Rising anti-Semitism is a hot topic. This month the subject was blazoned across the covers of such disparate magazines as U.S. News and World Report, Tikkun, Commentary, and Foreign Policy. A recent poll in which 59% of Europeans labeled Israel as the primary threat to world peace and a subsequent Italian poll in which 17% thought Israel should cease to exist and 22% declared that Jewish Italian are "not real Italians," has set off an alarm – and a host of attempts to explain the source of “the world’s longest hatred.”
After all, anti-Semitism is more paradoxical than an Escher staircase. As the seminar "Why the Jews?" so aptly points out:
- Jews are hated for being a lazy and inferior race – but also for dominating the economy and taking over the world.
- Jews are hated for being capitalist exploiters – but also for being socialists and communists.
- Jews are hated for their Chosen People mentality – but also for their cringing inferiority complex.
To that we must add the newest flavor of anti-Semitism: Jews were hated for 2,000 years because they didn't have their own state; now they're hated because they do.
Natan Sharansky, writing an epic-length article in Commentary, traces the transmogrifications of anti-Semitism from ancient Rome to modern anti-Zionism. His theory for the root of anti-Semitism is that it is the result of Jewish rejectionism of the prevailing religion/morality/mores of the surrounding society. He quotes the Roman historian Tacitus:
Among the Jews, all things are profane that we hold sacred; on the other hand, they regard as permissible what seems to us immoral... The rest of the world they confront with the hatred reserved for enemies. They will not feed or intermarry with gentiles... They have introduced circumcision to show that they are different from others... It is a crime among them to kill any newly born infant.
And what of Jews who whole-heartedly embraced the prevailing ethos? After all, German Jewry in the century preceding the Holocaust was the most assimilated Jewish community in history (until the present American Jewish community). Before the passage of the Nuremburg laws, forbidding Jews to co-habit with Aryans, the intermarriage rate was 42%. Conversion to Christianity was also widespread, with cultural luminaries such as Heinrich Heine, Felix Mendelssohn, and Gustav Mahler the most prominent examples. This did not, however, prevent the Nazis from burning Heine's books and gassing his descendents.
What is so embedded in the fabric of his being that a Jew is hated even when he looks, dresses, and acts indistinguishably?
Mr. Sharansky explains the phenomenon of targeting non-rejectionist Jews: "The modern Jew was seen as being born into a Jewish nation or race whose collective values were deeply embedded in the very fabric of his being. Assimilation, with or without conversion to the majority faith, might succeed in masking this bedrock taint; it could not expunge it."
The point is more profound than Mr. Sharansky may realize. What is so "embedded in the very fabric of his being" that a Jew can be sniffed out by anti-Semites even when he looks, dresses, and acts indistinguishably from non-Jews? What is this "bedrock" essence that cannot be expunged, denied, or eradicated even by conversion? Judaism would say: the Jewish soul.
Chemistry of the Soul
The Jewish soul, which is really a cell of the collective soul of the Jewish people, is eternal and immutable. Once someone acquires a Jewish soul, either by inheritance from one's mother or by halachic conversion, one can no more renounce one's Jewish soul than one can renounce one's DNA. Souls are not generic. The Jewish soul, like the soul of every nation, has its own specific properties, some of which are compassion, altruism, and shame (the source of Jewish guilt!). The Talmud goes so far as to say that if you see a Jew devoid of compassion, you can legitimately doubt that he's a Jewish soul.
One of the properties of the Jewish soul is that it cannot bond with any other type of soul. This is why intermarriage is ultimately a denial of one's essence. Marriage is a union of souls, not just bodies and hearts. A Jewish soul cannot unite with a non-Jewish soul any more than a helium atom can bond with any other atom. Not because helium is clannish or racist or snobbish – or any worse than a hydrogen atom, but because chemical inertness is simply one of its essential properties.
The Covenant
Assimilation means forfeiting one's own unique Jewish identity and adopting the behavior and values of non-Jews, whether Catholic or communist, Protestant or secular humanist. According to the Torah, God's design for the Jewish people is to be separate, discrete, "a nation that will dwell in solitude and not be reckoned among the nations." (Numbers 23:9)
Jews are bidden to be "a light unto the nations." (Isaiah 42:6) A light stands separate from that which it illuminates. The Divine charge to the Jewish people is to "be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:1) This is a mission from which we cannot resign because it is embedded in the Covenant between God and the nation of Israel.
