Jew hatred comes in many forms, all of them irrational and unsupported by empirical fact, but all of them powerful and largely effective in deflecting personal and political failures onto a tiny people which by their mere existence highlight the glaring deficiencies that exist in their adversaries. Like a deadly systemic infection, be it viral or bacterial, Jew hatred comes in many strains.
STRAIN #1—THE DUMB FACTOR
This strain is based mostly on ignorance. In short, a dim-witted parent, family member, friend, teacher or coach—who was “schooled” by another dimwit—tells an innocent child that everything that is wrong with his or her life is because of “the Jew” who lives down the street or employs his or her parent or publishes the local newspaper whatever.
“They may look like you and me,” the critic says, “but underneath that head of hair are horns, and by the way they bake their Passover holiday bread-substitute with the blood of kids like you and your sister, and you should know that they control all the money in the world, and never forget that they killed Jesus.” Then the kid gets older and his actual life experience contradicts what he’s heard as he or she studies or socializes or works with Jews and sometimes falls in love and marries one.
But the Dumb Strain, it seems, never quite dissipates as even “reformed” Jew haters brag with genuine pride that their doctors and lawyers and accountants are Jewish! They want other people to consider them intelligent enough to pick “the best” professionals, while they’re also boasting that the last bargain they got was a result of “Jewing down” the store manager. As I said, dumb….
STRAIN #2—THE EMOTIONAL FACTOR
There are legions of highly intelligent people—in terms of IQs, advanced college degrees, professional accomplishments, published books, and fancy titles—who are nonetheless driven almost exclusively by their feelings. Ironic that they’ve spent lifetimes honing their razor-sharp intellects, refining their debating skills, priding themselves on scrupulous research—but still, emotion prevails. This is no surprise because, simply, emotions are stronger than the intellect. On PET scans of the brain, anger and fear “light up” significantly more than the higher cognitive processes of reasoning and logic.
The emotional anti-Semite is one into whose brain the thorn of Jew hatred gets stuck, and no amount of rationalizing or higher-center thought can excise it. Even the one who harbors the feelings may wonder about the dissonant “reasoning” that inspires this hatred. But like the Mark of Cain, it’s there for life….
STRAIN #3—THE SELF-HATE FACTOR
Okay, you may say, people of other religions may hate Jews, but how is it possible for Jews themselves to hate Jews? Surprisingly, the answer is rather simple: It’s hard to be a Jew, and most people simply aren’t up to it. Yes, they can be proud of their brains and talents, but when it comes to their backbones—that’s another story.
The most universal desire in the world is to be liked and accepted, starting with pre-verbal babies who know by the smiles of strangers that the world is a friendly and welcoming place, and extending to full-grown adults who continue to seek acceptance in intimate relationships as well as in groups, including in the workplace, in recreational activities, and in politics.
For many Jews, being a member of the world’s most historically vilified minority is just “too much” to cope with. In fact, to withstand the relentless onslaught would require them to have an accurate knowledge of Jewish history, a history that the spineless set has abandoned teaching their children. It would require a willingness to correct the constant blitz of misinformation that an anti-Semitic world never tires of perpetuating. It would require a willingness to stand on principle when the entire world is substituting propaganda and violence for righteousness. And it would require a belief that the land of Israel was indeed bequeathed to the Jews by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that their return to Zion after Hitler incinerated six million of their brethren during the Holocaust was the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, and that, perversely and for the first time in world history, they should return the lands won in the belligerent wars waged against them by anti-Semitic Arabs who remain intractably so to this day.
Joan Swirsky’s first paragraph emphasizes something people so often forget:
IF people around Israel had effective governments there would be no glaring deficiencies and political failures to deflect onto Israel.
But, for decades, I have heard the false charge that Israel only flourishes AT THE EXPENSE of the nearby nations.
And there are so many functionally illiterate people in those nations that it has been an easy sell for all those decades.
The new media has been more effective in destroying that myth than everything else.
