a percentage, in the general population. How one interprets the discrepancy is the tricky part. Thanks
3
Anti-Semitism continues to exist, as it always has, on both the right and left. Anti-Semitism isn't about politics, it's about fear, insecurity, and envy. Anti-Semitism emerges from two phenomenon: First, Jews are a minority that traditionally has maintained cohesion as a group, either resisting assimilation or being prevented from assimilating. Second, unlike many minority groups, the Jews (and particularly the Ashkenazim) have, when allowed some freedom, tended to be quite successful, often being represented disproportionately in professions and positions of wealth, power, intellect, and influence. This success is a source of pride for Jews. For non-Jews it often inspires fear and envy, as well as triggering some insecurity about their own relative intelligence and competence. Easier to attribute Jewish success to some sort of diabolical conspiracy rather than to grapple with the possibility that Jews come by their greater average success honestly (and by inference your own people, whomever they might be, come by their lesser average success honestly too).
Personally, I believe anti-Semitism, as well as other forms of ethnic bigotry, are best ended by assimilation and intermarriage. Miscegenation is maybe our quickest path to unity. The downside is that in unifying us, it also wipes out diversity of culture. I'm a globalist, not a nationalist, so I'll take unity over diversity and just hope that in the absence of diverse cultures, diverse individuals still offer us spice.
7
Will we ever reach a point where we see each other as individuals, and not as members of particular groups? Right-extremist racism and left-extremist identity politics both militate against the day Martin Luther King dreamed about.
It's time for the unrepresented middle to get organized.
4
Ross, the bond between philo-Semitism and liberalism seems to elude you. At the founding of the state of Israel, most Americans who were not bigots were inspired supporters. As they lose their early enthusiasm for the state of Israel, you seem to explain that as the spread of secularism. But who changed?
At its inception, Israeli leaders publicly insisted that the new state would honor human rights of all. We mostly cheered them on, seeing ourselves mostly as a nation of immigrants committed (sometimes) to welcoming the stranger. But the treatment of Palestinians, which we have mostly been slow to recognize or care about, has been shameful. The professed ideals of Israel's founders resonated not just with our liberalism but also with strands in the Hebrew prophets, whom Jews and Christians have as much reason as their secular counterparts to find inspiring. So Israel today faces critics religious as well as secular. Are you trying to drive a wedge between them?
as anyone
4
The treatment of Palestinians by Israelis has been exemplary considering the number of wars Arabs have initiated against Israel, beginning with the birth of Israel. Arab Israelis have equal rights, attend university In the same proportion as Jewish Israelis. Israel has offered peace many times and been rewarded by intifadas and wars. I was in Israel during the Second Intifada when every store was guarded, each residence and separate apartment or condo has a safe room, and I was there after the Third Gazan War. The fact Israel took out every Israeli from Gaza in 2005 meant nothing to the Gazans. You cannot build a state on hate or lies, a lesson Palestinians have not yet learned- and some of us enable this by supporting the lies.
4
I am beginning to suspect that there is a coordinated effort on the right designed to drive a wedge between Jewish voters and the Democratic party. The right, historically the repository of anti-Semitic sentiment in America as well as Europe, would have us forget this inglorious past and focus our attention on the alleged antisemitism of today's left. Despite the continued support on the right for white nationalism, openly cultivated by Trump and his enablers in Congress, we are meant to understand that the real threat to be progressives who are critical of Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. Douthat is not as crude in making this case as some others in service to the Republican party, but his argument is no less partisan and no less a distortion of the truth.
Let's be clear about Republican support for Israel; it has to do with prying Jewish voters away from the Democrats. It also plays well to the Republicans' evangelical base, for whom the gathering of world Jewry in Israel plays a role in bringing on the second coming of Christ. None of this has anything to do with love and respect for the Jewish people.
Meanwhile, progressives criticize Israeli policy not out of hatred for the Jews but out of sympathy for the Palestinians. Representative Omar does not choose her words wisely, giving ammunition to her critics. But those critics argue in bad faith. As a Jew, I know better than to trust the party of white nationalism and fake philosemitism.
19
The notion of the “chosen people” has long been used as basis for anti-Semtism, and one can argue that Philo-Semitism is a concept long past its expiration date. Not necessarily because it is untrue, or because as immigrants American Jews largely prospered. Rather, as we see today in the Democratic Party, the role of liberal American Jews in the civil rights movement, science, medicine, etc., has become inconvenient to defend as larger special interests become more important to the Democrats in winning elections. As the reluctance to call out AOC, Omar, the Nation of Islam etc. demonstrate, the Democrats are playing a longer game now, and anti-Semitism while not central to its strategy, cannot be confronted without alienating the larger groups the Democrats need to prevail in 2020.
8
The real elements of the Omar controversy are: a) the efforts of some in the US, including many Jews, to mitigate the blank-check policy that the US increasingly adopts toward the Netanyahu government; and b) the hypocritical efforts of Republicans to distort that issue to tar Democrats with the anti-Semitism that many prominent Republicans practice as a matter of course. Douthat's column is an example of b).
9
To provide another perspective about routine anti-semitism prior to World War 2, when my Jewish father was looking for a job in the 1930’s, he was routinely asked if he was Jewish in every job interview. When he answered yes, he didn’t get the job. When he finally responded no, he was hired. This didn’t happen in the south or Midwest but in NYC.
10
Yes...well had your father been black, the question wouldn’t have even been asked. I truly do not understand why one form of bigotry is excused and another is not.
2
I think that Congresswoman Omar has simply exposed the reality of anti-semitism that pervades our culture, just as what is happening in Europe exposes the pervasive anti-semitism there that has never gone away.
The complexity of Israel's strategic role in the Middle East, and the US interest in supporting Israel has at times masked and at others exposed the underlying anti-semitism.
And anti-Semitism is not the only hatred that is loose in the world.
The emergence of that underlying hatred, whatever the source, used by a man in the white house who is psychopathically able to exploit every bias and fear to garner support for himself, and who is willing to destroy the fabric of the country for his own gain, suggests that those hatreds are not far below the surface.
I believe that the box has been opened.
12
We all bleed red on every part of Earth. There is no difference in the way our bodies function. I feel suffocated by a box for everyone to be placed in. Every subject, slight, idiotic, bigoted thoughtless statement people make towards others could be rectified by asking the question, "Do you agree, despite religion or race, there are people on the other side that want to live a peaceful existence, shelter, food, education like you and your family desire?"
Direct the ire towards Rush Limbaugh or Alex Jones they pose the greatest danger, huge audience and unabashed hate and bigotry. The President grants them legitimacy.
9
What most people don't realize is that religious beliefs are based on fantasy. All allowed within the confines of one's skull. But for 2500 years too many have been regarding these tenets as "god-like" or truth and acting on them. Time to reconsider the foundations of our actions.
10
@Our road to hatred Pretty silly to argue over that which cannot be proven. That's why they call it "faith," not "fact." And yet so much strife over who's right.
The flaw in Douthat’s Article is his contention that it is reasonable to “take the left wing defenders of Omar at their word that they are not defending Jew hatred.”
What they are doing is placing their left wing political agenda over anti-Semitism as a priority.
So, yes, they are defending Jew hatred if it interferes with their higher priority of left wing cohesiveness.
Sanders, Who himself is Jewish,is the best example.
15
Ross, some liberal Jews are tired of sacrificing for the greater good and feeling marginalized within their own party. The insensitivity towards anti-Semitism on the left is striking, and there are many examples. AOC had no qualms about having a cozy conversation with Jeremy Corbyn, even though he has a controversial history related to anti-Semitism. It is unlikely she would have had a similar conversation with a political figure who had a controversial history related to racism against people of color, or homophobia against the LGBTQ community. Jewish women felt unwelcome at the Women’s March because of the ugly anti-Semitism of its leaders, yet there were tepid objections on the left at best, and there was no strongly organized call for the leaders to step down. Had these leaders offended people of color, or the LGBTQ community, they would have been gone. Glib use of antisemitic tropes by Omar, which go back centuries, and resulted in murderous violence against Jews, demonstrated utter historical ignorance or insensitivity on her part. This insensitivity has not gone unnoticed by some Jews and will ultimately cost the Democratic Party votes.
39
You paint the issue as black and white. But it’s not even close to that. You can be philo and against some of the Israeli policies. Many of us are. You can hold in your heart the sanctuary status of the Israeli state, yet argue for more compassionate policies towards Palestinians. At the end of the day, however, there is one strong bind keeping all Jews together, Ant-Semitism.
6
@Cloud 9. If only the Omars of the world were criticizing specific Israeli policies, in the manner they would criticize France or China or even North Korea, we would not be having this conversation.
No country is beyond reproach but that does not appear to be the point of Omar and others' obsession with Israel and its supporters. Therefore we are, yet again, having this conversation.
6
@Charlie in NY
Well said.
1
This piece makes perfectly clear that the recent discussion, ostensibly to bring to light the plight of Palestinians, includes no Palestinian voices. The more discussion is focused on language and academic theory, the more we can avoid addressing Palestinian rights. Rep. Omar's amateurish and inelegant language has allowed us to continue to miss the point.
17
@A. Palestinian
You are correct. This fumbling around with language is a means to distract us from the pursuit of justice and the restitution of human rights..
4
@A. Palestinian
The suffering of the Palestinians is real and a stain on many countries and people besides Israel.Gaza is an open air jail because of Hamas.The fence around the West Bank is to keep out terrorists not to punish Arabs.Jerusalem is important to Muslims and christians but it is also meaningful to Israel.When Jordan controlled the Western Wall jews were kept out.The settlements are not important to Israelis,but for a block occupying a small area which could be traded for a land bridge between Gaza and West Bank.Israel needs a partner but Abbas who gives money for killing innocent jewish children will not do.
4
Jerusalem was the first to come in, followed by Africa, so beautiful, South America and then Ireland from Maryland, Austria the closest, and there is a tacit understanding between all our nationalities that America is troubled, and an attempt has been made to break 'The Golden Rule' which unites us.
We are not in a swam but a bog trying to pull each other through, while our president may be admiring the view from behind the golden bars of his cage; a dreary reflection.
There is no other country as America, where freedom of speech has been so abused, lacking in respect toward one's neighbor with contrary views and beliefs, and it is to our last president that I renew my pledge of alliance in the times we are living.
Netanyahu did come to visit our office in New York two decades ago but I only saw the back of him. Growing up in Europe, soon after WWII, Spain was still suffering from the aftermath of the Civil War, and France was in a state of austerity. Louis Malle's memories of school days were right on target in his 'Farewell Children'.
Whether Muslim, Arab, Israel or African, we celebrate all holidays with joy. Celebrating the birth of a new baby is the cause of thanking a friend from Africa for making life in America more beautiful.
With caring thoughts of Jerusalem and Jamaica, of Cuba and Portugal, of all Civilized Countries across the borders of the World, we can come together at the shores, the fog removed, looking for America we love, to come home again.
2
"The outsize success of Jewish intellectuals and scientists and artists and businessmen and activists was an especially good thing, a unique proof of American exceptionalism " 'The outside' in this is a function of the thinking that says, "It is not just about you and your self centered world," because you are your brother's keeper and you have a responsibility to care for them, regardless of their acts. So the inclusion of all in basic civil and human rights, and the practices that liberals maintain and attempt to practice, owe a debt to those thinkers who articulated this position. These thinkers were exceptional because they made no exceptions in who has rights; this is why we are having the political problems we have today. There are so few, whether left or right, who have the ability to govern, because they only speak to the base, and not to all who would be governed. This is the triumph of politics over culture and society, for politics is meant to serve the culture and society, not the other way around. Look carefully at all that has given us profound change today, and see that it's roots were in grassroots developments, changes made by the 'little' people working in culture and society, not driven by top down elitist thinking. Look at the cognitive revolution that was a computer revolution; everyone has access to the expansive mind that can ask their favorite robot to tell them where the next gas station is, or how to live more fully. We owe these thinkers thanks.
4
So Ms. Omar can acquire a driver's license in Israel and drive anywhere bare-headed if she wishes. She should try doing that in Saudi Arabia thru the Emirates to Yemen.
27
@unclejake But Representative Omar is a congressperson in the United States and as such has a responsibility to the US position in the world, as it regards Israel as well as Saudi Arabia. It is perfectly reasonable for the US to continually define its relationship with foreign countries and to judge historical events with a 2019 perspective, within the boundaries of Constitutional speech. Historical positions alter, they are not doctrine.
6
Am I anti-Catholic by holding the church leadership and its members (enablers) responsible for so much sordid behavior over the last several centuries? Seems to me that I'm merely stating the obvious.
Am I anti-Semitic by calling out Netanyahu for coming to D.C. during Obama's presidency, at the request of John Boehner, merely to taunt our president, who continued to supply the country with billions of dollars in aid each year? Seems to me that I'm only calling out bad behavior by a country's leader who has now been accused of criminal behavior.
I don't at all think Ross is being anti-Republican by distancing himself from Trump. On the contrary, he is being sensible.
24
No reasonable supporter of Israel will claim that calling out Netanyahu for his policies is antisemitic. That point has been made many times recently, but, for some reason, it seems to be ignored quite often. It’s the tropes about ‘the Benjamins’, the ‘double loyalty’ and other statements that provoke the anger of many Jewish people, not the criticism of its current leader. And the criticism of Israel’s leaders would be much more palatable if, at least some of the blame for the tragedy of the Palestinians, would be placed on its own leadership. For those who claim that one cannot criticize Israel, I suggest they look at the often total lack of criticism of the Palestinian leadership, their bad decisions and the horrible treatment of their own people.
8
@Ed
"Am I anti-Catholic by holding the church leadership and its members (enablers) responsible for so much sordid behavior over the last several centuries? Seems to me that I'm merely stating the obvious. "
I'm going to assume your question is not entirely rhetorical.
My answer. You probably are anti-Catholic, if you cherry pick our history looking for the worst. Or worse, you probably are, if you don't even know that you're cherry picking history looking for the worst.
@Ed. Yours is a strawman argument. The nuclear deal was hotly debated both in the US, Israel and elsewhere. In the context of this discussion, it is a clear example of what would not be considered on its face antisemitism: it’s an argument about a specific policy issue that you argue on the merits. If your argument is premised on Israel hypnotizing the world or undue Jewish or Zionist influence that has bought our Congress to do its bidding, that would be classic antisemitism. Really, it’s not a complicated distinction.
One bit of nuance for the nuclear deal, though. The Ayatollahs have never made a secret of their desire to destroy Israel ever since Ayatollah Khomeini first made it a policy in the early 1980s. So, as Iran's primary target, it is understandable that any Israeli leader would try to plead his country's case in any significant forum. Jews have learned the painful lessons of History that (1) when anyone threatens to kill you,you should take them seriously and (2) the only people who can be relied upon to protect Jews are Jews.
5
Rep. Omar, and many of her defenders, are not acting in good faith. Under the guise of advocacy for debate on the topics of foreign aid and lobbying, they have an agenda of undermining the State of Israel. Not the current government - Israel itself. If the issue between Israel and local Arab populations were merely a boundary dispute, it could be resolved tomorrow.
Frequently seen objections to "theocracy" and ethnic national states rings hollow. Israelis are mostly secular. It is true that ultra-Orthodox have outsize power, and that creates difficulties. But when I see these arguments, my reaction is: ok, which of the 56 Islamic Conference or 21 Arab League members, should withdraw from those groups? The ensuing silence tells me the "theocracy" argument is frequently a cover for - Jews, keep quiet and stay in your place.
Many Jews are highly sensitive to words such as Rep. Omar's. They understand why Israel was created in the first place. They also understand that the bad faith of many large nations and much of the local Arab populace - and this paper - barred rescue, and millions were murdered. While that may seem like old newe to some, many Jews are sensitive to taking even a first step down that path again.
On a happier note, I invite readers of good faith to explore the areas of cooperation between Israelis and Arabs. In particular, search for "Save a Child's Heart" to see the free pediatric cardiology care provided to kids throughout the region.
27
@Marvin
Very good comments, Marvin.
1
The criticism of Israel today or even the creation of a Jewish only country is not necessarily anti Semitic. With the backing of the Balfour declaration,thousands of European Jews came to Palestine with the express purpose of creating a Jewish Homeland. From the beginning the indigenous Arabs were not to be included in this country. The indigenous Arabs resented this invasion of foreigners and would not consent to a solution that would force them to move from villages that they had lived in for centuries. They also would not consent to a government run by only the Zionists. The criticism today is not against Judaism but against the way Israel was created and the present policies of the government of Israel.
18
@Vincent
Except that the facts are wrong. Arabs never had to leave their villages and they were invited to participate in the Jewish state,
5
@Vincent
Well, Vince, tell us what the alternative would have been for the Jews who went to Palestine/Israel? Where would most have almost certainly ended up? Sometimes, we don't have perfect choices.
3
I think this is what the author is talking about. Disguising antisemitism by justifications. Sorry but not a single other country do you name whose establishment you can question does its existence get questioned.
Educate yourself on what country ever existed there and that many Jews lived there for centuries and were expelled from Arab countries
Oh, you just care about the Palestinians. Go talk to the people who have and continue to deny them a state. Israel is at the bottom of that list Jordan at the top.
3
Once again anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are conflated. Treating Omar's insensitive and admittedly ignorant remarks the same as calling 911 on a Black man tending his garden will not get us anywhere. The line between what allows an anti-racist to oppose Zionism is well-traveled, and Omar will surely learn how to respect it. Will the ultra-Zionists do the same? Not if my 55 years experience with the issue have anything to teach us.
7
Who makes you the expert who can decide what is "anti-semitic" or not? Effectively, the desire of AIPAC is to call anything that questions their actions as "anti-semetic" to ensure no-one ever questions them.
This continued publications of propaganda articles is not going to change that.
15
Next week Ross how about an article about the Israeli Government and Netanyahu's inviting the Otzma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, a racist group to join his party politics.
Omar I do believe is not such a big issue, at least not on the scale of what Netanyahu will do to keep himself in power.
8
It’s not Omar that’s the issue. It’s the support and acceptance of her point of view. Netanyahu is an issue because he’s in power.
2
I don't get (and I don't think the Time's editor does either) why you have a photo of some representatives of a very marginal and totally irrelevant group in front of this opinion piece. There's not even a connection to what follows.
22
"very marginal", "totally irrelevant" These are terms that show prejudice against a minority. I hope that by using these terms this way of thinking will be shown to be one of prejudiced marginal irrelevance. Then again let's just say they are antisemitic.
2
Love, admiration of Jews? That is an interesting reading of attitudes. It is a useless exercise to go backwards taking a thesis and attaching some facts to it, ignoring others. Representative Omar's comments for years have been about American Jews, not Israel. She speaks about the behavior and nature of American Jews, using the State of Israel only as a backdrop. What she has done in a ham-handed way is what Trump has done with more finesse, is use anti-Semitism to advance a political career. People do not love Jews as a people; I have never heard of or experienced a special advantage from being Jewish. This is not a complaint, it is just the way of the world. What is annoying is reading thar Jews are loved, and the Holocaust happened so long ago. To Jews the Holocaust is one of many events going back thousands of years that are living reminders of the "love" others deserve for us.
20
Perhaps stepping back a bit from all the labeling would be helpful. One should be able to express dismay about what has and is happening to the Palestinian people without being labeled an “anti-Semite”.
All of us, including the President, should practice getting our ideas across without calling names. That said, “philo-Semite” is an interesting construct.
6
Mr. Douthat, it seems the whole brouhaha concerning Rep. Omar isn’t going away.
3 days of consecutive articles in the NYT on her alleged ‘anti-semitic’ response without anyone ever actually quoting Rep. Omar or explaining the context surrounding her words.
Something I’m sure NYT and its staff have experienced FIRSTHAND by Being misquoted by the current Administration.
If anyone cares to read, here are her actual words:
https://ips-dc.org/what-did-ilhan-omar-say-heres-the-full-transcript-of-her-response-to-a-question-about-anti-semitism/
She never once mentioned Jews or Israel or AIPAC. Dual allegiance was in the context of the Anti-BDS bill which criminalizes dissent and enforces allegiance to the state of Israel, of ALL Americans and ALL members of Congress.
By the way, this is exactly what the right-wing media and the Republican leader does all day long and NYT routinely calls them out on it, without fail. Michelle Goldberg tried to put a ‘micro-aggression’ spin on Rep. Omar’s comments, but that’s still wide of the mark: you know, TRUTH. Something I thought mattered to NYT and its esteemed staff
Paul Waldman of the Washington Post has written a brilliant article refuting in explicit terms the MISCHARACTERIZATION of Ms. Omar’s words. By the way, he happens to be both Jewish and May know a thing or two about Zionism being ‘raised in an intensely Zionist’ family’.
Where’s the moral indignation and outrage for the Republican Party or its leader? For the massacre in PA?
18
@Truther
This from the transcript where she, according to you, never mentions Jews.
And what I am fearful of is that because Rashida and I are Muslim, that a lot of Jewish colleagues, a lot of our Jewish constituents, a lot of our allies, go to thinking that everything we say about Israel, to be anti-Semitic, because we are Muslim.
2
@Truther
I read that and the Benjamins comment. Did not change my mind one bit, although I now know her views about economics are as misguided as her views about Jews.
2
I am struck, as I am after every encounter with Mr Douthat’s lively intelligence, by the writer’s ability to so succinctly and eloquently define a trend and then immediately draw the wrong conclusions from his insight. Perhaps this contradiction is the result of the tension between his ferocious intellect and his strong religious beliefs, but whatever the source, I beg him to drop the stubborn canard that anti-Zionism equals anti-semitism and that attacks on Israeli misbehavior from the left is somehow worse than the traditional bigotry of the right.
9
@Mikey L.
Don't conflate being an excellent wordsmith with being a lively intelligence.
Look at this absurd statement: "....If the occupation ended tomorrow, Israel would still have a nationalist and religious identity at odds with the left's broadly post-nationalist and post-religious vision..."
That's a true dullard speaking.
I live in an very blue state. If what Ross says is true, you'd think we'd have banished religion to New Hampshire or somewhere else that could be described as 'conservative.' Yet, on every street corner, we seem to have churches, synagogues and mosques. We feel a nationalism that espouses this nation's true founding principles--that people are allowed to assemble and express their opinions; that a person can follow whatever religion they want or none at all; that religion is not the business of state. I doubt anyone loves this country more than a solid Massachusetts Democrat.
Whatever Ross's problem is, I don't care, but I wish he would stop making stuff up about about Democrats and liberals that just isn't true. My criticism of Israel IS a reaction to Israeli politics, plain and simple. Ross is trying to imply that I would continue to disapprove of Israel because it would still be a religious state even if it were to go full-force kumbaya with its neighbors because everybody knows liberals hate religion. But, that's just not true. And, frankly, I'm getting sick and tired of his saying that over and over.
8
The Democratic Party is now and will be for the foreseeable future
a party that supports hatred of Jews.
I think Jews will eventually wake up to this new reality and leave the Democratic Party.
It hurts to be a life long Democrat and then see the hate within the Democratic Party.
12
@JAG
Unfortunately, you may be right, I hope not.
2
@JAG, all imaginary. Kindly go talk to some African Americans and Native Americans and ask how they feel, daily, day in and day out.
"And attacks on Jewish success and influence, like attacks on the state of Israel, were treated as particularly dangerous, particularly un-American, because they threatened to undo this great achievement, and return the Jews to their historic state of constant threat and peril."
I have no idea where Ross got this idea. Anti-Semitism has been rampant in America far beyond living memory. Harpo Marx, in his autobiography, wrote about it on the New York
streets of the 1890's. In one of the few, maybe the only recording of his voice, Harpo describes a brothel owner saying about him "Get that sick Jew off the stage!" My father faced it on the 1920's Brooklyn streets, where his kids on his block, half Jewish, half Italian, stuck together for protection against the Irish kids on the next block.
I, and my brothers faced it in the Westchester town we grew up in. I had the black eyes and broken nose to prove it. I saw when I lived in the Southern Tier of NY, and later in the South, despite being in one of the most liberal areas.
It's here in NJ, and it just appeared in the Sidwell Friends School, in DC, that liberal school that educated at least 2 Presidents' daughters.
2 of the civil rights workers murdered in Philadelphia, MS, were Jewish. 16 years later, in a "nod-nod, wink-wing" moment, Reagan kicked of his bid for the Presidency there.
Yes, the US was historically one of safest places for Jews in the world, and still is. But being the safest doesn't mean it's safe.
36
Michelle Goldberg nailed this. The best course is to criticize the use of anti-Semitic cliches apart from whatever other opinions or positions are being advocated for.
It’s just as easy to use anti-Semitic tropes in arguments in favor of Israel as it is to use them against Israel whether we are discussing Israel’s policies - or its right to exist. It’s just as easy to that because anti-Semitism has deep currents in our (“western”) culture.
Either way, the best impulse would be to use these “offenses” as an opportunity to educate ourselves about ourselves and our culture. Whether I support or oppose Israel, I probably do not want my position to be clouded by reactions to perceived anti-semitism. (I might not even want that if I, indeed, consciously and intentionally hated Jews and Judaism.)
But if I consistently reverted to using anti-Semitic (or racist) tropes, then whether or not I am actually a “hater”, I could justifiably be considered an illigitimate/incompetent spokesperson even if, through my obtusity, I help to educate others about deep seated historical currents that perpetuate oppression and misunderstanding.
4
Per usual, Ross links the “good” (philo-Semitism) to CHRISTIANITY. He implies that leftist anti-semitism is partly attributable to their secularism (though a Muslim’s comments precipitated this commentary).
Ross admits that Christian philo-Semitism/Zionism, etc. is rooted in BIBLICALLY-BASED BELIEFS. re: the superiority of Jews & prophecy re: the Jesus’ return after Jews reclaimed their homeland.
Though Ross admits this, implying that liberal secularism per se poses a risk to Jews is disingenuous; if scripture indicated otherwise, fundamentalist Christians might revile Jews as they do other groups, etc.
Christian philo-Semitism apparently accompanied the Pilgrims & Ross sees “Christian guilt” re: the Holocaust as spurring postwar philo-Semitism.
Is Western anti-Semitism a largely modern development attributable to modern secular leftist sensibilities as well as blacks & Muslims?
Ross’ doesn’t explain American “Christian guilt” re: the Holocaust; one might assume he believes an inherent Christian empathy, concern for the persecuted, etc. might underlie it.
Or perhaps guilt is rooted in the fact that the Holocaust might never have occurred without widespread Christian reluctance among Christians to intervene until there was little choice.
From Germany to US, the average “Christian” support for, indifference to & lack of timely resistance to Hitler enabled the Holocaust.
“But Hitler was a secular socialist,” thus Judeo-Christianity always wins the game.
Either Ross doesn’t understand anti-semitism or he’s just playing politics. A piece in yesterday’s WaPo by Danya Ruttenberg
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/03/08/who-decides-when-we-do-dont-call-out-anti-semitism/?utm_term=.4da2d5cf7879
reminds us that anti-semitism of the European and American variety is a tool of the white power structure to deflect the public’s anger away from themselves onto Jews. Did Ross write a column condemning Trump’s support of murderous white supremacist anti-semites in Charlottesville? The increase in anti-semitic attacks of late dovetails with Trump’s political pogrom against Muslins and hispanic immigrants. Yes, we have Jews defending Ilhan Omar, but she is not the problem Jews need to be worried about.
8
"If the occupation ended tomorrow, Israel would still have a nationalist and religious identity at odds with the left’s broadly post-nationalist and post-religious vision."
Prove it!
2
This piece is yet another example of the bad faith of Douthat's columns. Time and again he has made it clear that the Roman Catholic Church, and not the whole Church just that part of it's far Right that he is the virtual spokesman of, should rule the lives of all Americans in regard to family, society and culture.
Proceeding on to the issue of the relationship between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, Mr. Douthat has simply taken what is a GOP talking point and asserted it as an axiom. If he actually knows anything about the founding pf the State of Israel and/or the law of national identity passed in 2018 he doesn't show it. As for the question of the exceptionalism of the Holocaust, it seems that Mr. Douthat als needs to be reminded that even in the camps Jewish victims were accompanied by 1.5 million Roma people, Polish intellectuals, Socialists and Communists, Russian soldiers and Gay people. Or maybe he is aware of this but he is gearing up for his support for Trump. Maybe as with Trump we need to keep count of Douthat's lies as well.
6
The problematic issue is that there would be no need for a Jewish sanctuary were anti-Semitism so pervasive. I read a conversation between two American Jews in which one asks the other why he prefers Israel to America to be told that in Israel, "I'm just a guy and not a Jew."
The tragedy from the Palestinian perspective is that, before the state of Israel, Palestinians were just guys and not Palestinians.
On a visit to Israel a couple of years ago, we had a conversation with a Palestinian Christian woman who described the years of British rule as a great reprieve from the oppression of the Ottomans. She said, that as a Christian, her original feeling was that if Israel was promised to the Jewish people there was no place for her. She told us she found a different perspective with the advent of Sabeel, a group dedicated to liberation theology for Palestinians, a group which is, not incidentally, dedicated to non-violent resistance.
We returned home with a deep appreciation of the conundrum for both Jews and Palestinians, who we continue to place in ideological boxes and fail to see as two oppressed peoples caught in a cage created by deep historical forces.
5
Every single time, I wonder why the Times continues to publish this guy. His columns are, at best, diversionary and unhelpful. As so many others have correctly pointed out, anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism. And being for a two-state solution or criticizing Netenyahu is neither. The rhetoric surrounding Cong. Omar is charged with disingenuousness on both sides. And Douthat is wrong on what Rep. Clyburn said as well - he was explaining Omar, not excusing anything.