The Covenant, which God introduced in His promises to the Patriarchs, which was accepted by the entire Jewish nation at Sinai (where all Jewish souls were present), and which was renewed on two other occasions in Jewish history, stipulates the following:
- On God's side, He promised:
- That the Jewish people will never cease to exist (Genesis 17:7).
- That He will never totally abandon the Jewish people (Leviticus 26:44).
- That the Jewish people will inherent the Land of Israel (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:18).
- On Israel's side, we promised:
- That we will be faithful to God and keep His Torah (Exodus 24:7).
Unlike most covenants, this one is unconditional. Even if Israel reneges on its obligation, God, in the merit of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, will never annul His Covenant with us.
In her recent book, The New Anti-Semitism, feminist author Phyllis Chesler writes:
My heart is broken by the cunning and purposeful silence of progressives and academics on the subject of anti-Semitism and terrorism. I write "silence" to be kind. What I'm really talking about is the betrayal of the Jews… by western intellectuals, some of whom are also Jews themselves. Perhaps like me they do not want to give up the larger world in order to retain their religious, racial, and cultural identities as Jews. After all, who willingly wants to wear the yellow star?
Ms. Chesler is not oblivious to the Covenantal mission of the Jews. A few pages later she describes the Jewish people as "an eternal translator between realms: God's messenger." However, her aversion to "the yellow star," combined with her attraction to "the larger world," define the twin forces that have always drawn some Jews (in smaller or larger numbers) into the black hole of assimilation.
Since assimilation is antithetical to God's design for the Jewish people, what can God do to keep His promise that the Jews will never become extinct? A cornerstone of Jewish monotheism is the insistence that everything – everything – comes from God, the one and only source. At the same time, He has given human beings free choice in the moral realm. Humans may not be able to choose what happens to them, but they are always choosing between right and wrong, good and evil. So, what if all the Jews in any given generation choose to assimilate into extinction?
Assimilation is not the antidote to anti-Semitism; anti-Semitism is the Divine antidote to assimilation.
That's where anti-Semitism comes in. Anti-Semitism is the Divine equivalent of the parent of a diabetic child locking the cookie jar. A Jew in 15th century Spain or 20th century Germany or 21st century America may want to blend in with the surrounding society, but anti-Semitism is a sealed door, strong and black as iron, which keeps him out – and separate. Anti-Semitism keeps the Jewish people from dissipating into oblivion.
The ubiquitous effort to trace the source of anti-Semitism to the Jews remaining different and aloof – implying that assimilation cures anti-Semitism – is an inversion of the truth. Assimilation is not the antidote to anti-Semitism; anti-Semitism is the Divine antidote to assimilation.
The Spanish Inquisition
The Spanish Expulsion is a case in point. The Expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, after five centuries of Spanish Jews' flourishing – professionally, politically, and economically – was the greatest catastrophe in European Jewish history prior to the Holocaust. As Rabbi Berel Wein described the Expulsion: "The disaster that befell the wealthiest, most sophisticated and stable section of world Jewry plunged the Jewish people everywhere into a state of depression."
The common understanding of the Expulsion is that Catholic antipathy toward the Jews in Spain grew until, in April, 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella proclaimed the Edict of Expulsion: Jews had the choice to convert, leave, or be burned at the stake. Thus started the Inquisition.
The true story of Spanish Jewry is quite different. In 1391, a full century before the Expulsion, anti-Jewish violence erupted. The response of large numbers of Jews, including some of the leaders of Spanish Jewry, was to convert to Catholicism. ("After all, who willingly wants to wear the yellow star?") In the course of the next fifty years, more than half of Spain's Jews converted, many of them continuing to secretly practice Jewish rites. As historian Maurice Kriegel writes of the pre-Expulsion period:
The combination of intimidation with the promise of integration [into Spanish society] was indeed difficult to resist. Members of the Jewish intellectual elite, inclined to a certain philosophical indifference towards the external manifestations of religion, could thus justify their acceptance of baptism… Thus, by the mid-15th century, New Christians outnumbered those who continued to profess Judaism despite persecution and temptation.