Then Ms. Swirsky addresses the emotion-based hater who may actually be intelligent, but doesn’t let thinking over-rule feeling.
These are the ones who both agree with or even come up with “alternate histories” where the Jews do nasty things that never happened.
She mentions the al Dura hoax.
Lots of people still don’t realize the boy was an actor, he lived (because he was not shot) and was married a few years ago. His daddy even got arrested by Hamas for shooting his gun into the air in celebration of al Dura’s wedding.
I’m going to skip down to her discussion under the heading “the green-eyed monster.”
Non-Jews hate the idea that God Chose the Jews.
But why did God choose the Jews?
He chose them to bring forth the Messiah to save ALL of mankind.
Way back in the generation that saw the death of Jesus we have records (in and out of the Bible) of God abandoning the Jewish state: allowing it to be utterly destroyed by Rome in 70CE.
Even the recording devices each family kept (a family lineage carved on a staff) were destroyed along with the nation.
No Jew today can even say, with absolute certainty, which tribe he is from.
But God did not abandon earth.
God poured out his approval on the new Christian nation in 36CE.
Any person, from any nation may chose to take citizenship in this new nation.
My point is that Jews today in Israel are not a theocratic nation, led by God.
Israel is a parliamentary democracy.
Israel can be destroyed again.
It might be destroyed again.
Yet, despite these facts, I think Ms. Swirsky is correct about that ”visceral jealousy,” that some Jew-haters have against Israel and Jews in general.
Wiping these Jews out will not end their feelings of inferiority.
But they might feel better doing it.
It is a false sort of raising one’s own self-esteem by lowering someone else’s that they seek.
But then Ms. Swirsky turns her attention to Obama.
She points out all of his Jew-hating/Israel-hating close associates.
Well, the Bible says, ”Bad associations spoil useful habits.”
We’ve all seen Obama denigrate the Bible (Video search Obama mocks Bible, if you missed it).
We’ve also all seen Obama throw a bone to Christians by lamely quoting a verse, as if to say, ”See? I’m a Christian. I quoted the Book.”
I think Obama’s motivations are quite simplistic: He hates America as it stood before he took office (capitalistic, free, etc.) and he aligns himself with those who hate America too.
That leaves out little Israel which has a great and happy relationship with the USA.
@Nan G:
“I think Obama’s motivations are quite simplistic”
Absolutely, and it’s amazing to me how much the MSM has, for 3 years, fallen all over itself to inject him with powers of thought and intellect that just are not there. In a society that has made multi-millionaires of women who became famous for releasing their personal porn videos, it shouldn’t be a surprise, and yet . . .
And, . . . . how much self-loathing does it take for an AIPAC conference audience to stand in applause and acclamation of Obama’s arrogant and ignorant stipulation that Israel return to ’67 borders? And, . . . his pathetic rebound that, . . . well, that was just a starting point toward negotiations, is just that, . . . pathetic.
Back when Fred Flintstone and I were in Kollege, I had a GOLF instructor who was a jew, named Larry.
First Day, First Lesson out of his mouth:
“Boys, you want The Edge at this game, you gotta think like jews. RULE NUMBER ONE of Judaism is – There’s ALWAYS a rule book, and the FIRST THING you do, before you put your clubs in your bag or call for a Tee Time is to read the RULE BOOK all the way through, twice. In Golf and the rest of Life, this will serve you very, very well…”
And, of course, he was correct. If your culture values learning and education (which are infinitely portable, should you get run out of somewhere and can only carry the gold around your neck and the skills in your head and hands, you will Get this.
If your sub-culture’s more includes, “I don’t know nuthin’ about no art/music/literature but I know What I Like , then expect to occasionally have your lunch eaten by someone who has Read The Rule Book.
And, you are likely to attribute your loss to Cheating, or Clannishness, or some vast, undefined, murky jewish conspiracy.
Meantime, no one has heard Obama refer to Israel as, “HymieStan,” yet, although we can see it in his actions.