6
"...and that regards the success of American Jews as a reason for them to join white Gentiles in check-your-privilege self-criticism, ceding moral authority to minority groups who are more immediately oppressed. "
Bingo! The left's attitude towards successful Jewish Americans is similar to its reluctance to stand up for Asian-Americans who sense a growing resentment of their economic success by their erstwhile allies on the left. Witness the suspicion leveled at Asian-Americans who have filed discrimination lawsuits against Harvard and other elite universities. What the left resents is any group it perceives as "privileged." The economic privilege of successful Jewish-Americans and Asian-Americans has become to the left as pernicious as white privilege.
8
Notice how Douthat failed to mention Kevin McCarthy's 2018 tweet accusing three Jewish-American billionaires -Soros, Bloomberg, and Steyer - of trying to "buy" the midterm election. Should I mention Trump's defence of those marching in the streets of Charlottesville shouting "Jews will not replace us"? Or how Trump told AIPAC in 2016 that he did not want their money, therefore they would not support him?
To conservatives like Douthat, none of this is a problem worthy of a column. But, when a 90 pound brown Muslim woman in a headscarf criticizes Israel and supports the BDS movement, her statements become an example of what the left really wants.
11
@Dennis
The reaction of the democrats is even more of a problem that Omar's statements.She is an
ignorant fool but the leaders of the Democratic party should know better.The response to BLM is not that all life matters and the response to anti semitism is not that others suffer too.
2
The massacre of Christians by Rome was a “long time ago” too. I’m in Cambodia where the massacre of city-dwellers occurred more recently than the Holocaust. I suggest that efforts to identify one’s group solely with its historical victimization is not good for community building as we all face the challenges of the Anthropocene.
3
Anti-Semites do not detest Jews and Israel out of any great
affection for the Palestinian cause. Their attachment
to that cause is mostly rhetorical.
The real roots of the problem are jealousy and greed.
Anti-Semitism differs from other types of prejudice
because practitioners of it have convinced themselves
over the course of centuries that Jewish people are
smarter and more financially astute than they are.
That is why it has persisted so long over time and that is
why it frequently appears in the comment sections of the
Times which day-after-day are infested with negative comments
about Israel and Mr. Netanyahu.
The fact that some Jewish people actually are smarter and
more financially astute than other people compounds the
difficulty of solving the problem.
11
Good grief. You start this column with a photo that doesn’t explain who the extremist Orthodox in the photo are: namely a sect that believes there CANNOT be a Jewish Israel again until “the Messiah comes”.
Then you act like there are mainly two reactions among normal Americans to Jews:
anti-Semitism’s poisoning marginalization, or the Gentiles’ philo-Semitism extremely rosy image of,and infatuation of , modern American Jews.
Extremes. Cliches.
And to me, frightening removal of actual humanity and normalcy.
5
The Holocaust happened as a result of a deliberate policy whose goal is exterminating an entire Ethnic Gp,i.e. The Jews.The congress woman became refugee because of a fratricide in Somalia driven by clan based infighting among Somalis.The CW in question is handed a tremendous chance to influence the fate of her fellow Somali and the rest of Africans: She can use her position to advocate the cause of MDG, Climate change issue (significant part of Africa is vulnerable to recurrent drought),working towards policy that will be instrumental in drying refugee flow,stabilizing DRC so that Ebola won't go rampant in Africa and beyond,etc..The young Somali regime being led by Pres Formago could use any help his country can get in getting rid of Al-Shabab.In short such well placed CW whose origin is in Somalia doesn't have the luxury to waste ones tenure in USC in entertaining once deep rooted cultural bias (though one can cling to this or that bias without causing unnecessary distraction to others).One small Nation has enough adversaries and the two sides have enough partners to diplomatically manage the Israel Vs Palestinian ongoing issue, the CW do not have the temperament or expertise to be an arbiter.CNN's superb week long Docu series on Anti-Semitism surge in Europe got drowned by the commotion created by unwisely engineered Yellow vest movement in Fr.Individuals or Gps who because of their own fault experienced failure in life try to use Anti-Semitism to avoid responsibility.TMD.
3
Believe in Balance wrote:
"Yes, the Jews have achieved a lot. But, after WWII, they were given a lot of preference because of the consequences of the Holocaust on their population."
Anyone who believes Jews were given "preference" after WWII desperately needs a history lesson.
Long after the Civil Rights Act of 1965, there still were (and are) many places in America where Jews are excluded.
At the funeral of his dear friend Muhammed Ali, Billy Crystal told a story about Ali inviting Crystal to play golf with him at Ali's club.
Crystal told him, "But you know Muhammed, that club does not allow Jew like me to play."
To his credit, Ali (a true mensch), told Crystal "then I'll never play there again," and he didn't.
That's right. A country club that allowed entry to a black Muslim, would not allow Jews in.
8
Mr. Douthat, it seems the whole brouhaha concerning Rep. Omar isn’t going away.
3 days of consecutive articles in the NYT on her alleged ‘anti-semitic’ response without anyone ever actually quoting Rep. Omar or explaining the context surrounding her words.
Something I’m sure NYT and its staff have experienced FIRSTHAND by Being misquoted by the current Administration.
If anyone cares to read, here are her actual words:
https://ips-dc.org/what-did-ilhan-omar-say-heres-the-full-transcript-of-her-response-to-a-question-about-anti-semitism/
She never once mentioned Jews or Israel or AIPAC. Dual allegiance was in the context of the Anti-BDS bill which criminalizes dissent and enforces allegiance to the state of Israel, of ALL Americans and ALL members of Congress.
By the way, this is exactly what the right-wing media and the Republican leader does all day long and NYT routinely calls them out on it, without fail. While Ms.Goldberg tried to put a ‘micro-aggression’ spin on Rep. Omar’s comments, but that’s still wide of the mark: you know, TRUTH. Something I thought mattered to NYT and its esteemed staff.
Paul Waldman of The Post has written a brilliant article REFUTING in explicit terms the MISCHARACTERIZATION of Ms. Omar’s words. By the way, he happens to be both Jewish and May know a thing or two about Zionism being ‘raised in an intensely Zionist’ family’.
Where’s the moral indignation and outrage for the Republican Party or its leader? For the massacre in PA?
5
@Truther
This is from the transcript, where, according to you, she never once mentions Jews.
And what I am fearful of is that because Rashida and I are Muslim, that a lot of Jewish colleagues, a lot of our Jewish constituents, a lot of our allies, go to thinking that everything we say about Israel, to be anti-Semitic, because we are Muslim
The problem with the way claims of anti-semitism are thrown around in the US, people rightly concerned about it should be worried.
No right minded person should hate or distrust another because of their belief or non-belief, their ethnic heritage or the country of their origin- Jew or Gentile. As a civil libertarian first and foremost, I have concerns that the use of charging anti-Semitism against anyone who criticizes Israel or it’s official policies is damaging to free speech and free political expression. It seems some- not most or all- are using the charge as a trump card to stifle legitimate political expression of the policies of a foreign government and that is simply not acceptable.
People have a right to be wrong, to be stupid and to be ignorant in America- it is part of our country’s genius, as sunshine is the best disinfectant. I remember the ACLU standing up for a repulsive neo-Nazi group wanting to protest in Skokie, despite the community having a large number of Shoah survivors. What the ACLU did was correct and some of the people working the case were, in fact, Jewish people. They understood that part of an open democratic society means some level of tolerance for cranks, and letting the broad public see these haters did more good than harm.
Part of the price of an open, multi-cultural society is tolerance of some things you personally dislike or offend you. We should never stifle free political speech unless it advocates violence. This is America.
4
@David Gregory
I would also refer readers to this ACLU post.
‘When the government cynically asserts an antidiscrimination interest to suppress disfavored political expression, the harm is twofold: It violates civil liberties and waters down genuine efforts to address the real threat posed by bigoted ideologies, including anti-Semitism. That’s why the ACLU champions civil rights and civil liberties.
You can’t have one without the other.“
https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/laws-suppressing-boycotts-israel-dont-prevent-discrimination-they-violate-civil?fbclid=IwAR1w6csdtGzENOxCciAB2eWzCiPY9z1DqfTAIVmp17znZ7_D4SbE8N-gY1A
1
Anybody familiar with history knows that anti-Semitism is special and unique. Jews have been hated by right and left, Christians and atheists, Nazis and Communists; persecuted as a religion and a race; denigrated for being too aggressive and not aggressive enough, too rich and too poor, too smart and too stupid. The Holocaust is unique not because of its numbers - other mass murders took almost as many lives; not even because of its atrocity - babies thrown alive into mass graves, gas chambers; but because it is a uniquely ideological genocide. The Nazis spent a lot of money and efforts in killing Jews and getting nothing out of it. Jewish riches in Germany had already been plundered when the killing began in earnest. The Holocaust was motivated by pure, irrational, ideological hate. I am not surprised by I am saddened to see this hate revived in the US. One remark on this otherwise excellent say: Mr. Douthat should not have chosen a picture of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Anti-Semitism is not religious bigotry but something much deeper. I am an atheist; I don’t look Jewish; but I know that for anti-Semites on the left and the right I am as much a target as yeshiva boys.
9
Our country is full of bigots. So is the world. Unfortunately for Jews, being the brunt of that bigotry has provided a political crutch for centuries. The beauty of America since its inception is that it centered around an idea, not a creed or faith. Jews are safest in that environment, at least in theory. Israel is the only Democracy in the Middle East and our staunchest of allies. Let's not let the voice of someone who wishes to trash that or divide Americans. Identity politics is no substitute for virtue in purpose.
2
It was an eye-opener for me when the Charlottesville alt-right folks chanted "the Jews will not replace us", meaning they view the Jews as being behind the influx of Latino workers. I know the John Birch Society, a right wing group of old, blamed the Jews for every ill they could imagine, but I had though that anti-semitism had mostly died out.
Anti-Semitism is exceptional in that it is espoused in the Bible. Ilhan Omar is mild in her anti-semitism compared to John.
4
The view that the US has been philosemitic is a distortion. Sure, no state sponsored violence, but Jews have been the target of less than equal if not overtly hostile treatment throughout US history. In 1740 England permitted "limited" citizenship for Jews in Georgia, full not coming until the Constitution.
Henry Ford distributed the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, had an antisemitic newspaper column that was compiled and published in Germany in 4 volumes titled, "The International Jew, the World's Foremost Problem." He was honored in 1939 with a medal by Hitler for his contributions. The Protocols, a fiction created by Czarist Russia to justify pogroms and, along with Mein Kampf, still best sellers in the Arab world and promote the trope of the sneaky Jewish conspiracy perpetrated by a people with special powers/influence that continues (e.g. Omar).
Before the Nazi's made antisemitism unfashionable, it was an accepted part of US dialog. Father Coughln ranted regularly against Jews on the radio waves until 1939 and instigated violence against American Jews. Jews avoided living in the South for decades after Leo Frank's lynching. Mark Twain's, "Concerning the Jews" while on the surface is philosemitic, is consonant with negative tropes. In the 20's FDR was involved in setting quotas for Jews at Harvard. That schools, hotels, country clubs, and even some industries were "restricted" to Jews is historical fact.
America, philosemitic? In contrast, perhaps.
5
Liberal anti-Semitism, which appears to be aligned with Israeli policy -- is directed at Jews who have deep-seated views on Netanyahu and the Palestinians. That doesn't involve many Jews, who are casually aware of Israeli politics.
Omar got in trouble because she resorted to anti-Semitic stereotypes that are offensive to most Jews. Talk of money-lending, pro-Jewish conspiracies, and values at odds with Christianity hit home for most Jews.
Legitimate debate about Israel and Palestine is not going to bring down on us a wave of anti-Semitism. I grew up Jewish in an Irish town, and I had killed Jesus, committed moral and venal sins, and was a pig-lover for not eating them. That's the kind of stuff that is at the core of anti-Semitism. And all those Irish were Democrats. I also lived in the deep South. And there was no stereotyping. Most Southerners know nothing about Jews and are much too busy dealing with racism.
So anti-Semitisim is expressed in diverse and surprising ways that upscale non-Jews seem largely ignorant about. But what we all need to care about is those neo-Nazis chanting anti-Semitic slogans.
1
4 generations of my family have fought for this country. I will not accept being accused of dual loyalty because I choose to exercise my constitutional right to petition my government. The left's "defense" of Omar consists of taking out the word "Jew" and inserting the word "AIPAC". AIPAC has done nothing illegal or unethical. It's still anti-Semitism.
Even critics of Omar, like the NYT's Tom Friedman and Michelle Goldberg, state that her criticism of AIPAC is valid. How is it valid? She has said Congress sells its opinions for money and Jews who support Israel have demonstrated allegiance to a foreign country.
Criticism AIPAC is too right wing isn't valid. AIPAC represents the principle that the people of Israel can democratically choose their own leaders and their own future. Criticism AIPAC is the non-elected representative of the Jewish people is not valid either. Anyone can support any organization they choose.
That there's a generational divide means one generation doesn't know right from wrong. Half the Democratic party, including nearly every representative under 60, would only support a mealy mouth equivocation instead of condemnation. This means anti-Semitism is becoming accepted in the Democratic Party. The Simon Weisenthal Foundation condemned the resolution. This meandering nonsensical column confirms it.
Anti-Semitism is ingrained in the Labor Party in England. The same is happening to the Democratic Party.
8
Why is anti-semitism so unique? It befufuddles me! There is so much anti-humanity everywhere you look. Anti-muslim, anti-hindu, anti-christian. anti-africa, anti-asia and so the list goes. Yes, the horror of holocaust happened and should be an important lesson in history so as not to repeat it. But it is still happening albeit with new victims some even worse than the holocaust. The present era Jews cannot claim victimhood forever because of the holocaust. They have assimilated better into American society than any other. But there are others who are suffering now way more than Jews in this country. What Rep. Illhan Omar is conveying is not simply anti-semitism. Her personal experience as a Somali refugee is her generation experience of atrocity. Her statements should therefore be construed as to the holocaust of Palestinians by Israel. And facts say she's right.
3
Israel and its supporters should not be allowed to hide behind the holocaust as justification for the country's illegal and immoral behavior. To refuse to criticize Israel and to hold it to international law in reality gives true anti-semites a legitimacy they don't deserve. The behavior of Netanyahu's government and the far right/extreme orthodox has bern abhorrent.
The author fails to bring up the reasons for this backlash against Israel, which has caused the left to justifiably leave the pro Israeli camp.
One final point: the more you highlight Israel for being Jewish and saying they have special privileges in it, the less you can call it a democracy, and the more it becomes a theocracy.
2
Not all bigotry is born equal. Anti-semitism is exceptional, as was Apartheid, and as was slavery of African people. The sexism I might experience in my day to day life (for example) while bad and corrosive is in no way equivalent to those bigotries. The rise of anti-semitism and its white-washing as “just another” bigotry is truly alarming to any student of history. No, not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic, but if it quacks like a duck....
3
Pure rubbish by a non-Jew! I grew up in a Holocuast family in the 1940's and 50's and believe me Jews were NOT integrated. We had our ghetto, our neighbors who were anti-Semites, and watched as pioneering movies like "Gentleman's Agreement" portrayed the not so subtle anti-Semitism in America. When President Truman courageously went against the tide of anti-Semitism by recognizing the State of Israel in 1948, we cheered and we sang the Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem, in our synagogues. But when I went to Yale in 1958, I learned from a classmate who worked part-time in the admissions office that there was a quota of seven percent for Jewish students. Still Jews succeeded and prospered mostly by becoming doctors, lawyers, or, in my case, a scientist and university professor. What I find excruciating troubling is the current false equivalence here, in Congress, and elsewhere that to be anti-Israel is to be an anti-Semite, or, in my case, a "self-hating Jew." As Israel under the callous and corrupt ultra-right wing rule of Benjamin Netanyahu has moved further away from a sincere search for peace by abandoning the "two-state solution," appropriating more Palestinian land, tightening its economic grip to the point where Palestinians are in open revolt in what amounts to real ghettos, and massacring them in cold blood, many American Jews have moved away from their unconditional support and share many of the concerns raised by Rep. Ihlan Omar.
1
Jews are not victims of bigotry in todays global world. A Mexican undocumented or documented immigrant is worse treated than a Jew in the America of Donald Trump . I can understand that some Jews don´t like to share a space that since the second world war has belonged only to them, but we are living in a different time and a different world now. All suffering must find an equal echo in our heart and find the same protection in our laws.
1
Douthat, like Stephens and Goldberg before him on these pages, falsely accuses Ilhan Omar of anti-Semitism by twisting her words and trying to distract us from her points.
Attention should be focused on the unacknowledged bigotry of the Israel Lobby itself against Muslims, Arabs, and especially Palestinians, for its discriminatory results are often lethal, and the US pundits and politicians who practice it pay no price.
False charges of anti-Semitism have been the fig leaves to cover Israel's unspeakable and relentless savagery against Palestinians - financed by US taxpayers - that would live in infamy regardless of the ethnicity and history of the perpetrators.
It's time for supporters of Israel to stop flailing out blindly with accusations of racist motives for any substantive criticism of how our tax money is being used by our most spoiled beneficiary, and face the fact that they are tacitly supporting violent racism and ethnic cleansing, behavior that is indefensible by any group of human beings - including Jews.
This is what the left seems to want in the Omar controversy, and what I suspect it will eventually get: a left-of-center politics that remembers the Holocaust as one great historical tragedy among many, that judges Israel primarily on its conservative and nationalist political orientation,
1
Back in 83 I was working with the Israeli Air Force and I went to a Squadron Commander ‘s house for dinner. In a prominent place in his living room was a satirical picture making fun of the ultra Orthodox. Was he an anti-Semitic?
1
Well if that is the case then certainly talking about slavery is getting pretty old and tired too, wouldnt you say Rep Clyburn, why dont we pack that up as an issue too . . . what do you say? Oh what's that no, we need to talk about reparations, oh i see so that old tragedy which ended 150 years ago is relevant but the Holocaust is passe at 70 hmmm - i dont know if the likes of Clyburn are just plain stupid, probably, or truly baseline anti-Semitic - i fear it may be be both.
5
There is no such thing as "philo-Semitism."
For the conservative Christian right, it's philo-Zionism.
The people who fervently wait for Jesus to return believe he will come to judge the world only when the Jews --- all the Jews -- are gathered in Israel.
Otherwise, they have little use for Jews, much less love.
6
I’m sad the author is right; we are back to 1936: to the left or to the right blame the Jews for whatever!
6
Let's get this straight, the left is not marching and chanting "We will not be replaced", that is antisemitism, the left is denouncing the policies of the present Israeli government, that is anti apartheid. Give unto Caesar the blame Caesar deserves give unto the lord the freedom to worship. If a left wing government were to rise in Israel and work toward peace with the Palestinians there would be a total shift in the attitudes of those who oppose the continued building a settlements on disputed lands. Such a shift will never occur with anti-Semites because they hate the Jews for who they are, not what they do.
2
Is anti-Semitism exceptional? Yes. It's the only hatred that the Left and the Right can agree on. However, while right wing anti-Semitism is almost expected (if one hates blacks, Muslims, gays, Hispanics and Asians,it's not so odd that Jews are tossed into the mix) left-wing anti-Semitism seems more surprising ("We're concerned about the plight of blacks, gays, muslims, migrant workers, Syrian immigrants ... but we feel Jews are vile, financed the slave trade and secretly control the world's finances.") and as a result is more reprehensible.
5
Well if that is the case then certainly talking about slavery is getting pretty old and tired too, wouldnt you say Rep Clyburn, why dont we pack that up as an issue too . . . what do you say? Oh what that's no, we need to talk about reparations, oh i see so that old tragedy which ended 150 years ago is relevant but the Holocaust is passe at 70 hmmm - i dont know if the likes of Clyburn are just plain stupid, probably, or truly baseline anti-Semitic - i fear it may be be both.
3
As mothers have often said, if you don’t have anything nice to say about someone keep your mouth shut. If the left believes that Jews are no longer an oppressed minority then they can simply stop including anti-semitism when they speak out against the various forms of discrimination. But Rep. Omar’s statements were hateful and the left’s defense of those statements, without even taking into account the fact that Rep. Omar has her own religious and political anti-Israel agenda, goes way beyond the mere “decline” of “philo-semitism.”
6
Ross Douthat mentions right-wing Anti-Semitism in passing as if to give a show of balance to his dire predictions about the consequences of a few poorly chosen words amidst legitimate criticism of Israel and AIPAC. I don't see these progressive critics marching in American streets carrying Nazi flags. I don't see them slaughtering Jews in American synagogues. I do see the White Supremacist supporters of today's Republican party and President Trump doing just that. The
progressives who seem to obsess Douthat and other critics of Ilhan Omar share his democratic values. Why do they concern him more than real threats from actual American Nazi enthusasiasts and American white supremacist Jew-killers, Muslim-killers, and killers of people of color on the right? Why not take after the Republicans and Right-wing commentators who are fueling that very real hate? It's like criticizing fellow firemen for not putting out the fire the way you would have, while ignoring the right-wing zealots who are ready and willing to burn the country down.
1
There is no place for exceptionalism in either US law or in international law. No one, of any religion or with no religion, is above the law. There can be no silencing of those that point out unlawful or immoral activity, no matter who they are pointing at.
8
No one is debating your position. However it misses the point. Calling out activity you think is wrong is fine. Describing people you disagree with is as having dual allegiances or not being loyal to their country is bigotry.
6
@Michael Bachner
I can easily imagine that within your generalized "people" there are some who definitely have dual allegiances and many who do not. Am I a "bigot" if I say my catholic neighbour has some kind of allegiance with Ireland?
1
Mr. Douthat, why not read—or re-read—William Shirer’s classic “The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich?” Do you think Hitler’s Germany of 80 years ago has no parallel here?
The Holocaust was one of the worst stains in human history. Not enough of its horrors are remembered unless it’s by the sufferers’ survivors. America has never addressed slavery adequately. America has never addressed The Holocaust adequately. Our “educational” institutions shy away from both topics as not being relevant or embarrassing to the history chairs in the halls of academe. And Rep. James Clyburn, who should certainly know better, erred greatly by dismissing Rep. Omar’s bad faith remarks.
What the neo-left in the Democratic party are providing—handsomely as far as Donald Trump and the poisonous Right are concerned—is the very campaign gift to him (and them) in 2020. By defending “free speech,” their acquisence to the shout of “fire” in the crowded hall, all they are doing is joining the nationalists and spreading the germ of “very fine people—on both sides” as acceptable.
And this has nothing to do with Benjamin Netanyahu and his vicissitudes in Israel. This is an American problem that we fail to address at our great peril—Trump’s re-election.
307
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18--=-except you are harassing the wrong political party.(shmirk)
5
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich should be required reading for all Americans. Some of the similarities between what was happening Germany in the 1930s and what we see in America today are eye opening. The end result was the death of over fifty million people and the near extermination of an entire race of people.
Antisemitism has always existed in America. The problem we face today is that this rabid president has embolden the worst of our population to become far more vocal.
After reading Shire's book, one should then read Washington's letter to the congregation of the Toro Synagogue in Newport Rhode Island in which he states:
For happily the Government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.
If only that were true today.
19
@Red Sox, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18
Slavery in all its ramifications is addressed in every major university in the country. Where are you getting your facts? What is not addressed on our campuses are the Federalist Papers, or the Enlightenment--where the ideas came from that allowed our Founders to create our liberties and our rights. The situation on our campuses is the precise opposite of what you imagine it to be. They teach shaming and hating of our country, with emphasis on slavery , not on the civil war to end it; emphasis on the evils of white men not on the bravery of those who fought the wars to preserve it. We teah shame not pride. We emphasize the bad-- not along with the good, but instead. You know what kind of thinking does that? Thinking that is against us.
3
Moving Palestinians from their home was wrong, and I favor a two-state solution.
However, if one was to be able to eradicate only one of the following two problems, which would it be?
1. Israel's current treatment of the Palestinians who have no real home.
2. Treatment of women in the Muslim world.
Why doesn't Omar use her "clout" to address #2, an issue that virtually all Americans, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, could agree upon?
Instead, she, like many others of the far left, and like many on the right (especially Trump), choose issues where she have a good fight with others in America.
11
The Palestinians were offered a two state solution four times, and each time they refused. Why would you be in favor of a solution that the Palestinians themselves don't want?
8
@RD
In my book a thief has no business offering to give back part of what he/she stole. I would simply turn to the law for justice.
1
@Dan How bout she talk about both. And about the Somali misogenist culture as it tries to integrate into secular USA.
4
America gets very upset with any country’s interference in its affairs (rich irony there folks), unless that country is Israel. You know Israel? That small patch of land a group of largely European Jews decided was theirs because.... god?
You know this god! He’s the precursor to the one who impregnated a teenage girl with his son, the demi-god Jesus? His life was well documented... some 600 to a 1000 years after he died. Hey, word of mouth works folks!
Religion is a fountain of ignorance, mother of crimes most foul and lies that even the man who could teach a master class in deceit, Donald Trump cannot surpass.
Humans are such fools.
14
Actually, historians believe Mark was written 60 years after and John 100 years after the death of Jesus...presuming he was an actual person. For example, biblical scholars do not believe Abraham was an actual person but rather a representation of an early mesopotamian man. Regardless, when you accept the biblical canon literally, and then reject it as lies, after there is an opportunity to see it as something else...a historical document...a window into the minds and perspective of the writers. Seen in this way, it becomes an interesting book again...actually fascinating for what it can tell us about our past.
1
@D Priest Israel is mostly Jews from N. Africa and the Middle East. "European Jews" are a minority.
3
I had to stop reading you Ross because you've lost me. I unfortunately don't have any Jewish friends or business associates in my life, but I went to Dachau as a ten year old and believe Jews were singled out for torture and murder for absolutely no reason. And that was a long time ago but I'll never ever forget it and I'll take the knowledge and memory of the Holocaust to my grave as one the most remarkable of human travesties there is.
But, for the past 40 years, basically my entire adult life, I've also seen Israeli tanks and planes massacring Palestinian families 24/7 on the news. And I have to pay for it so some antedeluvian Babtists can sleep better because somewhere in their backward understanding they support this lopsided slow motion genocide.
So I support Jews, but I hate Israel.
Food for thought for American Jews, APAIC, and pundits me thinks...
18
No disrespect, Mr. Douthat, but you are clueless, and the story you tell of American "philo-Semitism" is a fairy tale.
15
I can't believe that the NYT would use the image of a hateful group to support its views that the issue is "murky". The photo of sub-group of Satmar Hassidim should scare all readers as they hold views counter to all Americans (just ask them their views on gays, African American just to name a few). The reason they support representative Omar is that they seek the destruction of the Israeli government before their Messiah can come and then kick out all the "infidels" (i.e. non-Satmar Hassidim) from Israel. The NYT knows better and relies on the reader's ignorance to get away with confusing images.
28
@Shlomo
I hope that the Times doesn't take the views of the Satmar extremists as consistent with the views of American Jews. Extremists of all faiths are to be decried and opposed. As a Jew, Jewish fundamentalists are every bit as offensive to me as are Muslim or Christian fundamentalists. All are intolerant; none embrace tolerance for who do not share their beliefs.
3
This column isn't really about anti-Semitism. The readers of this column should look at it as another anti-left tirade by Douthat who is no doubt relieved that attention has shifted, albeit for just a short time from his beloved Roman church.
9
What happened to Jews in Europe and the Middle East primarily at the hands of pagans ,Catholics and Orthodox over millennia happened to Africans and Natives in America over the last 500 years at the hands of white European Judeo- Christians.
While the singular event of the last century against the Jews aka the Holocaust was not perpetrated in America by Americans against other Americans. Nor was the Holocaust perpetrated by Arabs nor Muslims nations nor people nor organizations.
The most vehement vicious American anti-Semites have been white evangelical Christians primarily in the South as exemplified by the Ku Klux Klan and White Citizens Councils. Followed by the white Aryan and neo-Nazi organizations and white ethnic American Roman Catholics.
Lower class white socioeconomics and educational attainment and rural living are particularly relevant to white European American Christian anti-Semitic tendencies.
The relationship between black American Protestants and Jews includes condescending paternalistic liberal white Jewish pity for blacks at the middle/lower end of the socioeconomic/ educational spectrum. Along with a presumptuous familiarity at the upper echelons. You can't tell the ethnicity nor faith of any white European American.
Other than the Unitarian Universalist and the United Church of Christ, Jews have been the closest white faith allies of African Americans. Neither black American Christians nor Muslims were chanting " Jews will not replace us".
5
@BlackMamba: you write, "The most vehement vicious American anti-Semites have been white evangelical Christians primarily in the South as exemplified by the Ku Klux Klan and White Citizens Councils. Followed by the white Aryan and neo-Nazi organizations and white ethnic American Roman Catholics."
Please provide some evidence for your claim about "white ethnic American Catholics" being "vicious antisemites." I'm a white, Irish background Catholic who has never experienced what you're claiming. I grew up in Englewood NJ, and did not see any anti-semitism. I've lived for more than 70 years and not noted antisemitism in my church communities. It's true the Vatican did not cover itself with glory in WWII vis a vis Nazi Germany, but I give Pope Francis credit for opening up the archive on Pius VI. The church has also apologized for its complicity at that time. The Catholic Church promotes tolerance for all world religions, and has participated in many Ecumenical services. Again, I've never seen any evidence among French-, Polish-, Irish-, Italian, Spanish- or other ethnicity Americans being particularly anti-Semitic. On the contrary, during the 60s and beyond there has been a fair amount of attacks on the Catholic Church as being "controlled" by the Vatican.
