Anti-semitism’s presence in modern day
Nothing ever truly disappears in history. Even though society has become increasingly inclusive, anti-semitism and neo-nazism remains a persistent threat.
What is anti-semitism
Anti-semitism is when an individual or group is hostile towards Jewish people. Whether for religious reasons, politics, or stereotypes, it involves physical and mental abuse towards them. Hostility against Jews tracks back to the times of Pharaoh enslaving Israelites due to Egypt’s increasing Jewish population.
These sentiments persisted into the 1940s, when Adolf Hitler craved power and world dominance. He took advantage of Germany’s desperation, convincing the populace that Germany’s woes were due to the malevolence of the Jews. He then set up concentration camps for Jews and anyone else that did not represent his idea of an Aryan race.
The resurgence of anti-semitism is present in modern day even though it never truly went away. After a long, in-depth history of conquering the land of Israel, the land became home to many Jews. It is a complex conflict between many forces, but Palestinians and Israelis have been in battle for decades carrying into present day.
Israel was initially established in about 1700 BC by the Jews. It became known as Israel and they established a monarchy and made Jerusalem the capital. Soon after, the land faced conquests from outside powers that resulted in many of its inhabitants fleeing to other parts of Europe.
The Roman Empire gave the Judah region of Israel to Palestine which challenged Jewish dominance in the region. Arabs later aimed to spread their religion in the area. Since the Roman Empire’s dominant religion was Christianity, three religions fought for dominance over Israel.
Fighting between the three religions ensued, each one considers Israel integral to their religious beliefs. This incentivized Jews to move back to Israel to fight for Jewish ownership of the country, a movement now known as Zionism.
In the aftermath of World War I, Britain was required to provide Jews with a homeland, which was Israel. Even after this, many other religions claim Israel as their homeland, feeling spiteful towards Israelites and Jews for claiming Israel.
Tensions grew between the Arabs and Jews who both claimed the land and led to acts of violence. In the 1930s, the Jewish population increased in Palestine due to the fear of persecution in Germany. The British limited Jewish immigration and then the Holocaust happened.
The Holocaust was a culmination of antisemitism. Many centuries (hence the Israelites in Egypt conflict and the fight over the land of Israel) of religious, political, and cultural assumptions took place beforehand proving that antisemitism existed before the Holocaust. And furthermore, the Holocaust was not an end either.
Neo-nazis revive ideologies that took place in the past only to continue violence imposed on Jewish lives and blame them if something terrible happens.
On the morning of October 27, 2018, the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA had Saturday morning Shabbat services when Robert Bowers entered and yelled, “All Jews must die” before killing 11 congregants. He was armed with several handguns and an assault rifle. The shooter also highlighted his strong antisemitic beliefs on social media. Some content included claiming the Jews transported immigrants from Latin America to the U.S.
Since March 22, 2022 there have been 4 attacks on Israel by Palestinians killing 14 people. The most recent attacks in Israel took place in Tel Aviv.
These incidents reinforce the sentiment that Jews are the scapegoats of problems that have nothing to do with them.
Where is it present today
The BBC released a report a mere thirteen hours ago revealing the global rise in anti-Semitic hate. In New York and Los Angeles–two prominent US cities–anti-Semitic hate crimes have doubled compared to recent years. It is important to note that the United States’s Jewish population is only second to that of Israel. These incidents in France have increased by 75% since 2020; the UK reported similar numbers with a 78% increase.. Lastly, Australia has reported having 88 hate crimes against Jews in one month alone.
This increase may be a reaction to the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Social media has also been a catalyst for anti-Semitic hate speech as well. The spread of misinformation and fake news only furthers this issue.
How it is being handled
Rutgers University recently experienced a slew of attacks on a Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi). On April 22, before Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), four cars of Palestinian supporters drove past the fraternity house waving Palestine’s flag while yelling anti-semitic comments, spitting in their direction, and throwing objects at the house. The house was already egged a few months back, only for this to happen again right before Yom HaShoah.
Members of AEPi called the police after Friday’s incident. None of the perpetrators were Rutgers students. This is, however, still heart wrenching to hear. The school, with a large population of Jewish students, has not done much to acknowledge that this is a hate crime. An email was sent out to acknowledge the harsh acts, but not much was done in terms of legal action.
A lot of hateful acts have been committed and most have only been talked about… Simply discussing these attacks is not enough to actually prevent them in the future; the school needs to be proactive rather than reactive if it wants to ensure the safety of its Jewish students. The world may never be at peace, but we can work towards developing an understanding for one another.
What we can do
- Read up on past history
- Watch some documentaries
- Show empathy
- Accept differences
- Ask questions if you don’t understand
- Report unsolicited behavior to authorities
- Take infographics with a grain of salt, some may have inaccuracies
- Write a letter to members of Congress/school or community newspaper expressing concerns/views
- Learn more about and connect with national organizations (ADL, HIAS, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, or a local Jewish community)