1
My, my, I've read fulsome melodrama here before, but this hagiographic excess outdoes your previous efforts, Mr. Douthat. You're a busy man, running around propping up all these sacred cows like the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike. When do you sleep, or does your sanctimony sustain you without?
11
Ross? Are you sure its not a misspelling and this column is from Rose... Coloredglasses??
Yes integration of Jews and Judaism has come a long way but make no mistake about the insular character of Judaism post world war II up until quite recently.
When this goyim proposed his future mother-in-law's retort was "We are doing to ourselves what Hitler couldn't finish!"
The point being uncritical support for Israel and Judaism in general is born from those same relatives who sat Shiva instead of attending a wedding...
2
We're making some progress.
Ross comes out with the classic 'what aboutism" argument "Oh sure other people have suffered, but not like them Jews. And if you say they did, then you're Jew hater."
The Trumpies got that ball rolling with their "So what if police shoot black people, they shoot white people too. You saying that doesn't matter, so you hate white people?"
The difference, of course, is Ross runs it through the Harvard Degree processor and it comes out awfully pretty and seems to make some kind of sense. At least it feels like it does.
So the columnist who was left gasping for eloquent calumny when there was a black Muslim Nigerian in the White House now opines the raw, ugly, violent proto-facist running Israel is above all criticism, because Jew.
Ross reports Israeli foreign relations missteps and provocations aren't that, really, and even if they are shut up. Because Jews.
Its why he can wonder about the Jew-hatingness of a young woman who grew up in conditions similar to those experienced across the fence from Israel, and judge her a Jew hater because their lives mirror hers in pain and humiliation and hopelessness. Jews are special, Ross says, and they're allowed to do this stuff.
What Ross can't seem to understand is granting Israel this unthinking universal free pass exposes it to more hatred and graver danger than attempts to bring it into line with traditional state morality.
If you love Israel, Ross (which I doubt) help them get it right.
11
I thank God that I have never understood anti-Semitism and hope I never do. Bless Israel and you will be blessed. Curse Israel and you will be cursed. God bless Israel.
7
Of course right-wing anti-Semites haven’t gone away either — which is part of why anti-anti-Omar Democrats can tell themselves that by downgrading Jewish exceptionalism, trading a specific philo-Semitism for a general politics of all-bigotry-is-bad, they are asking liberal Jews to make a sacrifice that’s essential for the greater good of defeating the greater enemy, which is still the reactionary right.
Who writes this garbage and much less explain it?
4
Cynthia McKinney did not cause the majority of Jews to vote Republican and Ilhan Omar will not either. There is something about separating children from their parents and locking them up in cages that goes to the heart of their DNA as it does to any human with compassion.
5
I honestly don't understand antisemitism. Why would anyone hate Jews? Who is a Jew anyway? What is the basis for antisemitism? Could you do an article about that?
4
Hard to know where to begin with this one, Ross.
1. Why a photo of the Orthodox? (If that was your editors’ choice, shame on them.) They may be defending free speech but they are not representative of American Jewry or Israel. With their 17th Century Polish garb and retrograde ideas about women, they are an anachronistic sideshow like the Amish.
2. You mention the recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks in New York City, but not the massacre of Jews at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Omitting Pittsburgh while highlighting New York is bizarre at best, but I detect a whiff of anti-Semitic coding in the old NYC = JEWS equation.
3. Omar is an impolitic neophyte. Of course she should call out Saudi Arabia—you wanna talk Benjamins?—more than she calls out the Trump-loving Likud party but she hardly represents a new anti-Zionism of the Left. That is a right-winger’s dream. Leftist anti-Zionism has been going strong for at least half a century.
14
The head of the Republican party and the PM of Israel are both racists and can do more damage than Omar.
10
The Jewish diaspora , from Babylonian times , and then from the times of Roman Titus and / or Hadrian , saw Jewish communities spread all over the world , east and west , always a frightened minority , different in dress , beliefs , language , and culture . Add of course the religious aspect
( who killed Jesus ? - the pigs and monkeys for the
Muslims - ) , and you got a recipe for perfect bigotry .
It was so easy and normal for the majority , Christian and
Muslim , to hate , discriminate , exploit , marginalize , expel , abuse and KILL those few Jews living in their midst .
The Jews cowered , powerless and lacking in any organization . They never hit back , and took it all lying down....just live another purposeless day , believe in a supreme force that somehow meant all this to happen... so the hatred persisted , by state , institutions and individuals .
Somehow , the Jews survived through this all.....
Then came Zionism , and self awareness , and a basic collective Jewish resolution : NO MORE - NEVER AGAIN....
So , nowadays , you hit the Jew - physically and/or verbally , get ready for a response !!
If it hurts , pains you and you do not like it, tough luck ! Times are changing...... This is the true message for the Ilhan Omars , Malcolm Xs , Iranian Mullahs , and other such fellow travelers of this world... .
12
@Truthbetoldalways
Thank you.
Jews have, above all, a responsibility to themselves to fight back and live.
The frightful, ignorant, and hate-filled comments that fill the New York Times response sections to any article about Jews and Israel - as well as the columns that continually appear attacking the Jewish state to the exclusion of much, much worse international actors - affirm that Jews can no longer feel confident about their acceptance by their fellow Americans.
No, there is no immediate existential threat here, but it is obvious that if there was ever a philo-Semitic embrace of American Jewry by the Left, it has been pulled apart by the ugliness of post-modernism and the easy bigotry against Jews that follows.History, reality, and reason have been upended. We have always understood the ubiquitous anti-Semitism of the far right - how could we not after our experiences in the 20th century- but the insidious denouncement by much of the Left is an attack we are much less able to counter.
Jewish Americans have long formed one of the core constituents of liberal democracy and have been and still remain major philanthropists and allies to oppressed people. These days, however, that doesn't seem to make a difference, and the blood is in the water.
Ironically, with respect to all the Israel haters, whether or not American Jews agree with current Israeli government policies, Israel has become even more important as our life raft for our survival.
2
The trap of Israel apologists like Douthat is sprung again. Wrong! "Semitism" of any kind, philo or anti, is separable from the behaviors of the state of Israel. I wake up sometimes at night thinking about my children, and can't sleep knowing that humans are capable of the Holocaust- "the left" (yes we're all one hive that thinks exactly the same - please!) isn't going to be forgetting the murder of 6 million Jews - nice dog whistle- as if we on the left are just Nazis incubating for the next time (never mind that the Nazis were an ultra-rightwing party).
But do I want Israel to vigorously pursue a fair solution with the Palestinians and my own government to quit giving them cover for grabbing land and running an apartheid state? Absolutely!
One more question: Why do these columns never, ever, mention that when surveyed after 9/11, Arabs listed the one-sided US support for Israel as the leading justification for the attack. Our lopsided, essentially racist anti-Arab support for Israel costs us dearly in subtle, but powerful ways that are never discussed.
7
I am curious why the NYT decided to use a photo of the same 5 deranged individuals who occasionally pop up out of their oblivion to support anti-Semites?
What does this tiny denounced screwball group have to do with the article?
12
The image of orthodox Jews with their outfits, is a foreign to me as the Klan. Yes, I see them all the time as a NYer, and yes I'm Jewish, but feel nothing towards them, given their often clannish behavior.
Many Jews I know, while supporting Israel are highly critical of their actions and feel no affinity to it. Count me as one.
I think Douthat has to acknowledge that criticism of Israel is valid and not anti-semitic. And it's easy to make the following leap to curing the 'palestinian problem' would go a long way in forestalling much of the justified criticism of her and those who call attention to it. As well as the influence of AIPAC and religious Christian groups.
Which is not to deny anti-semitism exists, but I think context is important.
7
Philo-Semitism?
I think philo-Zionism would be a more accurate term.
The American Christian right "loves" Israel only because it suits their belief that Jesus will return to Jerusalem to judge the world when all Jews are gathered in the Holy Land.
Other than that, they have no use for the Jewish people.
26
@Joel Solonche That is the trope, but it is inaccurate.
Israel and America are western civilizations. progressivism in this country has attacked this civilization for 50 years now, beginning in our universities, which have omitted teaching the works of what they call dead white european males--those whose history and philosophy resulted in the Federalist Papers--also not studied any more--which resulted in the freedoms and rights esconsed in our Constitution.
Israel is Western; Palestine and Gaza are under Sharia law, which is quite distinct from, and antithetical to our Constitution. I know that propagandists like to keep this quiet. We are rarely exposed to the nature of life, culture or laws in these Islamic territories, but they are not Western.
Both territories are supported and egged on to attack Israel by larger powers whose goal is to remove an Infidel state (un believers in Islam) from lands once stolen by Islam from Christians , Jews l, Pagans and others. No land ever won by Islamic armies, the rhetoric is, can ever be set aside or abandoned. Hamas Charter of 1988, unabridged, article eleven.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
Iran has funded Hezbollah and Hamas for decades. Why? Because, their leader has explained to their students in Tehran (as translated by this newspaper) that Islam has been losing to the West for the past 300 years, and lost Jerusalem 100 years ago. Their goal is to reverse these historic losses, and they began on 9/11.
2
Douthat asks "whether anti-Semitism can be contained if it’s treated as one form of bigotry among many, or whether the perverse resilience of Jew-hatred is such that cultures choose between philo-Semitism and anti-Semitism, with only a swift downward slope lying in between."
I have to say, Christian philo-Semitism has always struck me as the anti-Semitic wolf masquerading as a sheep. Anti-Semitism will disappear when our culture isn't seeing Jews as a group to be loved or hated more than other groups, but just as people no different from other people. Special relationships—whether loving or hating—need to be replaced by normal ones. Indifference, maybe, is liberating.
15
This is what White privilege and racial and religious supremacism look like. The UN Human Rights Commission just this week documented that Israel, using American tax dollars, has shot over 6000 unarmed Palestinian demonstrators and killed hundreds including many children. Yet Ross Douthat sees bigotry only in the visage of the one American politician willing to denounce these atrocities. Does anyone still wonder how genocide, slavery, and ethnic cleansing against Native, African, Asian, and Hispanic Americans was committed for generations in this country? People like Douthat are why we must force through reparations at the federal level in this country to finally confront this moral and intellectual bankruptcy.
15
@M.R. Khan
When it comes to Israel the UN is a joke controlled by the Muslim majority.They never had much success in condemning Pakistan,Iran Saudi Arabia.
5
@M.R. Khan
First the UN Human rights Commission is a bigoted, Muslim controlled body; second, "unarmed" does not include rocks and stones which Islamic nations use to stone their own people to death.So don't tell us they were unarmed. And what were they doing? Theywere attacking the border. And with what goal? Tell us the goal. Oh, never mind. I can read it in the PA's charter.
4
I wonder about the term philo-Semite, as the Greek prefix is generally translated as love, affection or affinity. Isn't the antonym for anti-Semite pro-Semite? Must one now be either an anti-Semite or a Philo-Semite? Since most Middle-Eastern people are of Semitic heritage, the terms should not be limited to Jews.
5
Another opinion article that attempts the impossible; to explain the comments made by Omar were not anti-Semitic. Congress can condemn hate without condemning the haters because the majority in the House wish to protect one of their own. It smacks of nothing but political denial of Omar's anti-Semitism.
16
@dudley thompson
Did the house condemn Kevin McCarthy when he stated that three Jewish-American billionaires - Soros, Bloomberg, and Steyer - were trying to buy the election? Or was this just regular old Republican demonization of the Jews?
1
@dudley thompson
I would take that a huge step further, Dudley. The majorith in the Democrat party are pro-Palestine, anti -Western Civilization. These progressives have been attacking our culture for 50 years, as well as our Constitutional values. They are for politically- correct speech, so long as they are the "politic" in control, and against freeddom of speech; for Palestine, against Israel, against religion, against a single- language or dominant -culture country; for open borders, against whites, against males, against any honoring of our Founding Fathers, agaisnt Jews, for Muslims. We are in the midst of a cold revolution promulgated by Progressives, and this is but one small aspect of it
1
It is bemusing that so many refer to Omar's comments as anti-Israel, rather than what they are: anti-Semitic. When she talks about pledging allegiance to another country, she isn't referring to Israelis; she is referring to American Jews, and I very much resent her or anyone else impugning my loyalty to the United States.
As for Clyburn's moronic statement, precisely because Omar has been a refugee, she ought to have more empathy. It was in part the empathy of Jews that helped the Civil Rights movement. But now we are vilified by minorities as part of the white majority (which considers us a minority).
What it boils down to is the left-wing anti-Semites share with the right-wing anti-Semites an intense jealousy, as the Jews are, worldwide, the most successful minority in history.
25
@Danny I believe Rep. Omar’s pledge of allegiance remark was intended to refer to herself and others holding national office, not citizens of Jewish heritage. She may well be aware of the inference of anti-Semitism, believing it crucially relevant to attempt at least, a decoupling. That is, of the dog-whistle aspect of “anti-Semitic” with legitimate, overdue criticism of human rights abuses by Israel and US gov’t support thereof.
2
@Lewis Caraganis. Omar made no reference to politicians or government employees; the quotes that I've seen have her saying that pro-Israel activists are pushing allegiance to another country. And how would you excuse her "All about the Benjamins, baby" comment? Both of those are well-known anti-Semitic tropes. She might have been excused once, as she is from a country with no Jews, so perhaps she wasn't familiar with those tropes, but by 2012 at the latest, when she made her first (known) anti-Semitic remark and was called out on it, hat excuse is gone. She is, in short, an anti-Semite.
2
@Danny
I appreciate your comment, but I'd offer this. What left-wing antisemites and right wing antisemites have in common is culture, the majority non-Jewish culture that has seen us as "other" for so long.
Western culture is deeply antisemitic and has been for century upon century, perhaps going back to the Greeks. But this is not just political or social - it's religious, and it also pertains to Muslim and Middle Eastern culture; now, in our increasingly diverse American and Europe, they overlap.
I do think Islam has overall been less dangerous to Jews than the West - except that there are so few Jews in the world - so one way or another, Jewish people are scarce. And today there's almost nothing left of once-thriving Jewish communities in Africa and Asia.
So antisemitism has been deadly to the Jewish people, in the West, in the East. And in the West at least both the right and the left have inherited this culture, a way of seeing Judaism as inferior, Jews as irredeemably "other," flawed if not outright evil.
At the least the right is open about their hatred though. The Left is supposed to be anti-hatred, so recognizing left wing antisemitism is an uphill battle because the defensive response is rapid and severe.
2
“Racism” comes in all shapes, sizes and colors ... a sad human condition ...
1
The essential element Ross points out is that the American Left, especially the base, has finally figured out that Jews are white people and therefore should be mistrusted, whether in Israel or here. Minister Farrakhan has preached this for decades. What's new is that democrats have now elected to congress several like Omar who spew Farrakhan's words on a regular basis.
15
"I am not Israeli, the uniform that I wore in the military unfortunately was not an Israeli uniform, it was an American uniform" - Sheldon Adelson (top donor, by far, to Republicans)
"I'm a one issue guy. And my issue is Israel" - Haim Saban consistently ranked as top donor to Democrats)
“You see this napkin? In 24 hours, we could have the signatures of 70 Senators on this napkin.” –Former AIPAC official Steven Rosen, speaking to a sympathetic journalist (Jeffrey Goldberg)
Draw your own conclusions...
11
Why, Oh, Why does criticism of the treatment of Palestinians in Israel have to be equated with anti-semitism? Will someday those who support current hard-line Israeli policies look back with regret? Is it really in the best interests of Israel to stifle and smother concern for Palestinians under the guise of anti-semitism? I think not.
10
The photo accompanying this article, of Orthodox Jews who are vocally anti-Zionist, should have been explained.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but their position is based on the biblical narrative that Israel cannot be realized until the Messiah arrives on Earth. This is also the position of the American Evangelical community.
So, now, there are many citizens in both America and Israel who are advancing the argument that the Messiah criterion has been achieved with the Electoral College/Trump University president's "miraculous" rise to power.
They note that He has blessed his daughter in marriage to Jared Kushner, a vocal American Jewish supporter of Israel; he has given an honorific to the Israeli wife of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a staunch financial supporter of both the GOP campaign and the West Bank settlements; he has moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it as the capital of Israel; and a slew of other unilateral political and religiously biased statements and moves.
So, is he the Messiah, or not so much? Speak now or forever hold your peace.
2
@Samm Leave Mr. Adelson out of your comments. He is not the issue. The issue is anti Semitism and the fringe element of the Democratic party is supporting it.
3
@Samm
Actually the presence of this photo is astounding on many levels. First, the Orthodox look unassimilated. Choosing a picture like this to represent American Jewry is right in line with the anti-Semitic goals of the Progressives.
Second, most of the Orthodox--the VAST majority of them--are pro-Zionism.
1
It's time for Israel to become a regular country. To have a Jewish majority within a recognized geographic space, but also to bring non-Jewish Israelis into mainstream culture and to end its discriminatory immigration policy, which no other country could begin to get away with.
3
Non-Jewish Israelis have the same voting rights in Israel. They fight in the army. They are elected to the Israeli Parliament. .Anyone who swears allegiance to the Israeli constitution (Which is based on the US Constitution) is treated equally. they are elected to the Israeli Parliament. I’m not sure where people get this wrong message that the is really government is somehow undemocratic. It’s just simply false
2
There is a false premise in this article. Bigotry bleeds over across different target groups. Taking a stance against bigotry in general is not a “sacrifice”, rather, it only strengthens the particular case for Jewish people. I find that taking this opportunity to try to woo Jewish people to the right to be specious - in effect the right is saying “Well, yeah, we are bigoted against Mexicans; sure, we are bigoted against LGBTQ; yeah, we are also bigoted against black people; (etc); but look, we LOVE Jewish people (at the moment, anyway)! Come vote for us! Yeah, right, I hope no one is stupid enough to fall for that.
10
They also attracted a particular sympathy and admiration, rooted in Holocaust remembrance, affection for Israel, and a distinctive pride in the scope of their success.
Well I've lived here all my life and have never felt anything like Ross Douthat's multiple notifications about what it is to be Jewish.
4
Even if well-meaning in his appraisal of it, Douthat's "philo-Semitism" is functionally an encouragement of anti-Semitism, qualitatively thinking of Jews as the "other", as different from the rest of us.
6
Representative Omar’s comments seem similar to what was said about JFK , our only Catholic POTUS. Kennedy was forced to reassure that his first allegiance was to the US Constitution and the American people and not the Vatican and Pope.Because of this accusation, it seemed almost miraculous that JFK was able to win the West Virginia Democratic primary. I can only speak for myself and many of the other Jewish Americans that I know. Some love Israel more than others, but all know that it is the USA that have given us so much. We have loyalty to one flag,the Stars and Stripes. That is the counter to both Omar and the “Jews will not replace us” crowd that the current POTUS called “ good people”.
4
@Ira Allen
The so-called dual loyalty to Israel is really loyalty to survival. Majority populatinos cannot understand what it is to be a minority whose families have, in their lifetimes, been the subject of a genocide. Minorities are always at risk, even in a nation like the US. There will always be enemies in Congress who do not wish minorities like the Jews well. We see one today. To seek to destroy a lobby that supports the American Israeli alliance is classic anti-Zionism. Zion, or Israell, exists as the last refuge for the Jewish people. Either you want them to have that refuge--that state that protects them with serious weaponry--just like our state protects us-- or you do not. Omar does not. Draw your own conclusions.
1
As I have understood it from a Jewish spouse, (very liberal) the history of the Jews is one of being kicked out of one place after another for millennia.
In WWII, those trapped in Hitler's Europe had no place to go. Jewish families and families reverberate with that.
The friend whose parents were sent to Israel and eventually made it to NY. Everyone else on both sides died in concentration camps.
A distant cousin of my husband's who showed up at his parents' home one day in NY. The cousin had been on a train to the camps, escaped and fought with partisans, and made it to Israel. Again, everyone else died in the camps.
Israel is the place you can go when you're Jewish and no place else will take you. That is the power of the place.
Rising anti-Semitism seems to confirm its necessity.
31
@Talbot
The Omars in Congress--in the Progressive Party-- have just proven to us how strong they are and how against the existence of that sanctuary they really are.
5
Stephan Schulman, a Jew and probably the brightest yet most eccentric person with the best honed sense of humor I've known, claimed that the high point of his life were the years in the 1940s he spent as a junior air raid warden in the Bronx. That was in the days when we all knew who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. Sometimes he got serious and on more than one occasion told me that 20th Century America "was the golden age of Jewry." Were he here now, he might wonder whether we are losing something priceless.
2
Alas, these problems are now new, just newer to the US. The antisemitism of the left based on Israel’s very existence and the non-exceptionality of the Holocaust, was in the East Bloc’s DNA, most openly from the mid 1960s with the Six Day War and the decision by East Bloc nationals to start arming, more than before, Nasser’s Egypt, the PLO, and so on. It spread to the the left in Western Europe and the Third World, most notably with the Zionism is Racism declaration in the General assembly in 1975. And now it’s here, owing to the post modern strain that is moving into the Democratic Party, but also the academic “resentment” of the exceptionality of antisemitism and the Holocaust owing to the fact that neither fits into an easy racial paradigm. And just as The Labor Party cannot see fit condemn its own antisemites, the Democratic leadership will have a harder time dealing with this sort of thing in its own ranks. It’s a distraction, I think, to talk about the awfulness of the Netanyahu government. The fundamental problem predates it by many years, and as Douhat says, would remain even with a Labor government in Israel.
8
Of the Jewish people I know personally, who have read Omar's statements in their entirety, they agree that Netanyahu and his far right government is the problem and her statements were not anti semitic. Alas, the conservative right in the US is grasping at straws to create a wedge issue by any means necessary.
12
All peoples, all countries, all religions have virtues and vices. If something is a provable historical fact, is it hate speech? Is it hate speech to say that Americans in slave-owning states committed some of the most unspeakable, heart-rending crimes against their fellow human beings, that Christians tortured, killed and committed mass murder in the name of their religion and their God? Should any peoples, any country, and religion be exempt from the harshest criticism of their share of the evil that is woven in the tapestry of human history?
3
There are a lot of things about politics that confuse me. For example, I don't get how Trump and friends can defend skinheads and neo-Nazis, and then be considered a huge friend of Jews. Does that make sense?
14
Would agree that anti-semitism won't go away if right wing Israeli politics were to moderate, but Israel's treatment of the Palestinians has squandered a lot of goodwill. Instead of exceptional, Israel now seems just no better than the rest of us.
4
I’ve seen both sides of the so-called scale. I was born in 1938, just one year almost to the day when WW2 stared on September 1st, 1939 in Poland.
In 2014, I filmed and produced Sammy the Journey, a story of one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust.
Vimeopro.com/user19420469/Sammy-the-journey-movie
The horrors that took place against Jews during the Holocaust can’t be experienced or even partially understood just by watching a movie or reading a book about it. You would have had to be there.
What the blacks have gone through again would have to be experienced personally. That also goes for any minority when coming to America.
Prejudice is a very high hurdle for most people to get over without true insight and loving understanding.
I’ve always loved the statement “You have to walk in the shoes of the Fisherman!”
4
Ross Douthat is trivializing the ugly reality of anti-semitism by implicity equating it with the term "philo-semitism", and then making it part of a philosophical discussion on American politics. Anti-semitism is a flesh and blood issue. Innocent people were brutally massacred at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Swastikas have been increasingly in evidence on college campuses, and who can forget the chilling torchlight parade in Charlottesville, where chants of " blood and soil ", brought back eidetic images of 1930's Germany. Ross Douthat implicitly created a false equivalency, which however unintentional, minimized the real threat posed by ant-semitism to American Jews.
7
Lets be clear here that supporters of Israel use anti-semitism as a way to shut down any discussion let alone any action on behave of the Palestinians getting a state of their own. All you have to do is look at a map of all the Israel settlements up to this point and you can see that Israel has made it next to impossible for the Palestinians to ever have a real county of their own.
As for the United States it is not in our interest to help keep the occupation going. There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world and it does the United States no good to be seen helping to maintain a cruel and unjust occupation of Palestinians. Our interests and Israel's interest are not the same. It's as simple as that.
How long can Israel keep this occupation going? Who knows. I'm of Irish decent and the English had their boot on our necks for over 500 years. I hope this won't be the case for the Palestinians but at the very least it should't be our boot.
5
What Doubthat can't see is that for someone who grew up thinking he's an American who happens to be Jewish, it's been a growth process to come to learn and understand that if he succeeds, it could be applauded not on account of fellow-feeling, but rather on account of a feeling that here is someone who can never be one of us. In order to equalize one's standing, then, it becomes necessary to view the Jews as a polity, apart from the state system, fellow-feeling then diffusing throughout this polity as a microcosm at the center of, and congruent with, a larger society. From this point of view, Israel is merely one state among others, and Jews happen to live there as we happen to live anywhere, with no special relationship to this or that particular territory.
At a risk of being considered "bigot" -- which I am not -- wherever there are Jews, there is Judophobia (a more correct term than antisemitism). But the persistent detachment of the East-European Ashkenazi Jews from the mode of life of the Occident certainly does not enamor them to the rest of the society.
@Tuvw Xyz
Would you also say this about other groups who adhere to a separate lifestyle?
Jews who have integrated completely have been nevertheless singled out in practically every place they have lived. Thousands of Jews who fought side by side with fellow Germans in WW1 and who participated in every way in German civilian life were ostracized starting in approximately 1933.
2
It was odd read this column. I agree that Rep. Omars words were anti-Semitic. It is also true that some on the far left, as always suffer from anti-Semitism. Yet, there was no mention of our current sitting President who is an anti-Semite. What of Congressmen King and Jordan to name two. Maybe the left will lead the U.S. to withdraw support Israel but it will be the right who will unlead anti-Semitism on the Jews in America.
1
Two of the most amazing prophecies in the Bible are, first, that you would always be able to talk about Jews in the first person, the second, that people would always be saying hateful things when they did. Despite the wear and tear of two thousand years, the Bible has not been wrong about one thing; Jews would always be part of the conversation. Their persistence, even to the end times is being proven correct. And the animus about them is right beside them. So yeah, anti-semitism is Exceptional. Very Exceptional actually.
Why can't we talk about US policy toward Israel without these misplaced allegations of anti-Semitism?
Do we want to befriend Israel--no matter what they do? What about a dialogue with them?
Perhaps our influence might encourage Israel to treat its Palestinian citizens and neighbors more humanely.
1
Going to the root, Omar likely lived half her life having never met a Jew, yet she is certain of her dislike and distrust of them. No doubt she represents many in her district, our nation and across the globe.
14
@Brad
How many white Americans, Jewish and not, have never met a black female refugee from Somalia and yet are certain of their dislike of her?
And who do those American represent, and who represents them?
2
Many of the Most Recommended comments unfortunately make the case that they feel it is necessary for Israel and/or the Palestinians to be part of any discussion about anti-Semitism.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Trump.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of the Holocaust.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Israel.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of many Arab despots who used and continue to use Israel and Jews to develop support from their own oppressed people, much the way America's southern aristocracy used Blacks to divert poor whites from their own oppression.
As to the question of loyalty and allegiance to another sovereign entity: I have not noticed such a charge directed at Catholic Members of Congress regarding policy toward the Vatican, Muslim members regarding policy toward Saudi Arabia, or anyone whose family's origin is from elsewhere, which includes all but four Members of Congress.
As to the Middle East, it would be helpful if people knew history before pontificating with such certainty, especially "moral" certainty. Seventy-five years ago there was no Jewish Israel and no Muslim Palestine. There were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Christian Europeans. And seventy-five years before that there were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Muslim Turks.
But only considering sources that confirm what you think is easier (yawn) than thinking.
7
Just saying but Al Smith was Catholic and ran for president under accusations that the Pope would be moving to the US should he win. Even as recently as JFK, WASP types look at a Catholic president as something to be suspicious of.
1
Jews and Muslims cannot make peace as king as Islam contends that Abraham repented in his deathbed for rejecting a Muhammad who didn’t exist until the Middle Ages.
2
Semitic - a language group containing 77 languages, all kin with Hebrew being only one of those 77
Semite - one who speaks a Semitic Language
Anti-Semitic - refers to anti Jewish.
Anti-Semitic should mean against those who speak a Semitic tongue. I should not be singular to the Jews.
Anti does not mean hate, it means against.
Therefore philo is not an opposite to anti, the opposite to anti would be pro.
The reason that one might see a more pro-Semitic attitude amongst the right wingers is that the right wing is dependent on the fundamentalist and evangelical Christians for votes if they want to win at all.
Rarely (never?) mentioned is that fact that anti-Semitism is not uncommon among in Somali community. It is pervasive throughout the Arab world, which includes Somalia.
An Op-Ed from another Somali-American:
"Somali-Americans, say no to hatred"
"Anti-Semitism reflects badly on our culture and gets us no closer to a Middle East solution. "
"I am a Somali-American who is proud to make Minnesota my home — along with thousands in our community. I have served my native country as Somalia’s First Secretary to the Somali Mission to the United Nations.
I am a friend of Palestine. I am a friend of Israel. I am a friend of the Muslim community. I am a friend of the Jewish community."
"Israel is a country with which we have important disagreements, but Israel is also a nation that has been supportive of the Somali people, support we deeply appreciate.
This full history of the Somali-Israeli relationship is not evident in the expressions of hate and anti-Semitism — in Somali, Arabic and English — that I read on social media from members of our local Somali community. Here are some illustrative examples: “Kill the Jews.” “Hitler was a hero.” “Boycott Jewish business.” And so on."
http://www.startribune.com/somali-americans-say-no-to-hatred/269464141/
Guess who didn't get the memo
11
For reasons that are hard to understand anti-semitism is in the DNA of many Americans regardless of their party affiliation. Anti-semitism is global,persistent and manifests in catrasrophic events like the Pittsburg synagogue massacre. Trump’s outrageous declaration that the Democratic Party is anti Jewish should be offensive to all Americans and especially to his Jewish daughter and son-in-law.Trump will say or do anything to gain some political advantage. Once again proving that the man has no sense of shame.
1
When was this philo-semitism? Was it after World War II when Jews were kept out of colleges or country clubs? Or restricted from living in many areas of the country? Was it is in the 70's and beyond when they were again restricted from colleges due to affirmative action? Jews were successful in many countries only to be robbed of their earnings & expelled by leaders making statements similar to those of Ilhan Omar.
12
If you choose the arbitrary premise that anything that is not philo-Semitism is anti-Semitism, then of course anti-Semitism is not only not exceptional, but the decent and moral position to take. Some philo-Semites in the USA are part of the Evangelical extreme Right, than which a more repugnant ideology is difficult to imagine. And others, of course, are people who approve of any crime, no matter how vile, perpetrated by the right-wing government of Israel.
What Mr Douhat seems to be asking Americans is to make common cause with the Religious Right and Netanyahu under the penalty of being called anti-Semite. If so, many people who have never harboured the slightest enmity towards Jews may end up wearing that level, if not with pride, at least without guilt.
1
Refusal to link the rise in anti-semitism with the rise of Israeli transgressions is classic putting one’s head in the sand. The world’s Jewish community is inextricably linked to Israel, like it or not.
Anti-semitism has been around for too long a time. I‘d like to think it had been slowly dying out... that the fire had reduced into smouldering embers.
But now Israeli abuse of human rights and violations of international law have fanned the flames. Pre-existing anti-semites have been revived. Borderline anti-semites have been converted.
The means to stop this trend are obvious, but sadly they are taboo.
1
The great Protestant theologian, Karl Barth, lecturing in Germany just after WWII said that the existence of Jews is evidence for the existence of God. Why? Because God promised to Abraham that he would make of his decedents a great nation. The Hebrew people at that time were weak and insignificant. By all odds they should have disappeared long ago from the face of the earth. But here they were. Barth also said that hatred of Jews was hatred of God.
4
Mr. Douthat gets it wrong right from the beginning. When he says, “Like most places, America has always had potent strains of anti-Semitism ...” No, it’s places that are mostly Christian.
Why should anyone other than Christians have a particular reason to be anti-Semitic based on a claim that, until recently, Jews killed Jesus? Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims?
So let’s dispel this notion that anti-Semtism is some sort of world-wide phenomanae, it’s not.
As to the claim that philo-Semitism has swept the country for some time, how does that square with the fact that, as the FBI has reported in their latest survey of Hate Crimes, Jews in America experience the most hate crimes per capita compared to any other racial, ethnic, or religious group and that number is increasing?
I’m afraid that the classic British view of anti-Semitism consisting of “Hating Jews more than is necessary” has been just as pervasive here.
Today in New York City you will see any number of people walking around with a necklace bearing a cross, but few if any wearing a Star of David even though the New York area has a population of Jews almost as large as in Israel. And once you leave New York ........
Oh goody, another op-ed where getting one's comment acknowledged requires beginning a sentence with "As a..."
OK, as a liberal new york Jew who supports the existence of a Jewish state and a right of return for Palestinians to either it or a neighboring state of their own, I am rather sick of having to preface any comment about how my people have been maligned by innuendo or dog whistles with a list of my leftist credentials.
"But Palestine" is no excuse for Omar's comments. As for the canard that one can't criticize Israel in this country, it's a sad joke. I hear it most often from liberal acquaintances speaking to a room of agreeing liberal acquaintances. All of them just so suppressed they have to get together and voice their suppressed opinion in unison and in public...
No, the really hard thing to do on a college campus these days is to voice an unapologetic support for Zionist ideals.
As usual the conversation politicians and pundits are having is disconnected from the reality of public discourse.
4
If the roots of the end of philo-Semitism lie on the “post-nationalist” ideology of Democrats (as the author writes), does this mean this ideology is equally opposed to a Japan that is based on Japanese ethnicity? A Germany based on German ethnicity? A Poland based on Polish ancestry? If so, are they supporting BDS and other groups that are trying to undermine the existence of these countries as nation states based on blood and soil? If so, kudos to them. But of course, the only BDS movement that exists attacks Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish country. If you deny the Jewish people a right to a nation state, while having no issue with any other nation state, this is holding the Jews and Israel to a standard to which no other people or nation is held. And this is the essence of anti-Semitism. So if this is your belief, you should proudly call yourself an anti-Semite — because this belief is the essence of anti-Semitism.
6
Ross--there's no way that those ultra Orthodox Hasidic Jews in the photograph are in any way, shape, or form are part of the increasingly hostile anti-Israel left wing. Ultra Orthodox Jewish rejection of a secular state of Israel has its roots in the Old Testament ideology that only the Messiah can lead all Jews back to the Promised Land and re-establish a religious state of Israel. That's the reason they're supporting someone as toxic to their fundamental religious beliefs as Ilhan Omar. As far as they're concerned the current State of Israel is an abomination because there was no Messiah to lead the Jews back to the Promised Land. No Messiah no Israel.
1
Douthat's purported "philo-Semitism" is functionally a form of anti-Semitism, qualitatively thinking of Jews as "other", as different from the rest of us.
1
Dunno, do philo-Semites exist in the Muslim world?
“Volunteer group discreetly arrives at refugee camp on Kenyan border to assess situation, provide relief for refugees.
An [sic] delegation of Israeli volunteers, masking their Jewish identities, arrived at a Somali refugee camp on the Kenyan border Sunday.
The volunteers arrived at the camp on behalf of the Jerusalem AIDS Project, an Israeli organization which promotes education for HIV/AIDS prevention, public health, training, and counseling.
The refugee camp is populated by an overwhelming majority of Muslims, and only camp administrators were aware of the fact that the envoy was Israeli.”
Roee Nahmias|Published: 03.02.07 , ynet news.
6
I hope someday Mr.Douthat will write about the inhuman living condition of Palestinians in Israeli occupied land. I hope he will write how many Palestinians were killed by Israeli military . I hope he will write that the Palestinians are human beings too like us and they need freedom. I hope he will write about building settlements illegally in osscupied land against the wishes of whole world including American administrations including even Trump administration. I hope he will the difference between anti Zionism and anti semitism. I hope Mr. Ross Douthat will be fair minded person.
1
While everybody is parsing Ilhan Omar's words (which have really mainly been about non-Jewish members of Congress who take money from AIPAC and not about Jews at all), Israel just deprived one of its two major blocs of Arab parties of the right to participate in elections and denied a Jewish representative of the other one the right to run for the Knesset. At the same time they have for the first time allowed the electoral participation of the fascist Jewish Power Party, which openly advocates the forced expulsion of Palestinian citizens of Israel as well as of Palestinians from the Occupied Territories.
The situation isn't that complicated. Its not about declining philo-Semitism. It is Israel's actions towards the Palestinians, not some questioning of the status of the Holocaust or increasing hostility towards Jews, that have alienated a growing fraction of Democrats from the Jewish state. As you acknowledge, that alienation extends to many younger Jews.
Anti-Semitism is real and needs to be combated. That fight is not helped one bit by bad faith accusations of anti-Semitism intended to silence criticism of AIPAC's deathgrip on Congress. (Is "deathgrip" an anti-Semitic trope? Its hard to tell what is these days, because apparently coordinated bribery of Congressmen is such a trope and therefore something we can't talk about even though AIPAC practically brags about it on their "Congressional Club" webpage.)
3
As usual I have no clue what his point is. On Ms. Omar, at this point she will be lucky to be re-elected. She has stuck her foot in her mouth one too many times. If we are being intellectually honest much of big business support of Israel is all about the Benjamins. If Iran wasn’t embargoed they would be selling all of the death machines and toys to them too. Business doesn’t care who they sell to, as long as they get their markup. How many of the evangelical crew bleed for the native population they killed and stole from marching behind the cross of Christ. Where is the recognition of the theft of wages and labor from the slaves stolen from Africa. The treatment of the Chinese labor was equally as bad. So my point if I may. The last thing this country needs is a guilt trip published and promoted by the culture that did the same to the aforementioned individuals under the banner of Christianity.
3
What an unnerving, needlessly disturbing headline.
1
Modern Israel was created 70 years ago.
Before that Jews were simply outsiders -- only occasionally tolerated and appreciated. Catholics were taught that the Jews killed Jesus. Jews were seen as the cause of everything bad from the plague to hemorrhoids. Tropes and caricatures were invented to refer to them. They reminded Christians of the Middle Eastern origins of their religion they wished to forget. Jews looked, dressed, worshiped, and talked differently -- then the Holocaust.
But Israel was soon founded -- a complicated picture that included refuge and conquest, utopian secular kibbutzim, terroists/freedom fighters, orthodox European Jews, Sephardic Jews -- Arabs were seen as backward and politically suspect.
Poor uneducated Jewish immigrants had been coming to the US for a long time, but due to the Nazis many intellectual Jews began to come here -- scientists professors, doctors. The movie Exodus helped spin the formation of Israel. Paul Newman, not some Hasid, was the face of these Jews. Middle Eastern politics made Israel an obvious US-ally (and took pressure off us to accept Jewsish immigrants). Israel was democratic, believing in freedom and equality of all.
Arab resistance challenged this. Oil was involved.
Old anti-Semitisms came out of the closet. Like in American racism, deep historical beliefs prevailed. Muslims took over leadership of anti-Semitism, spreading it with their diaspora.
Israel lost its luster.
And things got more complicated.
2
why is it that anyone who speaks against the excesses of the Israeli military and security forces is labeled as anti-Semitic ? The term is not synonymous with anti-Zionist. I believe that Freud,Einstein , Marx and most Jewish geniuses now deceased would strongly condemn the use of machine guns on peaceful, unarmed ,downtrodden and abused people . Thuggish behavior is thuggish behavior and not worthy of a great people.
2
The problem with our "Special Relationship" with Israel is that almost any time legitimate concerns are raised, you can be sure that they will be met with a wave of indignation. Israel has extensive intelligence/espionage operations ongoing in the U.S. (https://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/16/israel-wont-stop-spying-us-249757.html) and has routinely sold U.S. defense technology to potential adversaries (https://www.military.com/defensetech/2013/12/24/report-israel-passes-u-s-military-technology-to-china). These are hardly the actions of a "special friend". It is time for this country to re-evaluate our relationship with a government that seems to have very little respect for its most valuable ally.
1
A substantial part of so-called "philo-Semitism" is arguably based on anti-Semitic ideas. Anti-Semitism since the Church Fathers was fueled by the idea of the Jews as heretics who chose not to heed the good news of Christ and were responsible for his crucifixion. To hasten the second coming Jews need to return to Jerusalem, see the light, and convert to Christianity. Every year the Israeli government allows Evangelicals to parade through Jerusalem ostensibly to support Israel but in their own minds hastening the end of the Jewish state and Jews and the start of the millenium. So how far away is this "philo-Semitism" from "anti-Semitism"?
260
@John -- So in other words, the phil-Semitism of the right is just another expression of the right's hypocrisy.
Which is why even us liberal lefty Jews support Israel, despite serious disagreements with Bibi and the rightward tilt in Israeli policy. We know that our so-called friends on the religious right, eventually, will do whatever they believe is necessary to hasten the advent of their apocalyptic vision.
12
@John
Indeed the white evangelical Christian Americans crave The Rapture and Armageddon to be followed by the Second Coming where Jews will be given one final chance to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord, Messiah and Savior or face eternal damnation.
11
@John
This is the oft -told canard. Evangelicals first are 100,000,000 in this country and they are divided in their theology. The vast majority are do not hold to the belief you described. That is an anti-Evangelical trope.More important, it is designed to separate Israel from her prime supporters, who are actually US Christians, not Jews.
Second, who cares what they think if one does not believe it? Believe instead the support they offer the State of Israel. Motive is not relevant when help is on the way if motive is only associated with a belief one does not share and which will never affect one. This kind of argument seeks to turn Israel and Jews away from the considerable support Israel receives from this group of Christians.
5
I've experienced anti-Semitism from an early age in the WASPy Ohio town I grew up in. Frankly, anti-Semitism in modern America is...weird. Why are white nationalists, Klansmen, skinheads, and others so anti-Semitic? In a country where the secularization and integration of Jews, including intermarriage, is practically complete, it makes little logical sense. My theory is that biases like these take on a life of their own, utterly disconnected from reality. In other words, anti-Semitism is a cultural meme that refuses die.
236
@Scott Cole It seems to be alright to accuse WASPs of all sorts of hideous conspiracies and sins.....ever slow down the hyper-sensitivity to criticism long enough to consider that obvious fact?? WASPs are appearantly the ones to shoulder the blame for colonialism, slavery, oppression of women, white supremacy(even after the english defeated the Nazis)....bank fraud, Global Warming, creating the Bush Family....on and on and on. Anti-Semitism pales in comparison to the worlds hatred of Anglo=Saxons.....
But here's the point.....WASPs dont care........with typical anglo-saxon stiff upper lip bulldog tenacity they just tolerate it.....and prosper anyway.
Jewish folks dont own the copywrite to unreasoned hatred or intolerance.
From the WASP point of view....you jews can dish it out....but ya cant take it. Quit kvetching and count your blessings. Recognize we're ALL in this together.....stop it with the finger pointing and look at yourself in the mirror.
6
@Scott Cole Yes but the controversy over Israel feeds the embers of anti-Semitism and revives its fires. Yes, there's a difference between criticizing Israel's policies and anti-Semitism, but anti-Semites are easily attracted to the discussion; thus the dividing line is blurred.
8
@J.Sutton
Criticizing Israel's policies without criticizng those of her enemies is anti-Semitism. Seeking ,as Omar did, more than once, to discredit a lobby that works to strengthen the American -Israeli strategic alliance is the same as working to break up that alliance , which is Iran's dream.
Is Omar an agent of a foreign power that seeks Israel's destruction? Perhaps not, but if there were one in Congress, what would they be doing differently?
14
Any pretense that the right was taking the high road in criticizing Ms. Omar should be quickly dismissed.
When I was a kid in the 50's, parents stopped speaking the old languages. Being "American" was important. Diversity was not. That would come later to part of the population. It remains the litmus test for Fox watching older whites.
We still live in a world where, when things turn tough, we seek someone different to always attach blame to. That attaches to blacks, orientals, Jews and Muslims, whose differences are magnified. Even when they live and work in our midst they are castigated as strangers. And modern conservatism has exploited these once closeted fears, giving us spectacles such as Charlottesville. You can bet Ms. Omar hits all the fear and loathing buttons. And many Christians who will respond to these criticisms will go on hating or distrusting Jews as "them". So we have the scenario of many fundamentalist white Christians who love Israel, but dislike (or hate) Jews.
Modern conservatism has been taken over by fear and hate. There are no worthy debates over diversity, assimilation and inclusion. Making America Great Again is only for some of us. To get workers to vote against their own interests it is plainly and simply all about division. One nation, under God, split to pieces. Millions who take the name of Christ who turn their backs on his teachings and forget he was a Jew. To oppose these beliefs is not to be secular, but wise and in keeping with God.
6
Perhaps we should ask why we white Americans so easily ignore the African holocaust that was slavery, and the anti-Africanism that has doggedly followed black Americans throughout our history.
African Americans don’t need to wear a badge to distinguish them from others for ill-treatment and bigotry, they have their skin.
There was no need for special death camps for killing them en masse, we had plenty sugar plantations and mines and ships that served that purpose.
And we do not need to look far to find policies still in force across our country, not to mention those only recently abolished like Jim Crow, that aim to make of African Americans second-class citizens.
Perhaps instead of rejecting philo-semitism, we should adopt philo-Africanism as a form of recompense for past sins against Africans and their force diaspora. And while we are at it, perhaps we should adopt philo-Native Americanism as well as recompense for the holocaust we inflicted on them. After all Ross, love your brother as yourself is what Jesus instructed Christians to do.
6
Ah, yes, every group but whites, a victim. Every group's problems and inadequacies, da white man's fault. Every inequality in the world, explainable by going back generations to the source of it all: da white man.
Yes, there were tragedies and systemic injustices. But the real reason for present inequality is obvious for everyone to see. You just can't face it, because you are in denial and/or brainwashed by lifelong indoctrination.
1
@Scott Macfarlane A little more accurate history lesson next time, OK? The sugar plantations were mostly in Portugese South America, French Haiti, and British Caribean....NOT what would become the USA.
Further, census records demonstrate that of the fewer than 1 milliion african slaves imported to USA, there was a natural INCREASE in that population.......unlike the 4 million slaves sent to the Caribean, where 100 years later there were still only 4 million.....indicating that that region was truly a death camp.
Slavery was a bad thing, especially given the language of our own Constitution and Declarations of Independence.....but I think its time you grew up and moved past the revolutionary language of your weird beard professor who's stuck in the 1960s.
2
This is all very simple: the strategy is to separate America from Israel, because once that alliance has been broken it will be possible for Iran to fulfil its promise and dream to destroy the Jewish state--a state run by Infidels in the lights of Iran and its supporters in our government.
That's the strategy; the tactic is the resurrection of anti-Semitic tropes and making them acceptable here. It always starts this way, no matter which anti-Semitic group is behind it. Make it acceptable. Then it can spread. Then they can start the drumbeat to drop the alliance. Then Iran can strike.
It is not rocket science.
14
We (I am an agnostic Jew) call ourselves the 'chosen people'. Other sects are mostly more discreet about their similar beliefs.
Jews are 'People of the Book'. Their rather spectacular success, in the U.S. and elsewhere, is obviously tied to the love of education. It also breeds envy that easily morphs into hatred.
Donald Trump may know on some level that he is a racist; he probably doesn't know on any level that he is a neo-Nazi, pigeonholing and yes, ranking entire ethnic groups based on ancient, inbred stereotypes.
Ilhan Omar is, above all, ignorant. Her rabid (I use this word intentionally and literally) advocacy for "her people" occurs in a moral and educational vacuum, with a lack of awareness and nuance that reminds me of Steve King of Iowa.
Anti-Semitism is different only because Jews are so successful and so diffused. A recent article "joked" about British anti-semitism as being about disliking Jews more than is necessary (with some dislike obviously mandatory). Antisemitic labor leader Jeremy Corbyn is not a 'toff', but comes from a very comfortable, top of the Upper Middle Class background; close enough to be comfortable with his genial hatred of Jews.
This will all be moot in the next hundred years or so, when humanity is so interbred that the only race is human. I regret having been born too early to see it.
Dan Kravitz
5
While admiring the fitful astuteness of this analysis, I have problems with the two paragraphs that begin, "This is what the left seems to want in the Omar controversy…" and end, "religious beliefs and practices that are the very opposite of woke."
In one sentence, you posit a shift from Holocaust remembrance to the unsentimental judging of the state of Israel as if that naturally accounted for anti-Semitic attitudes. There's no good reason for such a connection, only a couple of bad ones: latent bigotry and the calculation that anti-Semitism can be useful as a means of turbocharging anti-Israel agitation.
You then cite James Clyburn's curious logic about Omar's personal experience without comment. Granted, you don't buy it; but I'd have liked to see you point out that Omar's experience in Somalia and Kenya bears no apparent relation to her penchant for anti-Semitic clichés. Perhaps we should be looking more closely at experiences like hers, but it doesn't follow that we should shut our eyes to bigotry.
Finally, you note that leftists' secularism must make them cool toward devout Jews and toward Israel's religious identity. That's good. But how, then, to account for the same leftists' warmth toward a set of people renowned for their devotion to a religion whose very name, Islam, means "submission (to God)"? No doubt the answer is again political usefulness. But let it be understood that atheists love Muslims infinitely more than Muslims love them.
2
I am vehemently against anti-Semitism. But this piece is so disingenuously sweet it makes my teeth hurt. The left is bad on the issue of anti-Semitism and deserves to be called out. The leftist view of Israeli history is really biased and recognizes only the Palestinian victims while ignoring their part in war. But the right can't claim the moral high ground on this issue ever. They are the ones marching with tiki torches chanting "Jews will not replace us."
11
The greatest irony is the two-facedness of the German government under Merkel in balancing its commitment to the existence of the state of Israel with its desire to foster its business interests with Iran which is bent on the destruction of Israel. One does not have to be an “Israel lover” to see how hypocritical Germany is and how insensitive to its own historical legacy of anti-Semitism, but Germany wants to make distinctions and balance one interest off another in pursuing its business interests as if it had not historically sought to obliterate an entire race. Merkell would certainly embrace Douthat’s moral relativism because it provides a rationale for the pursuit of its own anti-Israeli business policies as if its own role in the destruction of European Jews is irrelevant. History does not forget.
1
The Southern Poverty Law Center tries to keep track of hate groups in America and their findings indicate there should be great concern about right wing antisemitism. The neo-Nazis probably head the list of groups to be concerned about.Richard Spencer and others have taken the neo-Nazi message to college campuses and neo-Nazi websites and sites such as 4Chan and Reddit are full of anitsemitic posts. This is also said to be true of discussion groups on Breibart. I think concerns about any antisemitism on the left pale compared with concerns about antisemitism on the right.
8
Anti-Semitism was enshrined in Western culture when the Romans created a state religion in the 16th century BPE. The Romans were still angry about the Jewish uprisings of a couple of centuries earlier and needed a scapegoat for the crucifiction at the centre of the new "faith". Hence the Jews as 'monsters'.
This was exacerbated through history because Jews were the only group not religiously forbidden to lend money. It became almost routine for indebted rulers to clear their debts by raising mobs against the "evil Jews".
The Catholic church maintained the guilt of the Jews for the fictional crucifiction until just a few decades ago.
There is a great deal to question about the faith of Judaism but nothing, except the lies of the past, to justify current attitudes towards Jews.
4
Enough already with anti-Semitism. The truth is this young Muslim member of the House, about whom everyone is obsessing, said nothing that is not true. And, what she said, related to non-Jews as well as to Jews. Did she misrepresent AIPAC? I don't think so. It's no secret that AIPAC has played a key role in the setting of America's Middle East policies. And, surely there are some in Congress who, for various reasons, have allowed Israel's interests to take precedence over those of the U.S...not only Jews. As the nation becomes more diverse we are likely to hear more divergent views. If any party in this country is racist it's the GOP or, more accurately, the Party of Trump.
9
@MR
I read typical leftist socialist and yet once again,
ad nauseum...drivel blaming the Republicans. Which will ultimately cause the progressive Iranian-appeasing Dems the next election.
Whether you're a fan of Trump or not, blaming Fox or the GOP will be your loss.
Tiki torches are condemned and so are the mask-wearing /pipe yielding Anti-fa...
Reap what you sow~
4
@MR
Where should I start MR?I am a Jew I served in the US army I have no divided loyalty.The members of the congress are not bought by Israel.Israel did not mesmerize the world.If you come from the openly anti-semitic Somali Muslim community you are suspect.
The main thrust of this entire non event is the relentless push by the press. Who, of course, when getting a whiff of blood looses any semblance of self control, restraint, or self awareness. And so we see the Times is just as guilty as the common when it comes to rank sensationalism.
For me the way the Times exploits conflict, any kind of conflict is very off putting. From the pro wrestling style of political coverage to pieces like this.
2
In a world in which cynical lies have become the norm, anti-Semitism, real, invented or imagined, has become a tool pushed by powerful men, women, and their lobbies.
That's the lesson to be drawn from a week's worth of drama that ended with Democrats reversing course in public and Netanyahu going into the very dark place of banning legitimate Arab parties from the upcoming election he will surely lose anyway.
The lesson? Money absolutely corrupts politics and society's very moral fabric.
Racism seldom works one way and it is never confined to one group..
---
Things Trump Did While You Weren’t Looking [2019]
https://wp.me/p2KJ3H-3h2
5
Interesting article. I find the willingness of the left, particularly the extreme left, to dismiss concerns over antisemitism and support Omar to be scary and misguided. That Sanders is himself Jewish doesn't hold water with me as he is pretty much Jewish by descent only, having chosen to marry out of the faith, raise non-Jewish children and not practice Judaism as well as to attack Israel in any way possible as well as side with those who engage in antisemitism and anti-Israel attacks.
That the left wishes to place Jews in the category of privileged Americans, guilty of crimes through their notion of "interterectionality" and not worthy of protection, or at least deserving of outrage when Jews are being attacked is concerning. That the extreme left seems to have decided that the amazing achievements of many Jewish Americans and what they have given to this country no longer deserves any credit or acknowledgment is sad. That the left has chosen to "side" with their notion of "deserving victims" who are all brown, black, Muslim, or whatever flavor of the month is currently in vogue doesn't bode well.
The left is silent when blacks attack Orthodox Jews on the street. When a black woman sprayed white strangers In NYC with pepper spray, I didn't hear shouts of outrage. Are these not hate crimes? Are they somehow acceptable as long as it's a black person doing this to a Jew or a white person? Why isn't AOC, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris calling this out for what it is?
4
@GreenieThat is what the resolution just did.
Arab suffering under Israeli rule isn't an abstract. Protestors are shot, routinely; children are detained without charge and beaten, routinely; settlers colonising Palestinian villages take potshots at Palestinians, routinely.
The human misery cause by Israel's occupation of Palestine is real, it's criminal, and no principle that doesn't rely on odious racial stereotyping of Muslims and blatant colonialism can justify it.
This is underwritten by American money, and carried out with American weapons. But every time someone mentions it, we get a baker's dozen of Op-Eds in the Times about anti-Semitism.
Rep. Omar's tweets were at best ill-considered in the language they used, but at least she's talking about this. Parsing her tweets for crumbs of anti-semitism seems to me as little more than a facetious and bad faith way not to engage with the substance of her argument: the Israeli government, supported unequivocally and materially by the US, perpetuates human misery as a policy decision.
6
I'm very much sort of left but I think that Omar's politics is certainly anti-semitic. There is a simple inescapable reality at the center of it. She seems to be in favor of the law of return. The idea that those expelled unjustly from their homelands and homes unjustly should be able t return and reclaim their places is either a universal ethical norm or not. If it is then the largest group of people expelled from their homes in the Mid-East is the Jews expelled from Arab countries and now resident in Israel. Before I can begin to support a "law of return" it has to include them or else it is inherently anti-semitic. And as far as I know the "law of return" doesn't give a thought to the Jews driven out of Damascus, Baghdad and Cairo. It applies only to Palestinians and not to the myriad displaced of the planet.
8
What would happen to my outlook on life if I was considered God’s chosen?
Would that enhance my standing amongst those who didn’t have this moniker placed on them?
The evidence seems to suggest that this chosen designate confers some benefits...and the enmity of non Jews.
I don’t really care one way or another about anti or philo semitism I just want that ER doctor to ACT in the best way to save my child’s life.
2
What a perverse, twisted and untenable concoction of contrived pin the tail on liberal democrats' bigotry. Growing up in Baltimore post WWII it wasn't liberal democrats drawing up neighborhood covenants that barred blacks and Jews. Jewish men and women elected to state and local office in Maryland weren't siding with conservative protestants nor would they ever think they could count on their support. John Hagee, Franklin Graham and all the far right Christian fundamentalists who support Israel do so for nefarious reasons. In their twisted biblical literalism they need Israel to bring an end to the world, the eternal damnation of unconverted Jews and Muslims and their own grand entry into eternal happiness. Rep. Omar is a Muslim from Somalia with a whole bag of issues that don't easily resonate in the halls of congress. Douthat wants to exploit her statements, assign them to liberals en masse and think he's a political philosopher extraordinaire. Sorry, Ross, you're not.
6
During a 2012 war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Omar tweeted: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”
There are 50 countries in the world with Muslim-majority populations. Surely there can be room on the planet for one small country with a Jewish majority.
In fact, I firmly believe that America’s support for a secure and sovereign homeland for the Jewish people is a moral imperative. Jews and non-Jews who support Israel should not be accused of dual loyalty to a foreign country and should not be accused of infringing on Palestinians rights.
The House had the opportunity Thursday to denounce Omar and denounce the anti-Semitism she preaches. It should have been a simple vote gaining wide bipartisan support.
A good friend of mine has become disgusted with the Democrats for this and also for the waffleing on the Virgina fiasco as well as the rush by the hate-Trump media to bury a good man to keep him from the SCOTUS. It doesn't help to be talking about money for those who will not work, free schools free healthcare, voting rights for people who broke our laws to come here. Its gotten too crazy for him and I suspect many others.
3
Jews have been a despised and persecuted minority in Christendom for two thousand years. This hatred of Jews culminated in the Holocaust.
It is thus perfectly understandable why some Jewish Americans might be very sensitive to old anti-Semitic stereotypes or tropes.
There is now a new reality, however, which has not been fully understood or adjusted to by both Jews and non-Jews: the Jewish State of Israel.
That Jewish State is one nation state amongst many and cannot and should not expect any different treatment than all the other nation states. Both Jews and non-Jews are going to have to reckon with this new reality, like it or not. And old sensitivities are going to have to deal with it.
2
Anti semitism is endemic in The West. Its manifestations wax and wain through the centuries and decades. The Jew cannot ever be truly safe.
The State of Israel was established in large part to provide a place of safety for Jews. However, it has been threatened and increasingly so since its establishment. Today it is a ward of the US. At some point the latter will attenuate its support such that Israel will no longer be geographically tenable.
Meanwhile, the appeal of the Jewish religion and Jewish identity are becoming less appealing throughout The West. Secularization and/or Conversion will sooner or later eliminate a distinct community.
By the end of this century anti semitism will no longer be an issue: it will have disappeared along with The State of Israel. It will be a loss to our culture and civilization. Fear and hate of The Other will, of course, continue. They are hard wired into our psyche.
@wjth
Anti-Semitism exists where there are no or few Jews, such as Iceland, and anti-Semitism is now rampant in the guise of anti-Israelism.
Israel is not a ward of the US. It is independent and the eighth most militarily powerful country in the world-- unfortunately by necessity.
The only safeguard against anti-Semitism is constant vigilance. Thus, Congress failed miserably last Thursday. It is a failure which spells doom to the Democratic Party.
4
"the Orthodox Jewish population (growing apace relative to more secular and liberal forms of Judaism) would still have religious beliefs and practices that are the very opposite of woke." Huh?! How does this factor into a perspective on Judaism propagated by a follower of Islam?
1
I'm reading not just one many comments here blaming Jews for anti-Semitism. Example from Nigel Brook (in Berlin no less):
"Let’s imagine that visitors from outer space arrive one day soon, intelligent enough to have developed the necessary technology but ignorant of the history of our planet.
Their research informs them that since the beginning of recorded history a small minority has had difficulties with almost all other groups with which they have come into contact, so that often they have been treated brutally and even expelled from host nations to which they migrated.
The outsiders apply their logical minds to the problem and suggest that the root cause might lie in the behaviour of this minority."
Can you imagine anyone having the nerve to victim blame any other minority? And how many others posting here defending anti-Semites have the same thoughts but are still able to control themselves enough to not put them in writing?
6
I have spent much of my adult life agonizing over Israeli policies but what Ross and others seem simply to ignore is the sensitivity of those of us who do not forget that Germans (and others) wished to exterminate us, wipe us from the face of the earth, and they came close. If Rep. Omar were to visit Poland, for example, and walk through Auschwitz and among the chimneys of Birkenau, she'd understand that we're not just upset by her language. We're horrified. I don't doubt that Rep. Omar has faced her own horrors. Her story makes me want to sympathize. But I can't. I just can't. Think of the Brits who championed the Nazis and tell me "it can't happen here." It can. Jewish "benjamins" ? Please, Rep. Omar. Walk over to the mall, would you, and to the Holocaust Museum? Excruciating experience? I bet. It was about, I repeat, extermination of the Jews and all you have no right to forget that fact. I was taught to watch my language lest I begin to believe its insidious messages, and so I think Rep. Omar should understand her responsibility as a spokesperson and as a lawmaker and as a leader.
4
Maybe Father Douhat should write a column about the article chronicling the right wing conservatives who voted against the House Resolution condemning hate speech — a virtual who’s who of anti-Semitism.
3
I see. As an American, Israeli secular Jew who lived among Orthodox Jews and was married to one, I understand the differences among the different stream of Judaism.
These ultra Orthodox Jews, who support Omar, are the reason why people hate jews. Their insular communities and lack of integration invokes resentment among non Jews to form antisemitc views.
These ultra Orthodox Jews who support Omar most of them do not recognize Israel as a Jewish state. These ultra Orthodox Jews why antisemitic sentiments spread like cancer.
—-
The Jewish influence in America emerges from secular Jews who integrate seamlessly in American communities.
The Jewish influence in America emerge from Secular Jews Who understand the importance of contributing economically, socially, and politically to the country that they live in.
Finally most important, but only a very small percentage of American Jews understand that they are safe in America because Israel exist as a Jewish state. The reality of Never Again should be rephrased to No Jew is Safe without Israel!
Without Israel, we Jews are not safe in diaspora.
Without Israel, our influence is marginalized.
Without Israel, antisemitism will spread like cancer again.
That’s why, the strong opposition to Omar was important. The American Jews who understand the value of Israel had to flex their muscle to contain Omar and show their influence. And rightfully so.
2
Are you actually arguing that the Jewish people should be given extra-consideration, that there should be some sort of exceptionalism applied to them because they are Jewish. I mean a consideration over and above what all people deserve? American exceptionalism was a myth, so is any exceptionalism
2
"James Clyburn, the Democratic House whip, who defended Omar last week by basically saying that the Holocaust was a long time ago and her personal experience as a refugee and Muslim immigrant was more immediate and relevant."
Of course, Omar was a refugee FROM fellow Muslims in Somalia. She might have faced some bigotry as a Muslim and a woman of colour in the US. However, she never has said that she suffered such behaviour at the hands of Jews.
Moreover, the interesting photo of Jews United Against Zionism doesn't deal with the possibility that they are part of a religious sect that believes that Zionism is a secular error and that until the Messiah leads them to the "Promised Land" itshould remain an unfulfilled promise. [Of course, there are others who are determined to cash in on their divinely promised land grant now.]
Omar sheds no tears over the horrors inflicted on Somalis by al-Shabab, nor does the human suffering on a grand scale experienced by Yemenis at the hands of the Saudis seem to attract her attention. One would think from Omar's comments that the Palestinians have it worst of all and the suffering of others at the hands of her coreligionists can be ignored. One can only wonder why.
Many American and Israeli Jews are opposed to the policies of the current Israeli government and many Christians support the Zionist cause for purposes of their own. It is time for Omar to be held to account for her comments and for Democrats to stop excusing them.
7
Jews voted +47 points for Hillary in 2016; a higher margin than her wins among women(+12), graduate degree holders (+21) or single females (+29).
My theory is that Jews (other than Sheldon Adelson) tend to vote Democratic because of "Tikkun:" the command to leave the world better than you found it.
The consequence of Rep. Omar will not be a loss of Jewish votes or donations; it will be the imagery of a hajib-wearing Democrat advocating positions that working class Democrats (and Republicans) consider anathema.
3
I take great exception to the terms left and right especially when they are used to obfuscate the truth.
Yesterday saw an attack on women who were celebrating International Women's Day by praying at Herod's Wall.
The women are the crown jewel of everything America represented to Jews like me. They are the product of America's finest universities. They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, rabbis and business executives and they are every bit as knowledgeable as their male counterparts.
They were attacked by young religious zealots beginning a lifetime of studies to prepare them to preach a theology of racism, exclusiveness and entitlement. They will take thousands of years of traditions, literature and history and pass it through a grinder of an 18th century European Messianic cult to justify beliefs that for most American Jews seems utterly foreign.
Where were the Jewish Americans when their daughters were attacked by the hoodlums and hooligans?
Netanyahu's coalition includes those hooligans. How do the parents of those strong independent, educated and brave young women deal with the attack on their ethics and values?
6
Omar has expressed views that the right wing has completely overblown in an attempt to create a false equivalency with Trump's government. The Dems have spoken out against hate speech because Dems are the adults in the room. In the meantime, the right-wing just laughs as their racist president goes on being his obnoxious self.
1
I am so sick of hearing about intolerant religions. “Imagine no religion. It’s easy if you try”. Enough of dwelling on what separates us. More evil has been done in the service of religion than anything else in history. We have more in common than that which divides us. Time to embrace each other’s humanity. Religion has had its time. It failed gargantuanly.
1
AIPAC and corrupt leaders like Netanyahu challenge our philo-semitism. We should be able to question AIPAC and various parties and leaders in Israel without having the fundamental relationship thrown into doubt. I believe AIPAC would like all of its critics to be labeled "anti-semitic". But it harms us all. We need to be able to critique, analyze, and improve. Neither AIPAC nor Netanyahu are sacred cows.
I am a Jewish American. I am a Democrat. From the time I was born I have supported the State of Israel. I was born two years after the State of Israel was established and remember when Israel was considered a light unto nations. I have felt enormous pride that this nation of 8 million people that is the size of the State of New Jersey has given the world significant inventions in science, technology, agriculture, and the arts.
Unfortunately, all the joy and all the pride that I have felt about Israel since I was a little boy, and I am now 68, has evaporated because of the Trump-like Prime minister, his right wing government, and the atrocious treatment of the Palestinian people. A people that has suffered persecution and oppression for a millennia should not be inflicting the same on another people and Israel is doing that every day.
Criticism of Israel is not anti-semitism. However, every time I get into a discussion about Israel with a non Jew I keep hearing my loyalties to America questioned, and the old canards about Jews controlling the economy, foreign policy, Congress, Hollywood, and Wall Street come spewing forth.
There are millions of people who harbor bigoted thoughts about Jews, Blacks, Muslims, and immigrants and in the past have kept these feelings to themselves, but under the demagogue in the White House they now feel empowered to openly express them.
Criticize the government of Israel all you want, but please stop engaging in false and harmful stereotypes.
"If the occupation ended tomorrow, Israel would still have a nationalist and religious identity at odds with the left’s broadly post-nationalist and post-religious vision."
I take offense at Ross's above statement, mirroring his other overly broad generalizations of what the "left" wants, thinks, and says about Judaism, Israel and Omar's inflammatory rhetoric.
This isn't the first time Douthat has done this. As a Democrat (and member of the "left) and practicing Catholic like Ross, I'm hardly "post-religious"--just one that believes in separation of church and state in the US.
I'm also older than Ross, with no chance of "forgetting"the Holocaust, the creation of the Jewish state as sanctuary, or and how anti-semitism is the oldest, most virulent form of religious hate in the world.
I find this column forced to fit a conclusion that Ross seems to make for his own reasons --or maybe just to stir up trouble.
As for Omar, I wish she would stick to learning her job instead of offering gratuitous comments on Israel and President Obama.
Same goes for Clyburn, calling the Holocaust an event of "a long time ago". Is there a statute of limitations on the death of six million Jews?
5
April Rosenblum, a writer and activist in Philadelphia, wrote a pamphlet called "The Past Never Went Away" about the importance of understanding antisemitic tropes. She is a strong critic of Israel, and, I think, someone who considers herself an anti-Zionist or at least non-Zionist Jew. But one thing from her pamphlet sticks out to me: philo-Semitism as it is phrased above is a form of anti-Semitism. She didn't use the term anti-Semitism, but she emphasized the way successive Christian governments would intentionally draw a small number of Jews (standing apart from the larger population of Jews, who remained extremely poor) into the elite to be intermediaries with the general public. Part of this came about as a kind of respect and fascination for the Other, but part of it was a cynical ploy to place Jews in the crux of fury if something went wrong.
As someone on the Left who supports Omar, I don't think fighting anti-Semitism is any less important than it ever has been. I just don't think Omar is anti-Semitic. She's right to criticize the U.S. support for Israel's rightwing government, above all because it follows this pattern. Israel is our number one recipient of military aid because neo-conservative Christians use it as an intermediary in their conquest of the Middle East. It's the same game, re-heated in a microwave.
Free Palestine.
1
@James I meant to say that April Rosenblum didn't use the term philo-Semitism. I think she uses anti-Semitism as a term quite extensively, obviously, since that's what her pamphlet is about. Even though I'm not sure she used the term philo-Semitism, she described the same process of othering Jews.
No one is down grading philo-Semitism. People just want oversight that already exists to be followed and enforced.
Ross, I usually like your articles and often learn from them. But I just can't understand this article. For example,
"Secularization would still be separating the left from any specifically Christian sense of guilt over the Holocaust". What does that mean and how is it relevant?
Einstein said "if you can't explain it to a six year old then you don't understand it yourself".
Over the past few weeks the media has been awash in articles and opinions on the subject of "anti-semitism". In the NYT alone, we've seen an incredible surge of 10- 20 pieces per week
The question is "why now?". Why at this time? Why not last year? Why not next year?
Could it be an attempt to promote a temporary surge in "philo-Semitism", a surge in sympathy for the Jewish community in general and, by extension, a surge in sympathy for the State of Israel. in order to lay the ground work for the soon-to-be-announced Israel-Palestinian peace proposal, the Trump/Kushner "Deal of the Century". If this is the case, the strategy will backfire, causing even greater problems for the peoples of the Middle East.
2
We are all flawed. Every nation is flawed. When we only see the imperfections of Jews and Israel without seeing there positive attributes that can be called anti-Semitism. We fool ourselves into thinking we are standing on high ground while looking in the mirror and not seeing our own pimples glaringly staring us in our faces. It is easy to be armchair critics the hard work is self introspection. The more we do of that the greater our tolerance of the other grows.
2
What the left wants, what the left is doing? Who is this secret leftist cabal Douthat labels "The Left" that seeks to destroy Jews by promoting antisemitism? This conspiracy sounds really scary and a lot like an antisemitic trope.
Did he read any of the scores of the comments written by Omar defenders in response to recent columns in the NY Times and if so, how does he appropriate them to "The Left"?
I read many of these comments and a high % of them were Jewish readers suggesting Omar's comments were not antisemitic at all. Are these readers part of the conspiracy Douthat is calling out?
There is no "The Left" in America. Liberals aren't that organized. We are a bunch of people with different opinions, but a lot of us are not fond of the politics of Netanyahu or his behavior towards Palestinians and the U.S.
It is about time we started talking about Israel as being another nation with its own interests and policies that we can agree or disagree with. Our politicians need to be doing what is best for the U.S. and this certainly includes protecting Israel- but not on any terms.
Please Douthat, stop spreading bigotry towards Americans who happen to disagree with Netanyahu and want to help bring about the 2-state solution he has abandoned.
1
Zionism has a complex history. Socialist Zionism, Romantic Nationalism Zionism, Authoritarian Zionism and other strains all competed for supporters. And there were the Jews (like a grandfather who was given a choice of prison in Siberia or exile to America, choose America, as he heard that the weather was better here) who felt that a Zionism would result in a century of conflict as the Arabs would not want to lose a piece of their land to Jews from Europe and America. (He thought that Florida or Arizona would work for a Jewish Homeland.
Many Americans Jews who support Israel are angry at how criticism of the current policies of Israel is considered anti-Zionism and then anti-Zionism is seen as antisemitism. AIPAC is a major player in the "criticism of Israel =anti-Zionism = antisemitism" game.
So here's the deal. I have never asked for or required the approval of the non-Jewish majority. I don't want special treatment from the non-Jewish majority. What I do want is for the non-Jewish majority to stop thinking of Jews as a group whom they can revile or love at will in the furtherance of their agenda. We've already given at the office.
3
Seriously? If you don't see the parallels between the Netanyhu administration and the Trump Administration as far as hating Arabs is concerned, I despair. I honestly don't think you can understand the Left's approach to Israel as it is now if you're a conservative Christian, because that Israel no longer exists. As for guilt about the Holocaust, it's a culmination of the Christian anti-Semitism that fueled the Crusades, and no Christian is blameless in that.
actually the issue is intellectual honesty.
Liberals should condemn biased attacks, of any sort.
Yet, we often are hesitant to attack left friends, and only lash out and react to right wing hate. Hate from the left is, hate.
We are supposed to be the good guys?
Meanwhile, Omar doesn't attack human rights issues in other middle eastern countries; you know, the ones where women, humans in general, Kurds, Christians, Jews, gays have zero rights? She is silent on these.
Hence, the intellectual dishonesty is clear. Her bias is clear. her defenders should check their moral compasses.
4
I believe the young ladies stated concerns have a modicum of truth that should be brought to the light of day. My son visited Israel as part of an industry leadership program. He witnessed non Jewish citizens of Israel being treated poorly. He was disgusted, he will never go back.
Given Clyburn's specious logic about the Holocaust being less relevant than Omar's experience as a refugee we should all forget about Slavery since the Holocaust happened more recently!
Clyburn was parroting remarks by Ilhan Omar who seeks to delegitimize the uniqueness of the Holocaust and the Jewish experience--not to mention Israel's right to exist as a Jewish State (she supports BDS).
The Black Caucus would do well to heed what late UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan said: "The Holocaust of the Jews was unique." Annan was the first African UN Secretary General.
As for Omar's supposedly more "relevant" and "immediate" experience of victimization it should be noted that her ethnic Somali brothers and sisters consider themselves Arabs, not Blacks. Indeed, Somalia is a true apartheid state where Blacks are oppressed and persecuted but you never hear her denouncing this form of racism. Notably, the House Res. she helped write and vote for failed to denounce The Nation of Islam and Farrakhan with whom she is too cozy for comfort.
4
Absolutely no reason to think that abhorring the behavior of the Israeli government equals anti-semitism. Does abhorrence of the Trump administration equal anti-Americanism?
For some reason people with your opinion keep on missing the point. No one is claiming that being against Israeli policy is anti-Semitic . That is obvious Since many Israeils are against Israeli policy. The line is drawn when you attack people based upon vicious canards used to attack entire groups of people.
Many of the Most Recommended comments make the case that to legitimately discuss anti-Semitism it is necessary to include Israel and the Palestinians in the discussion.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Trump.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of the Holocaust.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Israel.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of the many Arab despots who used and continue to use Israel and Jews to develop support from their own oppressed people, much the way America's southern aristocracy used and uses Blacks to divert poor whites from their own oppression.
As to the question of loyalty and allegiance to another sovereign entity: I have not noticed such a charge directed at Catholic Members of Congress regarding policy toward the Vatican, Muslim members regarding policy toward Saudi Arabia, or anyone whose family's origin is from elsewhere, which includes all but four Members of Congress.
As to the Middle East, it would be helpful if people knew history before pontificating with such certainty, especially "moral" certainty. Seventy-five years ago there was no Jewish Israel and no Muslim Palestine. There were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Christian Europeans. And seventy-five years before that there were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Muslim Turks.
But only considering sources that confirm what you think is easier (yawn) than thinking.
3
“But the defend-Omar project is a project that seeks to push us away from the age of philo-Semitism, the age in which both American Jews and the American-Israel relationship were considered special cases among the range of minority groups and foreign policy partnerships.”
As a 60+ Jewish woman, American Jews and American-Israel relations are no longer special. The specialness ended when Israel began and continued to act towards others the way the rest of the world acted towards Jews.
When Israel started detaining Palestinian children,
When Israel started destroying homes out of revenge
when Israel continued to build and accelerate the building of settlements on the West Bank
When Israel’s actions are justified and paid for by US tax dollars.
Both Israel and the US forfeited the moral authority to claim specialness.
2
It appears in reading comments over the past 2 weeks that some Jews believe Rep. Omar's comments were antisemitic, and some do not. So to conclude her remarks are antisemitic (isn't Douthat a Catholic) is disingenuous since you could also conclude they are not.
It's time to move on and start a real debate about Israel and Palestinians. There are a lot of issues to discuss which are being relegated to charges of antisemitism.
1
Omar is a gift to Trump. That’s all anyone is talking about. Global warming? Health care? Immigration? The Mueller investigation? Forget about it. Why was she elected to office? To divert attention from Trump?
She’s turned this diehard liberal, the child of Holocaust survivors, to consider voting for Trump next election.
In any regime where it is allowed, and even encouraged, to say positive things about a subject and where it is not allowed, and in fact is even punished, to say negative things about it, people of good will and open mind will inevitably feel an unpleasant restriction. Mr. Douthat gives no sign of resenting that restriction. Fine. But isn't it odd that he doesn't even mention Jews' very high support for immigration and the ironic fact that Ms. Omar, born in Mogadishu, is the spark for his article? Isn't it odd that he doesn't mention that Jewish commentators in the press very often castigate anti-immigration spokesmen as racist, benighted, xenophobic? Isn't he intellectually obliged to at least try to reconcile his views with the fact that Jews militate for the immigration of people from Muslim North Africa where hatred of Jews is very high?
1
Well that ran badly off the rails.
Remember this; the vast majority of anti-semitism cines from the right wing of politics. Always has. Always will. And the vast majority of violence towards Jewish people comes from the right wing of politics. Always has. Always will.
And while we’re at it, my country produced the best general of world war 1 - general sir John Monash. Who also happened to be Jewish. My country has had anti-semitism but it’s never been remotely close to the anti-semitism of Europe and America. Unlike America, we also see no reason to regard the actions of Israel any differently just because of race issues. Jewish people are no different to anyone else - and the state of Israel must, and will, be judged on what it does, not for its racial mix, which is irrelevant to questions of human morals.
The US is a secular country, regardless of the Evangelical Christian Right’s desire for a more sectarian Christian state. As such, we have benefited from the lack of overt sectarian conflict that causes such suffering in the Middle East and elsewhere around the globe.
Ms. Omar and some of her compatriots appear not to have appreciated or learned the lessons that secular government bestows on open, liberal democraric societies. Instead of wasting her energy on the Arab Israeli conflict, she might want to devote more of her effort to help her own constituents, especially since they often suffer from anti-Muslim bigotry.
Although Palestinians do suffer at the hands of their reactionary Israeli overlords, Muslims often suffer even more from their own Muslim governments. In fact, Ms. Omar and her family escaped from just such a dysfunctional Somali homeland before emigrating to America.
258
@Maurie Beck
"Although Palestinians do suffer at the hands of their reactionary Israeli overlords..."
I don't think so! The story of Palestine, and, now Israel, is a complex one, replete with errors in judgement on both sides and cruelty and rights violations on both sides. But to single out Palestinians' suffering as being caused solely by reactionary Israeli overlords is not only dead wrong, but it ignores reality AND the chronic lack of responsible and responsive Palestinian leadership.
48
@Maurie Beck A two-state solutions was within reach after Oslo. And it wasn't Israel who walked away from the deal.
41
@William who was there for thousands of years and who is an invading force 70 years ago that has causes perpetual war and suffering?
6
As with any government, there is plenty to criticize about Israel, especially under their current leadership.
What is our of kilter, however, is that Israel is the most democratic and feminist country in the Middle East, yet the left is piling on. Israel has the most modern justice system in the Middle East. In a region where women are third rate citizens (not even second rate) and beheading is still considered normal, the left has chosen to raise Israel on the pole as the human rights abuser.
Also of note, Israel has long supported a two state solution. It is the Palestinians (and Omar?) who refuse that approach and by default deny Israel's right to exist.
Criticizing Israel is not in itself anti-Semitic. But in the context of the current rhetoric, it is hard not to smell a strong whiff of anti-Semitism blowing in the wind.
274
@woodyrd
A strangely ironic thing I’ve noticed since the first controversy began:
I haven’t seen Omar criticizing the Netanyahu government as much as some of the Jewish Israel supporters I follow on Twitter. For example, even Bari Weiss seems to make more detailed and pointed criticisms of Netanyahu’s coalition than Omar.
Omar talks about how she can’t talk about the Israeli government. But then, when offerered, she doesn’t talk in any substantive detail about the Israeli government.
16
@CassI agree that Israel is a Democracy and certainly gives it's citizens more rights than any Arab country [at least any that I can think of]. But , so what, Israel's policies of settlements and movement restrictions still amount to a colonization of Palestine. At the very least the confiscation of Palestinian land for settlements must end. Yes Israel remains endangered from Iran. However it seems obvious that the existential threat once posed by Egypt , Jordan and Syria has ended. If the current government would stop cow-towing to the extreme religious parties a workable solution for physical security from local terrorists without the cruelty of settlements and military occupation could be found.
25
@James Patuto
I think this is pie in the sky. Israelis used to support more liberal governments, but those got them attacked by Arab states repeatedly. Weakness invited aggression. Now she supports a strong leader. Everyone pretends that settlements or this or that are "the problem" because PC, invented for just this sort of silencing, chills the telling of truth.
If the settlements were "the problem," how to account for the wars against Israel before there were settlements--before there was an occupation? In fact, the occupation was the result of an aggressive war against Israel in 1967 by the Muslim Arab states. So it must be something else. What could it be. Let us ponder.
Consider this: before Israel occupied these terroritories, Muslim states did. After Muslim states attacked the newborn state of Israel and waged a year long war, they captured gaza and West Bank. Did they give these lands to their occupants, the Gazans and the Palestinians? Didn't they claim to have fought the war for the Palestinians? Had that been the reason, there would never have any occupation and Gazans and Palestiians would have been free to govern themselves starting in 1948.
So what is the real reason if not settlements?
Islam is the reason. The religion is the reason. Hamas explains all this in riveting detail Article Eleven of its 1988 Charter.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
Why did the partition plan fail? Hamas explains all this in its 1988 Charter, unabridged.
8
Douthat's argument of the existence of an American philo-Semitism has little basis in reality. Supposed bastions of liberalism Douthat hates, like elite universities, were all blatantly anti-Semitic well into the 1970's. Those supposed bastions of liberalism enacted strict reverse quotas favoring Christians by ensuring they never accepted more than a tiny fraction of qualified Jewish applicants.
The real issue is the left helping Trump get reelected. Republican districts swung away from Republicans and are the reason Democrats now control the House, not the Ocasio-Cortez's who replaced already left leaning establishment reps with left-wing anti-establishment reps.
Speak with Americans in those districts and you'll find a supposed philo-Semitism anti-Semitism struggle meaningless. Instead you'll hear voters mystified and angry at the recklessness that Omar and the Democratic left are displaying while failing to address the problems Americans face.
The formulation couldn't be simpler: Omar is a very powerful Congresswoman. Why isn't she doing her job and addressing the massive problems Americans face?
Forget about charges of anti-Semitism, why does Omar keep saying she's the first refugee to serve in Congress when it's a lie? (5 other served long before her, including Rep. Joseph Cao from Vietnam, and Lincoln Díaz-Balart from Cuba). Is Omar totally ignorant, or totally invested in seeing herself as a special victim?
No matter. It discredits Omar and the entire left.
182
@Robert B She is the left's version of Trump and the new Democratic left like the Republican Tea party of the 90's
5
@Robert B. You can add Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos (D-CA) to your list of refugees to the US who entered Congress well before Omar.
11
@Robert B Let's not forget that places and institutions that are pretty liberal today might not have been back then. This reminds me of when people say that Bernie Sanders got elected to mayor in "liberal Vermont". You go back to the election stats from 1980 and look at who Vermonters voted for, and it was Republicans. Someone was talking about the racist anti-busing comments that a younger Joe Biden made and said "Wow, I can't believe he got away with that in Blue Delaware." But Delaware and Vermont have changed over time, and so have universities. Those quotas against Jews were not a progressive policy. Progressives have just succeeded in changing aspects of institutions that used to be the worst bastions of hate and exclusion.
7
No one is talking much about the background drama that has made this issue a flash point in the House. As its first act of 2019, this Senate swiftly passed a bill, S-1, that would do the following:
Curtail Americans' free speech rights to benefit the current regime of a foreign country, by penalizing boycotts against Israel and advocacy for Palestinians. It gives cover to anti-BDS laws passed by states, like the one in Texas where people had to make a won't-boycott-Israel pledge before they could receive disaster relief funds from their own state and federal governments.
The bill also makes it a matter of LAW - an unprecedented LAW --that taxpayers transfer $40 Billion over 10 years to fund the army of this foreign country. There already is a "memorandum of understanding" on the funding but supporters want a law to bind the next two administrations.
Pro-Israel House members like Juan ("questioning support for Israel is unacceptable") Vargas are desperate to bring this bill home. They are meeting resistance from freshmen members who just don't get this idea. Ramping up the pressure hasn't brought this bill to the floor but accusations of anti-Semitism are flying. It would be in the public interest to have a full public airing of this legislation so we all can ask "How is this good for America?
13
@sharpshinAmazing that Vargas is not devoting more energy to help Americans instead. And that is no antisemitism. It is simply that when we have people who cannot afford rent or medications, we should not divert resources to fund a rich country.
1
This is the biggest cover up I've witnessed. What does George Clooney say about this said anti-semitism? What bothers me is the "nudging," in the name of studies. The problem with "nudging" is you don't know if these men and women are telling the truth about their experience as a Sunni Muslim in Iraq and their experience in the places in the United States they have relocated in.
It is no wonder two of my kids want nothing to do with religion. That is to say, I don't think they have much interest in the academic study of religion.
Politics and theology aside, it would be a good time to be honest. It's very difficult to be an advocate for "minority groups." The arguments on both sides of the pond just seem so extreme.
1
As the comments roll in, this is a good time to ask: has anyone changed his mind, based on a comment?
No, of course not! Everyone sticks to their narrative.
The only recent change-of-heart for me is that, as a lifelong Democrat, I’m feeling more of a pull toward the GOP, and I’ll likely switch parties soon.
8
@David G.So convince me as to why the US should fund Israel? And please do not make the argument it is because Israel is a democracy.
In an NYT column 3/9, Douthat writes about the "triumph" of "philo-Semitism" in the post-WWII U.S. Jews attracted...sympathetic admiration ...and a distinctive pride in the scope of their success." He does concede some trifling problems like the "K.K.K. and country club." How about adding anti-Semitism in higher education, employment, home purchases, federal government institutions ranging from the military to the foreign service, service even on volunteer community boards? BTW, about those trivial country clubs, as a star of the film "Born Rich" a young Ivanka Trump relates hosting at her country club
what she believes were its first Jewish visitors. Douthat, next time how about doing your research before pontificating?
@David G.you are exactly where Trump wants you, congratulations.
2
Through all of this. I fail too see who the keeper of the words is, who sets the rules, who makes the judgement..... how it does not become self serving. Because it is and will and it will spread.
4
Who gave you, Mr. Douthat, the right to predict that "if the occupation ended tomorrow, Israel would still have a nationalist and religious identity at odds with the left’s broadly post-nationalist and post-religious vision". This prophecy puts the logic behind your article in great doubt. Let's try the two-state solution and then determine whether anti-Semitism has narrowed or expanded.
Michael Karpin is an Israeli journalist. His book "The Bomb in the Basement - How Israel Went Nuclear and What That Means for the World" was published by Simon & Schuster.
8
You autographed a copy of your book for me. I’m a retired executive at Simon and Schuster.
3
Two state solution has been tried, three times offered and three times no official response (I take that as a refusal). Furthermore, you ignore what happens when Israel withdrew from Lebanon and Gaza, Hizbollah and Hamas took over and multiple wars resulted. Two state solution is a formula for more and bigger wars.
4
@David G.
My pleasure, David. Thanks for mentioning this. Michael
There is a lot of wisdom in the concept of separation of church (religion) and state. Congress-person Omar is a victim of this. Give her a break.
When things get tough somewhere, anywhere, the power possessing persons look to blame someone other than themselves for their lack of leadership skills, and the ensuing woe.
Authoritarian leaders try to distract their constituents by declaring a threat by some easily identifiable group. They do this after they forsake their responsibilities, and lack the will to assume the blame. This is known as "the Boogeyman Complex", and has plagued the Jews (and other groups) since time immemorial.
It's always been easy to spot a Jew. Every year at the Seder we are reminded of this fact.
"anti-anti-Omar Democrats"? The phrase is telling. We seem to live in a culture inclined to understand us by that which we are against rather than what we stand for. Says much about our current divides and how tribe is way more significant that country.
4
Right and left are confusing disapproval of Israeli policy with anti-Semitism. I can’t say what is in Omar’s heart, but when I read what she says, I don’t see criticism of Jewishness, or Judaism, or Jewish culture. I see objective criticism of Israeli policy, American tolerance of it and the quite obvious role of money in promoting it.
Every columnist wants to write about anti-Semitism. It evokes history, drama and conflict. It resonates in our present neo-racist culture. It gives conservatives a chance to wag fingers at liberals. I’m tired of it.
By all means, flag racism. But don’t use it as an excuse to terminate worthy criticism and open discussion. Omar is making an important point that has been choked off in the past by our fear of being called racist. I reject that label, as should Omar.
21
Poor Ross ,,,, a convoluted lament imbued with recognition that a theocratic shield no longer insulates fully from the scourge of philo-rationality.
6
The US has supported Israel for moral and strategic reasons. Unfortunately we've been so hypersensitive to providing a safe haven for Jews that we've been blinded by that country's rightward drift, especially under Netanyahu. We conflate warranted political criticism with unacceptable attacks on the Jewish community.
Ross raises a good question: "...whether anti-Semitism can be contained if it’s treated as one form of bigotry among many, or whether the perverse resilience of Jew-hatred is such that cultures choose between philo-Semitism and anti-Semitism..."
I grew up in a predominantly Catholic area. I As a teenager I didn't want a spotlight on my religious distinctions. I was torn between desiring complete secular assimilatio, but was highly sensitized to the rabid anti semitism of the Holocaust.
America owes us all First Amendment religious protections while allowing the same Amendment's freedom of speech. Trump's entire presidency had been an assault on 1-A. If Democrats don't step up, Republicans surely won't.
We'll always fight dinner rear guard action against anti something-ism. But this particular criticism of Omar's comments cannot believe allowed to hijack Democrats' focus on pursuing real collective challenges such as Infrastructure, jobs, health care, education, and. immigration.
11
Regardless of labels I believe the local district voters who elected Omar need to reflect and decide if she truly has a hidden agenda of being anti Semitic. If she is primaried and survives to win again in 2020 then we need to step back and respect our bill of rights and test her hidden agenda statement by statement with facts and a counter narrative.
2
@Marty f So far, nothing she said points towards any anti-Semitic hidden agenda. And I would ask you: if her agenda is hidden, how come you know about it? The choice Mr. Douhat proposes between philo-Semitism and Anti-Semitism would be at best a forced choice, and Americans would be right in refusing it with great vigour.
@J L S F
Her overt comments Re Benjamin’s and loyalty to two countries along with her failure to mention Yemen or other states bad behavior can reasonably lead one to question her underlying beliefs. Only a thorough vetting by her constituents in 2020 will determine whether her values are simply a policy difference or something else.
Only those voters matter in the end
I rather agree with Ross that the decline of pro-Jewish sentiment in the United States is well under way, and probably inevitable. As our collective memory of the Holocaust fades, it is natural for new causes and new conflicts to arise and take their place. Why is the Left becoming more critical of Israel? Because Israel - and Jews generally - no longer have victim status, and are seen as part of an oppressive white power structure. Of course, the Right - which cares not a fig for Jews or Arabs as people - swoops in to try to claim status as Israel's true defenders for cynical political reasons.
It's too early to see where this is headed. I hope Ilhan Omar will find a way through her instinctive anti-Semitism to a better place. I hope the Left will follow.
8
Israel is a country with a government that uses its political influnence just like any other. I feel they have too much influence on our government, members of Congress and our present president, I also believe they are occupying Palestine, treating its people very badly and steeling their land with the settlements. I believe Ms Omar feels the same way. I can not see how this is anti-Semitism and I believe its dishonest to use that word to cover up wrong actions by the government of Israel.
11
I think that the author's analysis is excellent and nuanced.
Studying comments below,I would urge that the readers:
1. analyze if they are questioning Israel's right to exist.
2. that they be prepared to look objectively at motives. Who wants to impose their values and rules on the West? Who makes comments which signify blame and a lack or failure within?
1
It would be helpful if the people who referred to Omar's recent statement as one that raised the "double allegiance" question actually read her statement.
That is not what she said. Republicans like Douthat only want to keep this ball in the air because they know it weakens Democrats in the upcoming election, and Democrats, incomprehensible reason, seem only too happy to oblige.
Meanwhile the words "Congressman Steve King" and Donald Trump's "very fine people on both sides" are absent from editorials like this one.
17
@Mark Greenfield I am sorry you did not tell what she did say.
@Mark Greenfield
Right. Divide us and conquer us. Also, please refrain from proselytizing us.
1
The only disagreement that I have with Doughat is his statement that the reactionary right is the greater enemy.
The greater enemy is any extreme ideology- left or right, and any ideology which wants to take control of another established culture. Islamism constitutes the latter, and by using politically correct and other leftist terminology, they confuse and infiltrate.
I would be very wary of the influence of radical imans daily preaching hate in every American city.
6
@complex subject
The Progressive Left has just overtaken the Democrat party which has long been waiting this moment. The party is the party of victimization and they have accepted the trope tht Palestinians (who seek an extant state's destruction) are the victim. So the Democrat party has been pro-Palestine, anti-Israel.
1
As an aside to the discussion of Ms. Omar's words, and in the discussion of anti-semitism in the United States, I wanted to point out that of all the museums dedicated to a particular race ethnic group, or atrocity faced by a group of human beings in the U.S., the Holocaust museum was the first to open. Years before the Native American museum, the African American museum and the Legacy Museum that remembers the lynching that occurred in the South. We remembered events that took place elsewhere in the world long before we found the means and the will to address events that happened here.
11
@walking man
So? The Holocaust museum was built because Jews believed that the knowledge of what happened to them in a genocide- fomented by run-away socialist government- sponsored anti-Semitism might help protect them should that kind of noise begin to made here, as we now hear it being made.
Jews contributed to the museum and came up with the project. "We" did not; Jews did. Had blacks or Indians done the same, their museums would have been first. That they did not is no one's fault but their own, if you think this is all somehow significant.
4
This is an interesting column and I agree with its central premise -that the case of the Jews has been treated as exceptional, especially in Western politics. But it also misses a number of important points. It is remarkable that Mr. Douthat can write this entire column without mentioning "Palestinians" once, since their mistreatment at the hands of Israel is the absolute core of the left's objections to Israeli conduct. What Mr. Douthat implies, but is not explicit about, is that Israel has been given a free pass for its illegal and immoral behavior in the West precisely because of "philo-Semitism". This is a cultural bias that deliberately ignores the historical circumstances of the Palestinians and argues, implicitly, that they simply don't matter as much as Jews/Israelis. Philo-Semitism becomes another form of prejudice. For people like Ms. Omar, who is not a product of this version of Western culture, the problems with this are obvious. Why would anyone overlook and justify Israel's many brutal acts against the Palestinians just because Israel is a "Jewish state" and, just as importantly, the Palestinians are a non-Western people? It is obvious that this is an unjustifiable position. The problem in American politics (and Canada, too) is that there is not enough open and honest criticism of Israel. It is good that its "exceptional" status is being challenged, It no longer works. Philo-Semitism is just another form of prejudice.
17
@Shaun Narine I am curious to learn what the Left thinks a state under constant attack should do about two territories that seek its destruction. This is in their charters. This is their goal. Obliteration.
Have you not noticed their brutal acts against Israel? Or are you unaware? The problem in the West, one might argue, is that there is not enough open and honest criticism of Israel's enemies here and abroad--those who believe that the Infidel state should be destroyed. Perhaps you would have more sympathy were that state the US. Oops--it is! "Death to America" emanates from Iran, another state that has trouble with the concept of the powerful Infidel.
4
@Shaun Narine
“Wood, metals and fish used to be New Brunswick’s economic staples; now, more and more, it is old age. . . . As a result, governing New Brunswick often means pitting north against south, French against English and urban against rural, amidst a stumbling economy and crippling debt, projected to hit $13.5 billion at the end of the fiscal year. ”—MacLean’s, March 11, 2016.
Why does a pundit from a Canadian backwater with plenty of tribal strife feel authorized to comment on an ongoing Middle Eastern issue? This selective—even fetishistic—focus on Israel suggests a certain problematic mindset he shares with Ms. Omar having to do with the desire to attack Israel as the Holy Land and birthplace of Chrisitanity.
Look to your own. Figure out a way to work with the new conservative government to attract skilled workers and allay the French-English divide. Even New Brunswick’s status as the Canadian Omaha, Nebraska (call centers) is in jeopardy.
Hurts does it not?
Does not surprise me to find Ross Douthat joining Michelle Goldberg and Bret Stephens in misrepresenting the words of Ilhan Omar and James Clyburn in reinforcing the artfully-created controversy intended to damage Democratic prospects in 2020 and shield Israeli policy toward Palestinians. Douthat states Clyburn suggested the Holocaust is diminished in significance by the passage of time, a fabrication presumably grounded in Omar's more recent experience in a refugee camp. In fact Clyburn noted Omar speaks from personal experience while mortality leaves us with few survivors of the Holocaust, meaning their tragedy is inevitably filtered through others. That Holocaust victims speak to us across the years does not diminish their suffering any more than history diminishes the suffering of American slavery or the Spanish Inquisition. The efforts to disparage Omar and Clyburn have nothing to do with the alleged disrespect for the Holocaust but with cynical imputations of anti-Semitism against anyone critical of Israeli policy toward Palestinians. Given the deeply-rooted tradition of separation of politics and religion in American life I expect Stephens, Goldberg, and Douthat would be irked to have me suggest their efforts to use religion to justify Israeli oppression of Palestinians is fundamentally anti-American. As ridiculous and inappropriate as it is it is the same logic that drives their efforts to conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Despicable manipulation.
18
@USA 999
"and shield Israeli policy toward Palestinians"
What is the stated goal of the Palestinians and Gazans, 999? It is the destruction of an extant state by any means possible. That does not seem to bother you. Only the target state's attempt to protect itself from this goal bothers you. How would you characterize that? They are not using religion to justify what you call oppression of Palestinians. Have you read the PA's Charter? Why not start there? It might open your eyes.
4
@usa999
And how about the children of parents who were holocaust survivors? Do you think they were not impacted, in many ways, by what their parents experienced? Do you know, also, that more than a few of the first generation of kids spent their early years in a DP camp? I will chalk it up to lack of knowledge and not intentional.
What about the riyals, baby?
Ms. Omar's disarming appearance and decorative headwear
are her armor against further sanction from the Democratic Party leadership, but they cannot ultimately mask her poisonous tongue.
Ms. Omar's selective targeting of Israel, when there are so many more obvious cases of brutality and abuse--for example, Rohingya, Yazidis, Yemenis--gives it away.
It is what you call a tell.
44
@JD
"..disarming appearance and decorative headwear.."
I'd call that descriptive phrase another "tell" equal to Ms. Omar's
4
@JD
Her goal is clear. Iran will not strike Israel directly until the US withdraws its support. Anti Semitism made acceptable will hasten that occurrence. That's her strategy. How's she doing?
1
It’s never “identity politics” to those impassioned by the issue. It’s worth considering though the destructive consequences for Democrats of engaging in the current circular firing squad of accusations of anti-semitism, anti-Zionism, free speech, support for Israel, Islamophobia, while trying to craft a compelling message for the party that will defeat Trump in 2020.
2
@PeterKa
We should all keep in mind that the word " Islamophobia " contains within it the suggestion that Islam is not ever to be feared and that any such fear is always irrational. That is what a phobia is--an irrational fear. So when terrorists strike here or against Israel, or Islamic territories seek Israel's demise, any criticism is labeled Islamophobia, or hate speech.
@PeterKa
Whatever the message is going to be, it would look less convincing when coming from a party the protect and elevate an unapologetic antisemite like Omar
1
What many people fail to realize, is that what Omar is criticizing is the motivations of those who support Israel. She claims their support is because of money (“the Benjamins”), or that somehow support of Israel is pledging allegiance to a foreign country. These comments only serve to vilify the vast majority of her fellow Congressmen. They support Israel as a democratic state that has tried to make peace with its neighbors who don’t always want to make peace with her.
If Omar wants to criticize Israeli policies, I for one and most other supporters of Israel, will not call her an anti-Semite. But if she is against the existence of the State of Israel, where half of the world’s Jews live, then she is an anti-Semite.
30
@Alan Gross
Of course she is against the existence of the Infidel state, Alan. If she is pro-Palestine, which is against the existence of the Infidel statel, she is against its existence. She is not going to be allowed to come out ad state that directly until more of her fellows are in the seats of power, but that will quickly happen. Look for one of her like-minded buddies to be on the VP ticket as early as 2020 and put up for president in 2024. Then watch the US withdraw from Israel under their guidance, as we abandon Western Civilization and embrace Sharia.
Mr. Douthat. As is often your case, you have oversimplified. What you haven't taken into account is the number of Israelis who are appalled by what their government is doing and your belief that there is only one way to think if you are a Jew. Your view is microscopic. On another topic, though I am not Jewish, I take exception to your italicization of the possibility of actually liking Jews. Isn't that just a more subtle version of what Mr. Meadows did by producing Mr. Trump's black, female employe/prop? And why use the form philo-semitism? All it really does is mirror anti-semitism. There are better, more neutral, words to use. And are you not now participating in identity politics too?
8
"the recent wave of hate crimes in New York City to the anti-Jewish violence befouling Europe...coming from minority and immigrant communities"
This is quite an assertion - goes against my knowledge and intuition...is this new? I'm guessing the European immigrant communities Douthat is referring to are Muslim? Really lumping a bunch of things together and laying them at the feet of lefties. Hmmm.
6
@kgeographer It's not new. Jews are being beaten on the streets of Brooklyn who are visibly Jewish by their dress, and the same is true on the streets of France and Berlin, although the phenomenon there is far more advanced. French Jews have left for Israel in large numbers. The rise of anti-Semitism in Europe comes from Muslims, at the same time as populism and xenophobia are back underway on the right side of the political spectrum throughout Europe. The inherence of anti-Semitism on the right has been expected by liberal American Jews since FDR, but the willingness to see regard for it as silly or at least outre rolled back on the left is in line only with the most fatalist of predictions. Incidentally, see also goings-on in the UK, where the Labor Party is undergoing convulsions over the convergence of anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic narratives among its members in Parliament.
3
Failing to make the link between the rise of anti-semitism and the rise of Israel transgressions is classic "head-in-the -sand". There is an inextricable link between the Jewish community and the State of Israel.
Sure, anti-semitism has been around for a long time but the fire witnessed in the mid-twentieth century had been extinguished and the embers were slowly reducing to ashes.
Over the past few years the human rights abuse and violations of international laws by Netanyahu & Co. have fanned the embers. Long time anti-semites have been revived. Borderline anti-semites are being converted.
Anti-semitism must be reduced and eventually eliminated. The solution is obvious, but any rational discussion seems to be taboo.
8
This is by no means a justification of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, but it is a fantasy to say that anti Semitism was “reduced to ashes” after World War II. I can tell you that from the direct experience of my parents in post WWII, America, who faced outright and vocal discrimination where they worked. Anti Semitism never went away. Yes, some of it may be exacerbated, particularly from the left, by Israel’s policies, but I would bet that most acts of vandalism and attacks on Jews are the result of one thing only: hatred.
1
@Greg Please share with us your prior posts that similarly criticized the war of aggression against the state of Israel in 1948, 1967 and 1973 a "human rights abuses and violations of international law."
How about the Intifadas? Balloons send over the border carrying fire and setting acres of crops aflame? Terror tunnels into an extant state's territory? Ever notice that ALL THIS is against international law?
1
@Greg
You may live in Europe but it would seem you can't see the forest for the trees. The more recent expressions of anti-Semitism seen all over Europe--Orban's vilifying of Soros; Corbyn's defense of a mural depicting Jewish bankers; a parade float in Belgium portraying crude caricatures of Jews with bags of money and rats; anti-Semitic rants by the 'Gilets Jaunes'; these are just a few examples--have nothing to do with Israel or its policies. They all have to do with the pernicious, ancient association of Jews with money and greed. That the Jews were forced into their financial role as money-lenders by the prejudice and oppression of Christians, goes unacknowledged. These themes pre-exist the contemporary Muslim immigration into Europe and have absolutely nothing to do with Israel. Yes, of course, one can legitimately criticize Israeli policy (I do) but doing so by resorting to crude characterizations and images of Jews as greedy creatures skulking in dark corners is anti-Semitism, not a policy debate.
Comical. Ross equates the views of a freshman rep from middle of nowhere as metasticising to swallow the entire Democratic Party while at the same time glossing over the views of the entrenched and beloved leader of the Republican Party - he called NeoNazi’s very fine people - by saying “the post Trump Right...”
10
Everything you need to know about the difference between Jews and Rep Omar can be found in their responses to their own oppression. Rep Omar finds it necessary to attack Jews. Jews find it necessary to fight for everyone’s rights, not just their own.
After African Americans, the most involved activists in the civil rights movement were Jews. Same goes for the rights of women, LGBT, immigrants and, after 911, even Muslims. Because, as the author points out, Jews have a strong moral center.
But people will erroneously point to the Palestinian conflict as evidence that the Jews have failed morally. Not true. There both Palestinians and Jews were put into an impossible situation by the United Nations when they decided to assuage their guilt over the holocaust by displacing one group for another. But a true assessment of the subsequent history shows the Israelis demonstrating great restraint instead of the repressive tactics they are accused of. If only the Palestinians would agree to one of many compromises put on the table.
29
Condemning Israeli policy toward the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank is not anti-Semitic. Urging that Palestinians be allowed to return to homes in Israel proper that they lost in 1948 is, because it would make it impossible for Israel to continue to be a Jewish state. If you don't think there should be a Jewish state, your argument is not just with Israel, but with the Jews (or at least with Jews who are serious about Judaism). Judaism is a religion predicated on the necessity of a Jewish state, as spelled out in almost every page of Jewish scripture and liturgy, most especially the Passover Haggadah. You may think that it's offensive for a religion to make nationalist claims, and that the scriptures that make the claims are hateful. But, like it or not, that's what Judaism is. My litmus test for Congresswoman Omar and others would be to ask whether they support a Palestinian "right of return." If so, they oppose the Jews' right to fulfill their religion, which is a nationhood, and their nationhood, which is a religion. And that is antiSemitism. A person who denies a Jewish state may tolerate or even admire Jews who are willing to know their place and give up their entwined national and religious identity. But that is still anti-Semitism. Non-Jews don't have a right to define what Judaism should be. As they say, it is what it is. And so is antiSemitism.
10
@MB Israel has as much of a right to be a Jewish State as Iran to be an Islamic Republic, or the USA to be a Christian Nation. A theocracy is NOT a democracy, no matter what democratic formalities it can manage to keep for a while.
1
@MB Israel has as much of a right to be a Jewish State as Iran to be an Islamic Republic, or the USA to be a Christian Nation. A theocracy is NOT a democracy, no matter what democratic formalities it can manage to keep for a while.
If you think Israel's religion is its state and Israel's state is its religion, and you are all right with this, then you MUST be all right with the principle of theocracy; and you MUST welcome American Dominionists with open arms.
2
@MBJudaism is a religion predicated on the necessity of a Jewish state....what would Jesus say about this?
The Right hates Rep. Omar and it is not because of her alleged antisemitic comments. If that were the case, the Right would have rejected Trump and the legions of GOP who have actually made antisemitic statements. Instead, they are hypocritically silent.
They hate her because she is a female, Muslim, immigrant. They hate her because she is challenging our Imperialist posture in the World. They hate her because she called out the war criminal Abrams in a hearing, asking why Congress should believe someone who lied to Congress in the '80's.
The Right haters are never going away. They will hound Rep. Omar every chance they get, overlooking racism and antisemitism in their own ranks.
Rep. Omar did more than Trump or any other Republican has ever done in apologizing that her comments hurt certain people. My hunch is neither Douthat, nor most of the antisemitic accusers, have ever listened to her interviewed. They don't care what she has to say because they agree with Trump who labeled her apology as lame. They never wanted her in Congress, much less on the Foreign Relations Comm.
It is long past due for this Country to engage in a real debate about Israel and Palestinians. Unfortunately, too many power interest groups, who in fact due control much of Congress, have no interest in having that debate.
One final note--the NYT's has run 4 Op-Ed columns the last 3 days condemning Rep. Omar. Where is the balance?
12
@ScottW, long ago, we gave up expecting balance in NYT. Remember the lead up to the Iraq war? Remember all of 2015-16, it was Hillary is the only one, as though nothing or no one else existed. NYT was and is also obsessed over Trump, giving him free publicity marketing, which he loves and exploits fully to his own advantage.
1
Here is the dedication of the book "Otherwise Than Being" written by the Jewish Lithuanian and then French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas (1905 - 1995), who lost almost all of his family to the National Socialists during the Holocaust:
"To the memory of those who were closest among the six million assassinated by the National Socialists, and of the millions on millions of all confessions and all nations, victims of the same hatred of the other man, the same anti-semitism."
This dedication alone, communicates more than Mr. Douthat even attempted in his column. Read Levinas!
1
We'll always have good old-fashioned anti-Semitism and philo-Semitism.
The core issue that Brother Douthat neglects to mention at the heart of the Omar issue is what kind of government has Israel's government become (answer: crooked, right-wing, authoritarian) and does Israel deserve to have outsize influence in our right-wing domestic politics via AIPAC and its funding stranglehold on the United States Congress .
Former Senator William Fulbright and many others have said that AIPAC should have registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but AIPAC continues to laughably state that the organization is a registered American lobbying group, funded by private donations, and maintains it receives "no financial assistance" from Israel or any other foreign group.
The Palestinians are no angels, of course, but the way Israel treats Palestinians is a legitimate subject of human rights discussion which our AIPAC Congress and our pretend-President remain largely silent on.
Representative Omar could work on her diplomatic skills to deliver her point better, but I don't think anti-Semitism is the major problem.
The issue is, just as rich American corporations and lobbyists actively bribe Congress for lousy 'public' policy, AIPAC and Israel and billionaire Jewish-Americans like Sheldon Adelson bribe Congress and Donald Trump for lousy American-Israel 'public' policy.
It's not about anti-or-philo-Semitism.......at least not from this 1976 bar-mitzvah boy.
68
During my studies to convert to Judaism, one of my instructors was an Orthodox rabbi. He told me he was horrified by the social and religious conservatives who have increasingly come to dominate the Republican Party. A major reason, interestingly enough, is their determination to ban abortions.
The rabbi explained that if a woman in his congregation is advised by her physician to terminate a pregnancy because it is threatening her life, he can tell her only one thing as her spiritual advisor: Have the abortion. Jewish teaching is clear on the matter. And in no case is abortion regarded as homicide.
Ross Douthat shouldn't get his hopes up that Jews, ultra-conservative ones as well as liberals, will be flocking to join the GOP any time soon.
8
"...return the Jews to their historic state of constant threat and peril..." This is what I fear as a Jew myself. We Jews have had a wonderful experience in the USA, and especially in San Francisco where I live. But we never grow too confident seeing that we have a history of thousands of years that include many persecutions. It seems that when times get tough, it's quite convenient to blame the Jews; this has often been the case. I fear that anti-Israel sentiments naturally lead into anti-Semitism, partly because these discussions about Israel attract anti-Semites. Israel is a huge complicated situation and I think the world is much more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israel. However, I believe Israel will continue to exist despite all this, and I strongly hope that the Palestinians will finally some day have their own country, existing peacefully with Israel.
16
One of Douthat’s more thought provoking pieces.
2
Does anyone else feel uncomfortable that the Jewish leaders in the Democratic Party have almost uniformly tried to downplay and excuse away Ms Omar's anti semitic comments? As a Jewish liberal, it pains me. Yes, opposing the far right as well as Pres. Trump's agenda are far more important than the anti semitism of a freshman congresswoman. Still, history is replete with Jews putting their own agendas in front of standing up against hatred of the Jewish people.
It is heartwarming to read and hear the goodness, righteousness and magnificence of non Jews such as Mr Douthat. They are the ones who throw down the gauntlet against anti semitism and say "This far and no further."
We, the liberal Jews of America, should be shoulder to shoulder, at Mr Douthat's side.
10
@Scott, I have many many Jewish friends here, married to non Jewish. Their kids have the ultimate tolerance built in, sewn into their being. These kids, now in their late 20s, friends of my kids grew up celebrating bar and bat mitzvahs, communions, confirmations, Chinese New Year and Diwali. They understood that tolerance is the key to furthering and improving race and ethnic relations. For them purity is in their hearts, not in the torah or Bible or Bhagavad Gita. They are sympathetic to Ms Omar as well as to the "liberal Jews" who are pained by words, by attitudes. To them pain is pain, it does not matter WHO is feeling the pain. Why do you Scott believe then that "history is replete with Jews putting their own agendas in front of standing up against hatred of the Jewish people" is a bad thing? It is because Jews know deep inside, their very survival today is because of the kind heartedness of others, who sheltered them at the time of their need, not from words, but from atrocities, violence, genocide. If Jews have learned anything from history, they would know that instead of escalating (which the media engaged in), they should defuse the situation through dialog, through debate (unemotional debate) and through cooperation. Instead people like Ross Douthat feed into the noise, their ulterior motive is clear, they want to divide, they want to lure liberals towards the right wing by dangling words of Ms Omar as bait.
1
@petey tonei Thank you for your response. I am pleased to have a reasoned discussion.
In answer to your question regarding Jews of power who have betrayed their fellow Jews, I can name just off the top of my head Genrikh Yagoda, founder of Stalin's NKVD, and the capos of the concentration camps. There are more, and I refer you to the works on Jewish history.
I fundamentally disagree with your assertion that "If Jews have learned anything from history, they would know that instead of escalating... they should defuse the situation through dialog and through cooperation.
That just didn't work pre-Holocaust, and so the lesson learned was "Never Again".
I hesitate to say this, Ross, but philo-semitism is doomed. It seems only to exist in the USA, and as has always happened in every "civilized" country over the past 2000 years, hatred of Jews and Judaism will continue to snowball until the country enters some crisis phase, leaders will use Jews as scapegoats, and Jews will be left to wonder what on earth is happening to them......it is incredibly naive of Jews in the USA to believe all will be well for ever. The only sensible tactic for Jews who want to be seen as "liberal" and progressive and sympathetic to causes such as the Palestonian cause is to refrain from participating in these discussions. Joining the other side is not and has never been a defence for Jews. When the fan gets struck, all Jews are considered equally offensive by the powers that be. Israel, for many years a potential haven for fleeing Jews, may be in serious crisis, weakened in the future by years of sanctions and economic boycotts. There is a dangerous trend happening here, and it is necessary for Jewish leaders to speak to their Jewish constituencies, alert them, and advise them before, as has always happened, it is too late...
7
The movement to boycott Israel over it’s mistreatment of Palestinians has been met by some supporters of Israel with cries of anti-semitism. I think this is a misguided response and is one of the root causes of the current confusion about what constitutes ani-semitism. The US has been giving Israel a pass regarding it’s behavior toward the Palestinians for too long. This is not the case in Europe. Anti-semitism is a terrible and dangerous thing. Those that stretch the definition of it as part of a calculated defense of current Israely policy ultimately weaken the impact of the sound condemnation of ant-semitism. I am alarmed and dismayed that this bevior is not being widely challenged in the press.
3
I think that Mr. Douthat exaggerates the philo-Semitism aspect and the business of "really liking Jews". A Hebrew logo of a university does not mean that Jews were let into the university.
As for: "The part of the American left that’s defending her, .... and accusing her conservative critics of bad faith, doesn’t see itself as defending Jew-hatred, and since many of those defenders are Jewish — including the arguable front-runner for the Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders — it’s reasonable to take them at their word," Mr. Corbyn also has Jewish defenders in Labour. All that means is that there were and are still many self-hating Jews whose view of Judaism is skewered (as the gentleman in the picture; they are the fringe of the fringe; they prove my point).
"But it also depends on whether the assumptions of Omar’s left-wing defenders are justified — whether anti-Semitism can be contained if it’s treated as one form of bigotry among many"..
And that assumption is wrong.
The problem is greater though because the left, including part of the Jewish left, does not recognize anti-Semitism as being bad. They often see it as some type of legitimate response to white Jewish privilege (sic!) and a battle against Jewish-Zionist post-colonialism (sic!) and other such inanities.
Today one can get away with anti-Semitism. It happens every day in many countries, including the US. It is all just a matter of "nuance".
11
Jewish citizens of the democratic state of Israel are free to boycott, to criticise and to resist the policies and politics of that powerful state without limit and to the extent that their conscience demands. American citizens should have the same right to criticise Israel.
Anti-Semitism is abhorrent hate speech, but in America it has also become an accusation that is intended by some to deflect criticism, to curtail speech and to limit free choice.
6
@Alfred di Genis I don't think you're wrong, but I think I can contribute something to the context with additional facts. Although saying that American policy is influenced by donors who support Israel (who, incidentally, may or may not be Jewish) can be construed as perfectly above-board, saying that Israel "hypnotizes" the world is not an innocuous comment, but plays on an anti-Semitic trope about the Jews (Israeli or non-Israeli). Saying that support for Israel is advocacy for the interests of a foreign country ahead of our own (I am an American Jew) is also a classic anti-Semitic canard, aimed here not at all at Israeli Jews but at American Jews, in order to delegitimize our voices in the political arena.
Finally, you are wrong about Israeli citizens' rights to call for a boycott of the state. The fact that a law has been passed to quash calls for boycotts is par-for-the-course for the motley government now ruling the state.
https://theshed.org/program/2-reich-richter-part?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_campaign=reichrichterpart&utm_term=022619&utm_content=facebookpost&fbclid=IwAR2x-k2iE4ptKjuw9yKTL89E5U79_atvzwRGyxSSwoNGh-YtfePeeypCCLw
@BDR
Thank you for your reply. To say, accurately or not, that “Israel hypnotises the world” is a criticism, hardly the harshest, of an independent sovergn state and its policies. There is no “trope” of a religion or a people. It is, however, significant of the issue that someone might think so.
Israeli citizens’ rights to criticise the policies of their government and its agents includes the harshest and ugliest terms: https://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-anti-draft-protesters-block-jerusalem-roads-30-arrested/ In their folly and ignorance, some unthinking Americans may be equally harsh without legal consequence.
If, as you say, the state of Israel has falling short in the freedom of its citizens to boycott certain products (which I don’t think is accurate) the freedom of American citizens should not be equally restricted especially when the boycott concerns a foreign state and when boycotts of American products are not restricted to Americans. The list of boycotted states is hardly restricted to products from Israel.
A person who fell asleep in 1945 and awoke in 2019 would put her hands to her face, that we are even having this conversation.
7
Anti-Semitism can only ever be contained; never vanquished entirely.
Knowledge of this phenomenon is as ancient as Judaism itself. Jean-Paul Sartre knew it when he wrote, ‘Anti-Semite and Jew’, and that was published before the State of Israel even existed.
Admittedly, he had no way of knowing the horrors that had actually unfolded at the time of his writing.
4
Imagine the U.S. supporting a Muslim state which has held Jews under military occupation for 50+ years. Then we draft legislation to make supporting a boycott of that Muslim nation a crime, and states like Texas require private citizens to sign loyalty agreements to that state, if they seek state employment.
Fantasy, of course, unless you reverse the positions.
Let's be frank, shall we? The "new anti-semitism" is the latest cudgel to use on the left, now that 'commie' and 'socialist' have lost potency. The right-wing does it in Britain, and the right-wing does it here.
All to avoid paying taxes, implementing socialized medicine and acting on climate change. And Douthat calls these reactionaries "philo-semites".
Mr. Douthat's imaginary "philo-Semites" are a foil to his imaginary "new anti-Semitism".
3
Joe DiMiceli writes:
"First, I see Israel as a liability, not an ally. This has been a one-way relationship with the U.S. giving and the Israel taking."
South Korea spends far more lobbying than Israel and AIPAC combined (I have never heard this mentioned when discussed lobbying).
36,000 Americans died defending South Korea in the Korean war.
Here is a list of US Army installations in South Korea:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Army_installations_in_South_Korea
In contrast, the US has no bases in Israel, and no US soldier has ever been involved in any of Israel's wars for survival.
One sided? As Alexander Haig said:
"Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security"
18
Douthat stops just short of the most important point for people who think they are progressives: if all kinds bigotry are equally bad, so are all bigots, regardless of, among other things, whether the bigots themselves belong to disadvantaged minorities.
8
"we have always had important strains of philo-Semitism as well; there is a long American tradition, with both Protestant and Enlightenment roots, of really liking Judaism and the Jews."
Actually, Southern cavalier pro-Semitism is another major strain. It's not a coincidence that the first two Jewish Senators were slave-owning Southern secessionists: David Levy Yulee and Judah P. Benjamin (who held 3 high offices in the Confederate cabinet). Many leading Jewish firms, such as Lehman Brothers, were founded in the Old South.
Southern leaders saw themselves as landowning aristocrats, so they appreciated the bourgeois talents that Jewish business people brought to their communities. In contrast, the northeastern Protestant upper class was more mercantile, thus more in competition with Jews, and less appreciative of Jews.
1
Ross Douthat, Thomas Friedman, and Ross Douthat have written persuasive and well-balanced columns about the current escalation of the ancient anti-Semitism conflict. As they point out, this has been a historically thorny topic which has proven itself to be exceptionally resistant to resolve, and certainly pro-Jewish bias is easy for most gentiles to understand and accept.
Nevertheless, formidable barriers exist against neglecting to name other perennial victims of systematic and widespread prejudice, such as Native Americans, Blacks, and Latinos to name but a few. Under commonly accepted standards of contemporary society, neglecting to include any of those groups is not justifiable, not only regardless of history but because of it.
Without denigrating the memories of the Holocaust as an especially egregious offese due not only to its extraordinarily massive extent, but because of the equally extraordinary nature of its deliberate targeting of an entire race which long has suffered special persecution.
We no longer can cite this particularly insidious combination on generalized principals of wiping out racially inspired hatred and crime without concurrently referring to all instances of such baseless bigotry. Our ancestors systematically targeted First Americans on a massive scale for centuries, and they remain the only minority group which has not been recognized on a national scale as deserving and requiring adequate reparation. We continue our shameful neglect of them.
1
We have really got to come to grips with this. There seems to be this vile bubble orchestrated by everyone on the wrong side of truth that has hijacked the incredibly real and horrifying suffering of the Jewish people and have translated that truth as an end all be all proclamation that because it happened neither Jewish people or the Jewish state are worthy of criticism because of these ancient tropes that have terrorized the Jewish people for centuries and longer. Given that reality what Jewish person in their right mind would a) ever betray integrity for personal gain in a deceptive way that would give creedence to said tropes or b) ever engage in walking down the path with the likes of Evangelicals and Saudis who may at the moment seem genuine in their support of Israel but in the end (and have all along) sought its destruction? People who are insane is who and I'm sorry, but that's exactly what's undermined everything these past 10 years at least and that's what has led to this monstrous situation. I do no blame Ms. Omar for holding AIPAC accountable and by proxy Sheldon Adelson. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN HIGHLY CRITICAL OF SAUDI ARABIA. All of this blowback is a betrayal to the lessons of Exodus and the integrity of law to begin with. My message to any Jew who's reading this, regardless of orientation, from this Jew, DO NOT LIVE DUPLICITOUSLY AND NOT EXPECT WHAT THOUSANDS OF YEARS HAVE TOUGHT US HAPPENS. We're better than that.
1
Ross Douthat, like Bret Stephens, is determined to use the controversy over Rep. Ilhan Omar as an opportunity ot criticize the left.
6
"But the defend-Omar project is a project that seeks to push us away from the age of philo-Semitism"
Let's talk about the attack Omar project.
Douthat lists her defenders, and they are all the people he does not like -- Bernie for example. That is not coincidence.
The attack Omar project is a way to get at his real enemies, using as proxy target the Muslim black woman it is easier to beat up on. Look at her headgear! She wears that on the floor of Congress! Attack!
She is being used the same way the same people used Willie Horton against their opponents. She is being used even though she did nothing wrong and is a member of Congress. She just looks like such a great target for bigotry, they don't need more.
3
Many of the Most Recommended comments unfortunately make some of Douthat's case for him in that they feel it is necessary for Israel and/or the Palestinians to be part of any discussion about anti-Semitism.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Trump.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of the Holocaust.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of Israel.
Anti-Semitism existed before and independently of many Arab despots who used and continue to use Israel and Jews to develop support from their own oppressed people, much the way America's southern aristocracy used Blacks to divert poor whites from their own oppression.
As to the question of loyalty and allegiance to another sovereign entity: I have not noticed such a charge directed at Catholic Members of Congress regarding policy toward the Vatican, Muslim members regarding policy toward Saudi Arabia, or anyone whose family's origin is from elsewhere, which includes all but four Members of Congress.
As to the Middle East, it would be helpful if people knew some history before pontificating with such certainty, especially "moral" certainty. Seventy-five years ago there was no Jewish Israel and no Muslim Palestine. There were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Christian Europeans. And seventy-five years before that there were primarily colonial entities essentially demarcated and ruled by Muslim Turks.
But sloganeering is easier (yawn) than studying and thinking.
12
The rhetorical waters have been too muddied by people making bad-faith efforts to defend indefensible Israeli policy by conflating legitimate criticism and anti-semitism. Confusion and offense are the inevitable result, of which the congresswoman’s comments would appear to be a prime example.
Given Clyburne's statement about the Holocaust we should all forget about Slavery since the Holocaust is far more recent history.
Clyborne was parroting remarks by Ilhan Omar who seeks to delegitimize the uniqueness of the Holocaust and the Jewish experience--not to mention Israel's right to exist as a Jewish State (she supports BDS).
The Black Caucus would do well to heed what late UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan said: "The Holocaust of the Jews was unique." Annan was the first African UN Secretary General.
As for Omar's supposedly more relevant and immediate history, her ethnic Somali brothers and sisters consider themselves Arabs, not Blacks. Indeed, Somalia is a true apartheid state where Blacks are oppressed and persecuted but you never hear her denouncing this form of racism. Notably, the House Res. she helped write and vote for failed to denounce The Nation of Islam and Farrakhan with whom she is too cozy for comfort.
8
Why should I as an Israeli-American Jew be interested in preserving the "CHRISTIAN GUILT" (exact words Douthat uses) perspective?
Douthat ignores the Jewish tradition of diversity in our communities, in our common and uncommon experiences especially in regards to the Shoah. And who gave Douthat permission to say that philosemitism, after decades of writing by academics studying antisemitism, is a net good?
There are large groups of left-wing Jews who disagree with nearly all of the presumptions of this debate. That Ilhan Omar said anything verging on antisemitic. That philosemitism is good, or that the Holocaust should be viewed through "Christian guilt" as an exceptional case necessarily connected to and requiring a Jewish anti-Arab state called Israel.
Of course it's for the security interests of Israel to sanction Iran, arm the Saudis into genocide in Yemen, and collaborate with the military-prison regime of El-Sisi. Because we have banned the young Leftwing Jews from speaking, banned the Jews of Color and the Jews who dissent from "bipartisan" politics, non-Jewish and Jewish we don't hear anything else but Douthat explaining why philosemitism, Christian guilt and an empire model with Israel as scapegoat for the US is good for all Jews, since majority of us are not rich, political influential or invested in the arms industry.
What's at stake isn't Jews, it's the shameless excuses behind American foreign policy that the literary intellectuals have built up.
3
@Alon Lapid
Yes, Alon, as you correctly and rationally state; “an Empire model”, Empire itself throughout history, Emperors, and most importantly “Empire-thinking” (as Berkeley’s cognitive scientist and Chomsky protege, George Lakoff, might call it) is not good for any Jews, Muslims, Christians, nor any people of ‘our world’ — as Moses, Jesus, and all other prophetic leaders have always known and as I have written for decades.
https://rense.com/general88/aip.htm
2
There are probably some of us who believe that Hitler escaped to South America, and growing up in France, our history book before the terminal exams, devoted a brief paragraph to this 20th century dictator, venturing that he was a monster. Stalin came next, but we won't go there.
"A left-of-center politics that remembers the Holocaust as one great historical tragedy among many" is one way to describe the above, but H. H. Munro wrote a short story, "The Cure-All', before he was killed in WWI, where a deliberate persecution of the Jews would be the greatest moral blight in contemporary times and impact on all of us, including French Protestant Huguenots.
Let me tell you, Mr. Douthat, that this reader would not be shouting from the rafters during WWII in Europe, that my maiden name means 'priest' in Hebrew.
And now we have an outspoken Joan of Arc, armed with the shield of Free Speech, taking on the Holy Crusade in Muslim garb. A friend of mine would box her ears if Ilhan Omar were her grand-daughter.
We are right back to zero when it comes to Hatred, known to this lapsed Catholic, as 'The Serpent on The Rock'. A perverse way that some Americans, turned trumpeting rhinos, feel is needed to hurt all of us before we heal.
'The Muslim congresswoman' is in America, where religion and politics seldom walk well together. Let us move forth, instead of debating what the left or right want in this latest controversy.
Spring forward for Daylight Savings, and save the children
It is perplexing that there is no middle ground on the issue of being able to criticize the U.S. relationship with the state of Israel and that criticism being viewed as antisemitic.
For many Americans, myself included, Netanyahu accepting an invitation to speak to our Congress, outside of Constitutional protocol that says such an invitation must be extended by the POTUS, crossed a line. Israel is not the 51st state and has no right to intrude on U.S. decision-making. AIPAC has every right to lobby, but they should not be immune from criticism if they, too, cross the line.
At the same time cooler heads should be aware that Americans who criticize Israel or AIPAC would defend with their lives any Jewish person on theses shores threatened by Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists, the true adherents of antisemitism.
It is wise to recall that Donald Trump is the one who said "there are good people on both sides" after the Neo-Nazis descended upon Charlottesville, chanting "Jews will not replace us," as Mr. Trump tries to fan the flames of discord in order to win votes.
1
Israel is unique and the government will act more independently than most others according to 100's of variables too numerous to calculate. However, time marches on and the Arab world is wealthy and can have anything that money can buy. Jewish exceptionalism might need to be better distinguished in non-religious term and slowly separate government and religion. Judaism will prosper and become much more valuable operating outside of politics than inside. The false front of White American evangelical support for Israel is based on a belief that the Jews ignored Jesus and will obviously miss-out on judgement day. This is not support, per se, and time marches on. Worse, demographics and geography are unfavorable as time moves on and Israel post WWII success might be difficult to duplicate once a dozen more despots have atomic weapons. Further , the false front of American ultra conservative support for Israel is not seated in geopolitical cement but rather the mood and madness of changing religious demographics and fluid beliefs. Israel is too important practically, symbolically and religiously to screwup. It needs to become the religious crossroads of history and the depository and documentation of humanity in the most important terms continuously
1
I think that you miss the essential point of Rep Omar's statements. It's not Anti-Israel that the issue (and you really went over the top with the picture), it's the old Anti-Semitic tropes that she keeps rolling out.
I don't ask for special treatment. Not as an American, Not as a Jew and certainly not as a member of a group that were one of the primary targets of the Holocaust.
Yes, Rep Omar suffered and I'm sorry that she went through that, I really am. However, as a member of Congress, she has a responsibility to her district and to American people, and trotting out Anti-Semitic slurs just ain't gonna cut it.
3
Check out what the anti-BDS movement has become. The anti-Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions people have taken to threatening people who consider products produced on occupied land as different. Keep in mind that what it means to occupy Palestinian territory is to forcefully take the land so that it can be used for some other purpose (say, farming, or housing). So to buy products grown on that land is to do business with people who have forcefully stolen land from others. But CUFI, which stands for Christians United For Israel, thinks that drawing that distinction is anti-semitic.
https://www.cufi.org/israel-warns-ireland-against-criminalizing-products-from-beyond-67-lines/
The reason that rightwing Christians are such fanatical supporters of Israeli attacks on Palestinians isn't a love of Jews or Judaism. It's an antipathy to Muslims. And considering that these Christians believe their mission is bringing the End Times when Jesus will return and most of the Jews will die, that's probably the biggest example of organized American anti-semtism currently in existence.
It's completely legitimate to nonviolently stand up to mistreatment of Palestinians, and the wild reactions against people like Rep. Omar only show that that view is becoming more widespread. It's not Jews we have to worry about, it's crazy neocons who love their Bibles too much.
2
I was initially excited about Rep.Omar's election victory. Our country is diverse, it thrives on diversity, and our elected officials should represent that diversity. I even gave her a pass after her initial controversial statements regarding Israel. However she has continued to make vague but concerning statements since then making me question what she truly stands for. She certainly has the right to her beliefs but she should be clear about what those beliefs are both for her constituents and for the rest of the country. The current opinion piece appears to take the position that anti-Semitism is a special kind of bigotry and that the left only sees it as one of many types of bigotry when it should not. Are you serious? Perhaps Omar and Douthat are of the same ilk. My bigotry is bigger that your bigotry! Meanwhile Steve King and Donald Trump promote the real hatred. The world is gray - not black and white. The new left needs to realize this and stop with dogmatic positions or they will become the new "Tea Party" or the new "Ayn Rand" politicians like Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan. Where are they now?
I'm afraid the majority of the people who have written in here, and especially those right-wing faux Christians who have whipped this story into the "fake news" frenzy it has become never stopped and listened to the Congressmember's actual quote. That is point number one.
Second, why does the NYT offer such paltry news coverage of the outright murders, maiming, and suffering that has been inflicted on the Palestinian people? I respect the many gifts that the Jewish people have shared with the world. I think many Jewish folks show disrespect to their own culture
by allowing and supporting this endless conflict.
Finally, Imagine a world where we spent hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars LESS on weapons. Wouldn't that get all of us closer to the message that that Jewish carpenter was suggesting a couple thousand years ago.
1
Douthat is one of the better columnists because he typically gives due considerations to both sides of an issue as in this instance with his weighing of philo-Semitism vs. anti-Semitism. This time, however, he’s slicing the salami too thin. Anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism. The lessons of the European destruction of the Jews during WEII are not something that can be tempered in time or placed within a context of moral relativism in which one historical wrong is balanced against another. “Never forget” is and always will be the shibboleth for preventing the holocaust from happening again. The Jewish State was created by the British government pursuant to the Balfour declaration after the end of WWI, but the need for it became even greater after WEII with the vast displacement of Jewish refugees after the holocaust, The reasons for its existence are not dependent on how other peoples or countries in the region are affected by it. One can blame Britain but don’t confuse the lingering effects of the breakup of the British empire with the need for a Jewish State in the first place. Anti-Semitic Arab states and non-Arab states such as Iran are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. There are no two ways about it. You either stand with Israel or with its enemies.
2
One tenth of the Jews in the US are orthodox. Most Jews have no contact with them because they tend to be separatist. The orthodox have unusual practices that make them stand out. Those who target Jews are more concerned with the other 90% and they are dangerous to many more of us. A photograph of the Orthodox has nothing to do with the threat to mainstream Jewsr and it depicts Jews as peculiar. The photo totally misses the point and is offensive. It makes its own stereotype by distorting the Jewish population that has been targeted.
12
@michjas
This is why the discussion of Jews should not be monolithic. There are vast differences and disagreement within and across the spectrum of American Jews. The charge of anti-Semitism is used to dissuade discussion or criticism by those outside the spectrum. You can't speak collectively and then dismiss those you don't want included in the discussion. 10% (representing a rapidly growing group) is significant.
"Jewish Americans weren’t just integrated, like other ethnic and religious groups. They also attracted a particular sympathy and admiration, rooted in Holocaust remembrance, affection for Israel, and a distinctive pride in the scope of their success.'. only a goyishe kop who has never personally experienced anti-semitic attacks would claim that jews are the beneficiaries of good will towards jews in this (or any other) country. anti-semitism is a world-wide hobby of gentiles.
3
Philo as a very old Greek student remembers means to love or to like. I do not believe philo -Semites is a real word or phrase.
But respecting the Jewish successes and their significant contributions to all aspects of American life does not mean that one has to be philo-Israel.
The Israel of the sixties is no more. To pretend otherwise is a fantasy.
As Douthat reminds us Israel is becoming a theocracy which he sees as a welcome counter balance to the secularization of western Europe and for me, hopefully the US.
Like Stephens he hopes against hope that the new wave of Israel skeptics in the Democratic party will drive American Jews into the arms of the Trump party that reuses to condemn neo Nazis.
American Jews are too intelligent to fall into that trap.
1
Douthat on Ilham Omar:
“…The Muslim congresswoman…using anti-Semitic clichés in her criticisms of the American-Israeli relationship.”
“…the defend-Omar project is a project that seeks to push us away from the age of philo-Semitism…”
“This is what the left seems to want…”
Ross, what if I were to descend to your level of generalization characterizing the president as user of anti-muslim clichés, defending the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and more? I am not going there.
Ilhan Omar is thus far one small voice concerned with US support for a country and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu faced with this decision:
One State or Two States?
If One, how will the West Bank and its Palestinian population be assimilated?
If Two will the Jewish settlers be sent back home?
There is no “defend-Omar project”. There is no American left worthy of the name. There was and is no “age of philo-Semitism” that I ever heard about in my 87 years as American citizen.
Ross try this:
Begin a discussion of the One State or Two State solution as part of the 2020 presidential nominating process. What might Ilhan Omar say in writing if she got help from an editor who could explain to her that phrases she picked up somewhere have meanings that she who did not grow up in the USA could possibly know. What will that carefully composed text say?
What will you say?
What will the President of the United States say?
Let’s go there.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
2
I hope Ross isn't correct in predicting that the "secularism" of the left is resulting in the dimming of Holocaust memory--it sure isn't for many of us over 60.
All I know is that hate in all its permutations is rising all over the world, with antisemitism--one of the oldest and most pernicious- leading the way.
I don't know what Omar thought she was elected to do in Congress, given her unsolicited comments against AIPAC, and just yesterday, against former President Obama, but she's certainly not helping the Democratic cause when it comes to its alleged "big tent" appeal.
The last thing thing the left needs now is to hand the president another wedge issue he can use to slam Democrats for sentiments his allies have so cynically exploited in blaming the migrant caravans on George Soros.
247
@ChristineMcM In this age of conspiracy theories, I contemplate another one: It seems that Omar is helping one person more than any other - Trump. If she continues her divisive statements, Trump and his supporters will continue to be delighted. So......is she really an agent to ensure trump's re-election?
15
@ChristineMcM
Your wise words highlight an issue: age and memory.
The Holocaust wasn't that long ago, nor was the bloody aftermath as survivors were attacked in the East and then imprisoned in concentration camps by the Brits, or locked behind the Iron Curtain.
The founding of Israel was greeted by an immediate, genocidal war. That was followed by several other wars and acts of terror. The wars were intended to destroy the state. Powerful groups like Hamas and Hezbollah use the language of Nazis and The Protocols to damn not only Israelis but all Jews and still preach the eradication of Israel as have Iranian leaders.
Somehow, this has been forgotten or was never known, like the near total disappearance of Jewry from the East.
We're rapidly forgetting, or our system never taught, recent history. One of Trump's people even characterized D-Day as an example of our fine relationship with Germany.
So this is a problem from the street to the White House and it afflicts all, not just the Right, not just the Left.
Lack of knowledge is a threat to any democracy.
But the intelligentsia of Europe weren't ignorant. They were just antisemitic. I'm afraid that's true of some Americans too and it scares me.
14
@ChristineMcM I feel like it's pretty wild for Douthat to claim that the left doesn't want to remember the Holocaust. Groups like Jewish Voice for Peace have launched the #IStandWithIlhanOmar hashtag not because they forgot the Holocaust, but because they continue to understand as Jews that the lesson of the Holocaust is that dehumanization of "other" communities can ultimately lead to the worst disasters.
What's happening to Rep. Omar is Islamophobia. I agree, honestly, that her having used the metaphor of "hypnotism" was antisemitic, though I don't think she intended it that way (Try a thought experiment: "Exxon has hypnotized the American public against climate action." Sounds normal, right?). I think it was unintended, but appropriate for her to apologize, because occult, otherwordly powers ascribed to "malicious Jews" is a key part of antisemitic history.
But her other comments were totally truthful and fine, and for that matter said nothing whatsoever about Jews. She said that there's a lobby that calls for rightwing policy in Israel (there is). She said that Americans are asked to sign allegiance agreements to Israel to support this rightwing (often Christian) policy (they are). The reason people read antisemitism into it is because they fear a black, Muslim woman.
If she's antisemitic to criticize Israel, then she must also be Islamophobic to critique Saudi Arabia?
7
As an American Jew, I have very few thoughts about what Omar tweeted, except to think that perhaps a five-word tweet is not the best means of expressing one's opinion on a subject as complicated and controversial as the US relationship with Israel.
But I deeply resent being fought over by the right and the left in this escalating war to see who can defend me more. You may frame this as "Who's a better friend to the Jews," but from where I stand, this is a dogfight and I'm the bone. (The right is being particularly disingenuous here, as has already been pointed out plenty of times. You are all terrible at spotting anti-semitism when it comes from one of your own.)
One result of all this is that the real anti-semites are being emboldened. Why not? There's a nationwide fight going on about Jews - of course they're going to join in. I've even seen openly anti-semitic comments on this article that seem to have slipped through moderation - and even more upsetting, people are upvoting those comments.
And one way I can tell you're not really on my side, Mr. Douthat, is that you frame this as a choice between anti-semitism and philo-semitism, both of which involve seeing Jews as an Other and giving us special treatment. Until a few years ago, I would have said that as a Jewish American I had something better than philo-semitism: acceptance.
515
@Katy Fantastic comment.
31
@Katy I definitely agree. As a Jew, I find this focus on Jews to be at best uncomfortable, but in reality frightening.
29
@J.Sutton
I appreciate your clarity and perspective. While I knew the "anti-philo" dichotomy felt wrong, nothing I was coming up came close to the visceral efficacy of the "bone in a dogfight" analogy.
29
In 1950-60s Nassau County, which was roughly 1/3rd Protestant, 1/3rd Catholic, and 1/3rd Protestant, there was no intellectualizing religious differences.
As a Catholic, I was called "Goy Boy" by Jewish kids in high school, and the "Anti-Christ" by Protestants.
Perhaps I knew a bit more than my peers about the Catholic/Jewish connection since my German grandfather was a "Shabos Goy" on the Lower East Side, while my grandmother was an Irish domestic for a Jewish family in the so-called "Kleinduetchesland" district3 near Gramercy Park.
It seemed to me that Jews and Catholics had a natural cultural affinity, especially with our mothers who loved to mete out guilt...with Jews seemingly born guilty, while we Catholics went to school to learn it.
That said...it seems to me that many Protestants philo for Jews is all about the ridiculous concept that Jews have to convert to Christianity before the second coming of Jesus. Nowhere in the New Testament gospels is that stated; it must be in their Gospel of Wealth.
Hatred among humanity's ethno-religious subgroups is an unfortunate reality of our weakness. The congresswoman was expressing her ignorance, which is reflected in many other districts in our country by "good Americans" who are of the Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim persuasion.
Ultimately, we humans are small minded and use our petty grievances to segment and demonize "others" out of fear.
7
"Finally, a great deal of the new anti-Semitism — from the recent wave of hate crimes in New York City to the anti-Jewish violence befouling Europe — would still be coming from minority and immigrant communities that are seen as essential to left-of-center and especially radical-left politics going forward, making them more difficult than right-wing anti-Semitism for the left to full-throatedly condemn."
This paragraph is the most worrisome point Mr. Douthat makes. It's an extremely uncomfortable fact for most liberals that their path to power involves a coalition not just of the righteous oppressed. As a society we value victimhood too highly. We cede the moral high ground to victims too readily when we should instead be valuing their perspectives on the quality of their words.
Ms. Omar's life experience is exceptional, but it's telling that as a Ethiopian Muslim woman she spends her breath on Israel and not, say, the Saudis. She would not receive the same criticism if she chose to critique the latter's relationship with the US, and would be much more credible in that regard. Ms. Omar knows this and doesn't care.
It's unfortunate that the big tent which Democrats need to cobble together for political success isn't comprised entirely of ultra-woke liberals. Liberals seem unwilling to confront this sad fact because their loudest fringe members are imposing purity tests on the party while giving a pass to special cases like Ms. Omar due to her minority status. What folly.
20
@Souvient So many commenters keep repeating that line about how she does not criticize the Saudis when in fact she is their most vocal critic in American politics. Talk about prejudice towards a Muslim woman!
Most well said. The very eclecticism of contemporary anti-Semitism - a system of tributaries streaming from the left, right and Islamic extremists at the same time - attests to its exceptional character.
It's noteworthy that defenders of Ilhan Omar allege she is victimized by disproportionate condemnation because she is a young Muslim woman of color. In fact, one could maintain precisely the opposite - that her demographic gestalt has won her an enormous amount of slack. If an older, white, Republican Christian had said precisely the same things as Omar he'd have been blasted to the skies. Remember Steve King?
14
@Abbott Katz
' If an older, white, Republican Christian had said precisely the same things as Omar he'd have been blasted to the skies.'
The current president of the United States during his campaign tweeted a picture of Hilary Clinton, superimposed over piles of money, with a Star of David next to her emblazoned with the words 'Most corrupt candidate ever'.
He has also, lest we forget, considered actual, real, explicit Nazis 'very fine people'.
The Republican Party has been silent on that, while the Virginian government has basically accused Ilhan Omar of being responsible for 9/11.
1
Millions of voters voted Democratic in the 2018 Congressional election without the slightest idea that Pelosi would give freshman Omar, with a history of having already made antisemitic remarks, a highly coveted seat on the House Foreign Relations Committee. Normally a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee is awarded to much more experienced much more highly qualified House members.
And certainly not awarded to antisemites.
Why?
That was highly undemocratic because only a very few American voters wanted Omar to be awarded a seat on the House Foreign Relations Committee.
Unfortunately Omar turns out to be a huge political gift for Trump.
7
There is nothing wrong with criticizing Israeli polices, but Rep. Omar's use of reprehensible language in describing Jewish lobbyists and the questionable things she said in her interview with Politico (which she denied until Politico produced the audio) makes me think that she is hurting her party.
Ms. Omar would do well to read Andrew Sullivan's essay in New York magazine, "How Should We Talk About the Israel Lobby’s Power?"
Sullivan talks about Israel's and Israeli lobby's strong opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. As he put it, "The lowest moment was when the Evangelical-dominated GOP invited Benjamin Netanyahu to address the Congress to rant against the president’s policy in a final, bitter act of spite. The president wasn’t even notified of the invitation. I ask you: Can you imagine any other leader of any other ally who would treat the president of the United States this way? And it’s hard to forget that Oval Office press chat when Netanyahu simply lectured Obama and treated him with what can only be called contempt. I’ve never seen anything like it."
It is as if Israel is giving aid to the US and not the other way around.
Again, there is a way oppose Israeli policies without resorting to anti-Semitic language.
3
Anti-Semitism in the Western world is special because violence against Jews resident in Europe has been so much a part of Western history.
Selective violence against Jews in Europe can be traced back as far as the mass murder of Jews in the Rhineland by the People's Crusade of 1096. It wasn't until after the Holocaust that casual anti-Semitism was no longer socially acceptable in the Western world. Or at least not in public.
So critics of Israeli policy need to be careful that their words can't be mistaken for attacks on the Jewish people. Because anti-Semitism is a venerable Western tradition that's had horrific consequences and never quite goes away.
As a Muslim member of Congress who represents both Jews and Muslims, Ms Omar has a unique opportunity to work with both to find ways to promote reconciliation and cooperation in Israel / Palestine. That means learning to communicate in ways that don't make her appear anti-Semitic when she criticizes Israeli government policy. Climate change is going to have a profound effect on that land. In responding to it, Jew and gentile and Muslim will either work together or broil separately.
7
@writeon1 Europe is very diverse as to its history, politics, languages, religions and prevalence of anti-Semitism. I am getting tired sometimes of seeing it described as if it had all been one big backwards Tsarist Russian countryside.
@Elisabeth
True enough. As a non-Jew, I can only imagine and try to empathize, but I believe that if I had been a Jewish Holocaust survivor after World War II, I'd have left Europe behind me as fast as I possibly could, bypassing even the Netherlands. According to my limited understanding of history, violent anti-Semitism was imposed on the Netherlands by the Nazis, not homegrown, but that didn't make it any less lethal. Anti-Semitism has had a very long reach.
Anti-Semitism is abhorrent hate speech. But in America it has also become an accusation by some in order to restrict criticism, curtail speech and prohibit political expression by boycott.
1
I couldn't disagree more. Trump accusing George Soros of being behind "caravans" of migrants from Central America, containing terrorists from the Middle East, is not civil discussion. It is put forward as pure, unadulterated anti-Semitism. And with him in charge, neo-Nazis are crawling out of the woodwork.
@Portola
No criticism of Soros was based on or referred to his Jewish background. The way things are going, It is not inconceivable that in a not too distant future simply criticising or disagreeing with someone with a Jewish background is an anti-Semitic “trope.” The accusation of anti-Semitism now includes criticism of Zionism and the state of Israel except under the mildest and most broadly contextual terms. Such extremism is always self-defeating.
Where professional member of the Republican Commentariat Douthat’s column condemning the Republican Party for the daily, largely unpunished lie-based bigoted verbal attacks by Trump and other Republican politicians against Jews, immigrants, LGBTQ and people of color? Where is his column condemning the rise in physical attacks and even killings of minorities since Trump began his campaign in 2015? Could it be that he doesn’t actually care about bigotry unless it can be used in a purely partisan attack on Democrats? Could it be that no one on the Right, Douthat included, actually possesses a moral compass? But, of course, this is the age of right-wing false equivalence. One Democratic House member makes anti-semitic remarks and the Right loses its mind, albeit in a politically advantageous way, and declares in lock step that all Democrats are bigots in equal measure to the worst right-wingers. It really is too bad that neither of Douthat's religions, Republican or Catholic, teaches honesty or morality.
I give Douthat credit for coming up with this new spin that keeps the false equivalency of anti Semitism as something practiced by both sides except he approaches not from the increasing weak argument that the left is anti Semitic to the lefti s not sufficiently pro-Semitic.
What Douthat leaves out is WHY in post WWII America we were a rabidly pro-Israel nation.
It was called the Cold War and Israel was our proxy in that part of the world, especially if we needed a base to use to help keep the oil supply lines open.
All of the other middle east nations, except, perhaps, Jordan, were solidly in the Soviet Union sphere of influence.
Israel's significance to us began to wane as back as the late 1970s when the Egypt-Israeli peace treaty was signed and then even more so when the Soviet Union fell.
Today Israel has become more of an albatross for us with its PM taking pages right out of the Trump play book in terms of corruption and its own home grown forms of anti Semitism.
The fact that 23 Republicans voted FOR hate last week shows Nancy Pelosi is still in firm control of the agenda despite the mountain right wingers are trying to create out of this Omar-hill.
1
Douthat accurately describes certain tendencies in segments of American public opinion, but he also exaggerates their importance. Many critics of Israel retain a deep affection for both the country and the Jewish people who created it as a refuge in the wake of the Holocaust. We denounce some of its policies because we find them unworthy of a democracy. Since the US has committed offenses as bad as or worse than those attributed to Israel, we may stand convicted of imposing a double standard. But the fact remains that our evaluation of Israeli behavior stems from a deep respect and support for the Jewish state. In like manner, most Americans who react angrily to the actions of their own country do so out of love rather than contempt.
As for antisemitism in America, this noxious weed refuses to die despite sustained efforts to root it out. The Jewish effort to preserve their religious beliefs and culture inevitably distinguishes them from a majority that least nominally identifies as Christian. If a Jewish heritage defined the culture of most Americans, then Christians would face questions about their loyalty to the country.
A country which draws its population from every culture and ethnic background on the planet, moreover, inevitably confronts fears about the loyalty of its diverse demographics. At different times in our history, Germans, Japanese, Italians and the Irish have all faced prejudice for this reason. Sometimes, Douthat overthinks his analyses.
Perhaps the biggest lie of the week but not his presidency, came when Trump spoke of Democrats as anti-Israel and anti- Semitic.
While Democrats had an honest debate about the comments made by a Congresswoman, it should be noted that while the party sometimes is critical of the right wing government of Naetanyahu, its commitment to the idea of Israel’s right to exist is inviolable. It has also been the leading voice in speaking out about rising anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly ahead.
By the way, why doesn’t Trump ever renounce the right wing movements in Europe, America and right in his own party by the likes of Steve King?
2
@JT FLORIDA. Steve King got booted off his committees. The Dems are painting Omar as a victim.
1
Why did I even think for a second that this title might not conceal an article that was really only about bashing the left?
Why not have a serious discussion about the more general (and important) topic of whether anti-Semitism is an exceptional concept, or whether its not that different from other forms of prejudice?
Would that be too dry and academic, or not allow enough people to do what they do with every issue in this country today? Namely, try and use it to score political points for their side?
Regardless of race, creed, color, identity, etc., it's not the words philo- or anti- that are the problem. It's the word 'exceptionalism'
that disingenuously yet always acts a dog whistle to create all of the trouble. Always has, always will. Nothing more, nothing less.
2
Happy to see that you didn't bring President Trump into your article as he doesn't belong there. But reading the comments one can't help but see the pure hatred of Trump. He truly doesn't belong in this argument.
Omar is pro-Palestinian. In my mind when you include that with her comments over the years then that makes her an anti-Semite. Those in Congress defending her are weak representatives of their constituents. Clyburn should have known better but then again, am I really surprised at his statement?
6
@Donald, clearly you haven't met any Palestinians. You will be surprised they have 2 arms 2 legs also breathe in air and red blood flows through them. They also have a skin covering their organs, epidermis, which has many shades. They are as human as you. And they have every right to call planet earth their home.
1
When I read an opinion piece, I hope to learn a new perspective or insight for the topic at hand. This one gave more nuanced insight than any other I've read in a while. Thank you!
I sympathize strongly with the point, but I think the author makes it sound too easy to separate 'acceptable' disapproval of Israel's settlements/conservative/nationalist positions and general anti-semitism. Even though the landscape is as different as can be, we will NEVER be able to consider Jews the way we would if the Holocaust had not happened. Our perceptions of people, of groups, are always going to be done with a background of the history between them and much more.
2
Just an observation. Is the recent NYT editorial exposing the shortcomings of Orthodox schools in Brooklyn antisemitic? Is criticism of the acts of the United States anti Christian? And why is it that criticism of Iran is not Islamophobic? What is the standard? Why is it that almost everyone running for office has to make a show of their Christian credentials (as in the wild fantasy that Trump is a "Christian")? Why is it that almost everyone running for office has to make a very public commitment to Israel? Answer these questions honestly, Ross, and see how well you make out in the public square.
3
its not surprising that at least one co- reader here used the word contortions (as i recently have) to describe Ross Douthat's writing. more to the point : we've moved way passed the age of philosophizing about the holocaust or pontificating about how really terrible it was. if Mr. Douthat feels that Omar's suffering as a recent refugee can convincingly be compared with what jews ( and many others) went through by the Nazis, or for that matter, throwing the plight of the Palestinians ( who somehow seem to like remaining refugees after 72 years ?!)into his mix- that's his right.
what Douthat and most other commentators on the Omar issue seem to miss is : the Arab - jewish ( or if he prefers : the Palestin ian- Israeli) conflict was churning LONG before there were any settlements or the IDF ( israel defense forces) where involved.
historically / factually speaking - that conflict still exists because
at the end of the 1947-49 war, the fighting was stopped at the so-called "armistice line" ( " green line"), and no peace resolution was reached between the warring sides. the many Israeli peace initiatives were rejected, the Palestinians can't get their act together for peace and recognition of the fact that Israel is there to stay, and the Palestinians' insistence ( read their various charters)that their goal is destruction of Israel and NOT a state of their own - are all historical facts that anyone commenting on this topic needs to familiarize themselves with. mostly Rep. Omar.
4
I am Jewish.
I think, feel this kind of article is extremely important.
I am highly disappointed on how much North American Jews have lost their religion and its basic tenants.
Yes, one can be Jewish, is Jewish even if not religious, but the real richness of all that it is to Jewish is then lost including a broader perspective of the meaning of life.
2
@Stanley, the more we cling to our identity the harder it is for us to step away and observe in a detached manner. Clinging or stickiness is what the Buddha called attachment and he observed it brought a lot of pain and suffering with it. Being detached or non attached have one the freedom and respite from being pulled into a self created concrete identity. We are much bigger than our narrow identities.
1
There is a steady inference from the right that the Democrats are experiencing an infiltration of Corbinism into their party. While a few back benchers are having their say, the situations are quite different in that no party leaders are backing them. While the influence and control of the Netanyahu government over American popular opinion might be waning, this has nothing to do with anitsemitism in the US. To turn the tables, Netanyahu has invited as honored guests to Israel the Pastor Charles Hagee to garner continued US evangelical support despite his blatantly antisemitic theology. Hagee wouldn't be welcomed at any Temple in the United States.
2
What Representative Omar said was unacceptable, and she deserves to be criticized. That said, politicians can say and have said worse about Muslims and refugees from Central America before there's anything approaching the outrage directed at her.
3
Very well thought out.
I don’t think there’s any question about Omar’s Jew and Israel hatred. She is reflecting her upbringing in a third-world Muslim country. I’d hardly expect her to champion Zionism.
But I do expect more from Clyburn. Can you imagine a Jewish politician saying that slavery is old history? I loathe the ‘my oppression was worse than yours’ trend.
And let’s not forget that many of Israel’s most strident critics are not only protesting Netanyahu’s policies (which even I think have gone too far), they are protesting Israel’s legitimacy and existence as a Jewish state.
Bernie Sanders is beneath contempt. Despite his long-ago work at a kibbutz, he self-identifies as a “Polish American.” I have never heard that before; every Jew with any historical sense knows that Poland was the graveyard of Jewish history.
And as far as I can tell, the American Jews who begin every diatribe with “I’m an American Jew,” need to be reminded that it confers no special insight or status into the Jewish or Israeli issue. Eating bagels and lox on Sunday morning doesn’t make them more aware of the dangers faced by Israelis, or the increasing dangers of simply being Jewish in America or Europe.
The GOP may very well have a lot of fringe anti-semites, but the Democrats are making it mainstream, almost a litmus test to see who’s a real progressive.
These are dangerous times.
8
Ross, criticism of an obnoxious, far-right, expansionist Israeli regime is not antisemitism - but once someone crosses that line between blunt criticism of a bad regime to broad criticism of an entire people, many of whom have increasingly disassociated themselves from the actions of that same regime, they deserve to be called out and made an example of.
Establishment of the State of Israel was perhaps an imperfect remedy to a centuries long toxic-when-not-genocidal environment created by Christians, egged on allegedly infallible scriptures that paint Jews as the heavy in Jesus' crucifixion (instead of the Romans who obviously called all the shots).
I wish Roosevelt and later Truman had the courage to raise their voices in those two troubled decades, and proclaim to the world, "give us the Jews". But those voices were never raised - and so a State of Israel became necessary.
I have no idea whether Congresswoman Omar is antisemitic - but I do know we on the adult Left will not tolerate antisemitism going forward.
No group of immigrants to this country has ever made a more powerful and lasting contribution to our national culture and spirit as have Jewish Americans.
When the white supremacists that Trump flirts with chant "Jews will not replace us", they are sadly mistaken - inasmuch as American Jews, by virtue of their extraordinary record of educational, business, and artistic achievement, long ago left them in the dust.
2
Every day brings a new real life horror story from the annals of the Black experience in America. From the Middle Passage to Jim Crow to Stephon Clark, it's four centuries, and counting.
As Mr. Douthat climbs onboard the "America's Most Exceptional Hatred" train, perhaps he could insert an asterisk: * Not including the African American experience.
2
I am a Catholic enagineering academic who “ really likes” Judaism and Jews. As a Catholic, I always saw Judaism as a fundamental basis for my Catholicism. As an engineering academic, who’s career spanned much of the latter half of the last century, I salute my Jewish colleagues as exceptional contributors to my enjoyment and growth as a professional.
I abhor the Holocaust as a crime against humanity, not as a crime against the Jews. I celebrate Israel because many of the values it, and America, personifies. I count Israel as one of the places that are my bucket list of places to once again visit, because of the enjoyment of previous visits and an affection numerous Israeli colleagues who shared these visits.
I abhor the policeies of the Netanyahu administration. While abhoring these policies, I still support Israel. This is the position of numerous American Jews. It would be unacceptable to suggest my continuing support reflects a conflicted loyalty. A suggestion that American Jews continuing to support Israel are conflicted in their loyalty is anti-Semitic.
Congresswoman Omar was, and is, wrong. This is not an issue of political creed. Douthat obfuscates what should be clear.
7
Once upon a time, it seems that American Jews were not considered "white" by many people, even though most were of European descent and Caucasian. It seems part of the column's argument is that American Jews are well on the way to being considered just another white group, unworthy of special distinction, and as much a part of the dominant white hierarchy as others.
1
The voters of one small District in Minnesota need to turn Ilhan Omar out of Office and get rid of her in the 2020 Election. Like the Ocasio-Cortez situation in New York, this is another situation from the 2018 Election in which individual elected is working AGAINST the best interests of America. America's worst enemies are its internal enemies who have now hoodwinked voters and infiltrated Congress.
They must be expelled from Congress immediately and/or for sure be voted OUT of Congress in the 2020 Elections!
2
AIPAC has trying to sell the notion that criticism of its right wing political agenda is anti-Semitism for decades with some success. Finally people are waking up to this canard.
2
It is interesting that Douthat and many others who write on this issue use a number of euphemisms and avoid the specific reasons WHY there is a progressive divorce from Israel underway. It is not merely that the government has drifted to the right, it is that a form of apartheid has now been implemented and is widely accepted as the status quo. Also, as America debates it's "wall", Israel serves as a model for a Trump administration regularly described as fascist by liberal commentators. The current government in Israel now forms alliances with anti-Semitic right wing governments, such as the one in Hungary, and domestic hate groups in Israel. Omar is also a former refugee. The Palestinians are one of the world's largest populations of displaced people and groups like AIPAC lobby to maintain, and increase, that number. Intellectual exercises in the rise and fall of "Philo-semistism" are interesting, but there are some central issues to the debate that are being completely ignored (in fact, Douthat's piece does not even mention the word "Palestinian").
2
If memory serves me correctly, didn’t America’s Congress not that long ago appropriate an all-time historic amount of foreign aid to the State of Israel and, therefore, to its citizens. This continuing, multi-decade generosity and unflinching financial support hardly reflects that any wave of anti-Semitism is awash in the land, including its political parties, but the opposite. While the provocative actions of the present Netanyahu government has produced much angry reaction, Israel and the Jewish people, including the horrors of the Holocaust, remain an important part of our national consciousness.
Of course, you'll always be able to count on the right to provide a safe space for philo-Semitisim.
A two thousand year old habit is hard to break.
2
@Harry Epstein
I found out about one pogrom in my country, in the 12th century. If I missed others let me know. Do not generalize as if there was world-wide continuous Jew hatred for two thousand years, please.
And then the neighbors paid us a visit 80 years ago, and 80 percent (!) of Dutch Jews were murdered. Fear and cowardice on the part of the Dutch population played a major role. Far more than 'Jew hatred'. In the last opinion poll on anti-Semitism the Netherlands had 5% anti-Semitism, while anti-Muslim sentiment was at 30%. Apparently habits change more easily than you think.
Sadly, I am not surprised that Ross Douthat can write 1,000 words about anti-Semitism and Rep. Omar and never once use the word Palestinian. For many on the right, the Palestinians and their plight continue to be an inconvenient truth. By not naming them, by making them invisible, is to deny them their place in this conversation, one in which their interests are as great as those of the Israelis and the Jewish diaspora. Certainly, recognizing them would not be, as Mr. Douthat sniffs, “ceding moral authority to minority groups who are more immediately oppressed.”
3
It is obviously a nuanced thing, but perhaps part of the problem is conflating antisemitism with antizionism with being critical of the extreme right and discriminatory policies of the Israel administration.
Just like we can think of any country (gonna pick Mexico, my home country), Mexicans are generally warm and good people, the role of Mexico in history, particularly its foreign policy is remarkably good, but the past three administrations were particularly bad and their policies were particularly criticable and a shame for most Mexicans.
From Jewish people I can only say that as a group they have a disproportionate positive impact for humanity, and that sadly they have actually been singled out as a special case and attacked and harassed through history as such, and that that should warrant a safe haven where they can feel completely safe (although they -and everyone- should be safe anywhere in the world). I believe that the state of Israel is necessary out of how much hatred still exists against Jewish people.
Having said that, it doesn’t make me any les critical to policies I view as discriminatory by the state of Israel, and it doesn’t make me antisemitic in any way. I don’t think there’s an easy solution to the current problem of an Israeli and Palestinian states, I just don’t believe that violence is the answer in any way, and I believe is those which the upper hand who can shape how things become.
Dear Mr Douthat,
We should all re-read "Moses and Monotheism."
When I read the novel Exodus, I sympathized with the Jews who were trying to get into Israel to establish settlements. It's quite an amazing story.
Now that I know the stories of the Palestinians who were living in what is now Israel, I have sympathy for their plight. Does that make me anti-Semitic?
The unscrupulous will use either the Jews quest or a homeland or the Palestinian desire for right of return to manipulate opinion and enhance power. If both sides would give up things that are important to them, perhaps there could be peace, but that's a lot to ask. Just consider how Native Americans feel about the injustices that have happened throughout our history.
Here are my observations:
--Colonizing the West Bank is wrong. Israel has no right to do so.
--Being anti Netanyahu and anti Likud is not being anti Israel...
--A nation that declares a state religion is not a democracy.
--Religion should not be a deciding factor in the foreign policy of the United States.
--Israel is an ally of the United States, but that does not mean that we should support every action that Israel takes.
--Israel's stand toward Iran has led us astray. We should never have removed ourselves from the Iran Nuclear Agreement.
4
Exceptionalism was not illogical for many Americans to suspect that within the American Jewish community were sympathizers of Israel’s espionage when a major American Jewish intelligence worker (Jonathan Jay Pollard) in 1987 was convicted under our Espionage Act of spying for Israel.
Not many Americans, Jewish or otherwise, share that suspicion today. Not even Rep. Ilhan Omar. What remains true of American Gentile relations to American Jews is that while most Americans admire American Jews, as minorities everywhere, it is also true that most people really only love their own, right or wrong. Aren’t all ethnic and racial majorities only so many political minorities in our elections?
The problem for Omar and her critics is that they both may be blind politically to a social reality. Not all people associate the one with the many, but enough of them have a history of doing so when it is to their advantage at the news reports headlining a hero or reprobate associated with them or another minority. Critics of Rep. Omar attack her criticism of Israel’s political influence here based in their sense that she threatens Israel’s political exceptionalism in America. She views them as threats to her political role. It has nothing to do with whether they like or admire one another. And the antagonism is not about exceptionalism.
Remember the concept of Separation of Religion and State.
It sounds like you’ve never visited the country.
2
I've seen a great deal of antisemitism in my life Ross, and the overwhelming majority of it came from middle class, right wing Christians. Being a Jew with the unlikely first name of Sal makes many think they are in the presence of a gentile.
I seem to recall a last minute ad by the Trump campaign featuring attacks on Janet Yellen, Lloyd Blankfein, and George Soros. Forgive me if hearing familiar code words and watching images of Jews bring to mind a clear reminder of the past.
I haven't attended many liberal rallies lately, but I assume the good people there have never said "Jews will not replace us."
“America should look like the world.” So we let the world in indiscriminantly, because “discrimination is bad.”
As America comes to be more representative of the world, we are, somewhat belatedly reminded that the world is a mean horrible Hobsian place, that what is best about America is culturally particular.
Perhaps a serious right-wing Catholic needs to hear from a serious, left-wing Jew (one who attends an Orthodox synagogue) in order to make sense of the situation vis a vis Rep. Omar: as much as Jews denounce anti-Semitism, a great many of us also dislike being condescended to. Much like everyone else, Jews are individuals. Some of us do very bad things (right, Michael Cohen?) and some of us don't even acknowledge, let alone apologize for, the very bad things that we do (right, Jared?). We don't need to be excused or lionized simply because we're Jews nor should we have rights extended to us that aren't granted to anyone else. And, most importantly, we don't need to see a Jewish-majority state in the Middle East held up as a pillar of integrity and righteousness despite the fact that its leaders confiscate the property of Muslims who live outside its internationally-recognized borders and deny them the voting rights that are routinely extended to the Jewish settlers who've supplanted them. Some of us are more ashamed by the policies of that Jewish-majority state than we are enraged by some thoughtless or exaggerated comment that escapes the lips of a non-Jewish rookie congresswoman. And, speaking of which, I can testify to the fact that there are members of my own congregation whose ONLY loyalty is to that aforementioned Jewish-majority state. And that, alas, is no exaggeration.
10
I'm "liberal." I'm certainly not anti Semitic and yet: I owe absolutely no allegiance, respect or loyalty to Israel. Deal with it.
I have obligation to support financially or philosophically the existence of Israel. I think there are a lot of Americans who feel exactly the same way I do.
2
Why shouldn’t you respect The only democracy in the Middle East? With all of its problems and there are problems, the fact still remains it’s the only place in the Middle East where American values exist.
2
I think Michelle Goldberg, in her recent column, let Rep. Ilhan Omar off too easily. I agree with Brett Stephens' tougher position. I think she knows perfectly well what she’s doing. I also feel many of her supporters are naive in believing otherwise. http://tinyurl.com/y46womk5
http://tinyurl.com/y64uef75
This is not about criticizing Israel; that’s not the source of controversy. Rather, it’s the words Omar used, the tried-and-proved anti-Semitic tropes, as Goldberg pointed out. She’s feigned ignorance, but I don’t believe her; she’s too bright not to be aware of the effect of her words. With Stephens, I believe she'd like to import Corbynism into the Democratic Party, as a means, ultimately, to weaken both support for Israel, and Jewish influence in this country. I do hope her constituents vote her out in 2020.
In Trump’s recent comments, it’s easy to see how much ammunition this contretemps has provided to the Republican Party, at a time when Democrats should be laser-focused on 2020. Surely, Omar must be aware of how much she’s hurting Democratic chances in the next election, which many consider make-or-break for American democracy. Is it not fair to ask where her loyalties lie?
8
Ironic, but one might make a similar argument about gay people as Douthat makes about Jews. Special accomplishments through history, hiding, stigma & ‘genociidal’ HIV scourge. This followed by wave of philo-gaiety & marriage equality...then an upsurge of murderous rage and evangelical damnation.
The main point seems to be that haters keep rising from the ash can of history.
5
Omar is entitled to an anti-Zionist, anti-Israel, anti-AIPAC position if it is hers. Rather than respond in a neo-Stalinist fashion to a Junior Representative, one would think that foresight suggests House and Senate might take steps to ensure that Trump will not retain power should he lose the election in 2020. Even better it could defund the American Support of the Saudi War Effort. The democrats might even trade a wall for lack of military support of the Saudis. The Congress has many important things to do. Wasting time on an anti-bigotry resolution is a frivolous use of the Congresses time.
Well written and much appreciated. The far left of the Democratic Party is slowly normalizing anti-semitism
What Omar did was not simply criticizing Israel, but showing hate and bias against Jews. Her defenders, Jewish or not, refuse to acknowledge it.
Anti-Israeli politics (which for most people, including some Jews), knowingly or not, transcends Israel and is really aimed at Jews.
I have no issue with someone criticizing Israel when the criticism is just (and Israel definitely can be justifiably criticized), the problem is two-fold: Israel is held to far higher standard than any other country and that statements against Israel often are directed not at policy, but at the legitimacy of its existence.
7
The initial attempt by congress to pass a resolution to condemn only antisemitism , when it did not do so for even worst kind of hate speech against other groups, proves exactly the point what Ilhan Omar was making. Why we cannot criticize US-Israel relations when such support of Israel is counter productive? What benefits USA gets from Israel for such beyond question support of Israel? Spare me the mantra of democracy and morality in light of Palestinian oppression.
I'm not sure I am fully convinced by Mr. Douthat's argument, which seems politically opportunistic rather than coherent and logical. Mr. Douthat has no evidence to declare that the "left" has been "philo-semitic" as a reflexive position—a declaration made with some suspicious ambiguity, as if an indictment. In an odd way, Mr. Douthat's trope seems to be to accuse the "left" of that which Ms. Omar, indefensibly, has accused many across the political spectrum —a simultaneous embrace of Jewish identity and the exceptionalism of Israel. I think that there are many reasons to embrace our fellow citizens who are Jewish and Israeli democracy, but you do not have to be left or right to do so. Mr. Douthat implies, as has Ms. Omar, that the left has been uncritical, and indicts them for abandoning this position. He the criticizes the "left" without evidence for embracing a truly contemptible alternative for political advantage. This seems more of a continued effort by Mr. Douthat, on behalf of his conservative republican fellow travelers, to act as apologists for anti-semites and racists that make up much of his political brethren. He accuses those he holds in contempt—the "left"—of what he would have his readers is replacing one transgression with another for political expedience. I ask Mr. Douthat to explain how he arrived at this fanciful, insidious, argument. Certainly not by using facts, for his column has none; indeed such malignant political agitprop is never based on fact.
1
I'm a liberal Democrat, now retired from academia. I was pro-Israel for much of my youth, and I--like almost everyone who spends his or her life as a university faculty member-- recognize and respect the vast contributed to human knowledge made by Jewish scholars in almost every academic discipline.
The behavior of Israelis during the past 70 years, however, especially the profound misery in which they have kept the Palestinians, has left me convinced that Israel, as it is currently constituted, must be radically changed or cease to exist. I don't blame individual American Jews, but I see Israel today as a political cancer that all of us should help and reform. Theocracies are bad for everyone, especially if they have nuclear weapons. The USA, under a better president, will have tools that will allow us, with the help of the EU, to correct Israel's immoral and dangerous actions.
2
A problem with Rep. Omar is that she uses terms that could be described as anti-Semitic but could also just be common phrases. I grew up in Brooklyn and have been Jewish my entire life, many more years than Rep. Omar has been alive, and I have never heard of some of these 'tropes'. How can we expect a Somali-born non-English (originally) speaker to know of all these things?
Additionally, much of what she has said may very well be true. Criticism of Israel or even actual anti-Zionism is not ipso facto anti-Semitism. Many American Jews also find problems with the behaviors of the current Israeli government toward non-Jews under Israeli control, including Israeli citizens.
Perhaps the political pile-up on her shows that she was actually right about political influence. After all, a California Democrat recently wrote, "...questioning support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is unacceptable.” How can questioning anything that our government does be "unacceptable"?
The mistake that the Congressional Democrats made was in not immediately coming to Omar's defense when she was attacked as anti-Semitic by the GOP when she spoke about Sen. Rubio's anti-BDS bill (now law) depriving American citizens of their First Amendment right to peacefully oppose the actions of a specific foreign country.
As she said: Do (those senators) know who they work for? They work for Americans and should be protecting our Constitutional rights.
5
Bravo. Wonderful article!