Both the Inquisition and the Expulsion were meant to solve not the Jewish problem, but the problem of the assimilationists, the conversos, who were suspected of secretly adhering to their former religion. According to Paul Johnson's History of the Jews, all of the 700 people (some sources put the figure as high as 2,000) burned by the Inquisition between 1481 and 1489 were conversos. As Johnson writes: "A marrano was thus much more unpopular than a practicing Jew because he was an interloper in trade and craft, an economic threat; and, since he was probably a secret Jew, he was a hypocrite and a hidden subversive too." (p. 224)
The goal of the Expulsion was to eliminate the influence of practicing Jews on the conversos. Again to quote Kriegel: "So long as there was a large and active Jewish community on Spanish soil, they [the Spanish inquisitors] said, all the Inquisition's attempts to deter and punish Judaizing Christians would be of no avail." The conversos were the catalyst that led to the Expulsion, historically and spiritually.
The Expulsion obliterated the Jews in Spain, but saved Spanish (Sephardic) Jewry. Of the 200,000 overt Jews in Spain in 1492, 150,000 chose to leave. They set up new communities in North Africa, Turkey, Holland, and Palestine. These communities became thriving, creative, energetic centers of Jewish life. The mystic community of Safed in the 16th century, for example, was wholly comprised of descendents of Spanish exiles. What would have happened to those 150,000 Jews if they had been allowed to remain in Spain, a land where waves of conversion had already claimed most Jews, including rabbis and community leaders?
This is not to say that all the persecution Jews have suffered during our 2,000-year-long exile is the result of assimilation. Suffering can be caused, at times, by many kinds of spiritual lapses, beyond the ability of human beings to discern. The Talmud explicitly states that the destruction of the Second Temple and the concomitant exile, considered the central tragedy of Jewish history, was caused by unwarranted hatred among Jews. (A cautionary statement for our times as well.)
The concept that God engineers anti-Semitism to ensure the survival of the Jewish people does not mean that anti-Semites are exonerated from the evil they perpetrate. Anti-Semites, like everyone else, have free choice to choose between good and evil, and they bear the responsibility for their choices. However, as the Midrash states, "God has many bears and lions." If not Arab terrorists, there are always some European leaders, academics, assorted anti-Zionists…
Glowing in the Dark
I was recently walking home with my son in Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter long after the darkness of night had driven most tourists back to their hotels. Just past the falafel shop, we were detoured by a sign which promised: 3D ART. By the side of the pedestrian walkway, we saw a table sporting a picture of a Jerusalem cityscape propped up on a wooden box. In the box was a special kind of fluorescent light which made the white paint in the picture glow in the dark, creating a three-dimensional effect.
"How do you do it?" my son asked the young artist.
"I have special glow-in-the-dark paint," he replied.
The artist told us that he had just, two months before, made aliyah from South Africa. I could see that he needed a sale, but we had no money, and the young locals sitting around tables by the falafel shop were clearly not art patrons. I opened my mouth to advise him: If you want to sell pictures, you should really set up here during the day, when the tourists are out in full force. They're your natural clientele.
But before I uttered a word, I realized that these pictures could not be displayed to advantage in daytime. In the light, the special effect would be lost. The particular beauty of these pictures shows up only in the dark.
The Jewish soul is coated with a special glow-in-the-dark paint.
Anti-Semitism is an encircling darkness. When Jews view "Kill the Jews" signs at American peace rallies or read a respected academic in the New York Review of Books opining that the Jewish state has no right to exist, we feel fear in the pit of our stomachs. As Ms. Chesler so graphically expresses the dread we all feel: "'Tis a season of blood that's upon us. I knew it from the moment the two Israeli reservists were lynched in Ramallah in the fall of 2000… I wept because I understood that Jewish history was, once more, repeating itself. How foolish I'd been to think that we had finally escaped it."
The Jewish soul, however, is coated with a special glow-in-the-dark paint. The darkness is not our foil, but our challenge, our opportunity to shine. The purpose of life is to dance in the dark.* Only in the dark does the greatness of a soul manifest. And what of the light? It's there to show us where the stairs are, so we can learn to navigate them. But the soul's true test is when the lights go out.
Jews must not be intimidated by the venom, the hatred, the calumnies of our enemies. Being popular is not a Jewish value. Being true to God's Covenant is.
*As heard from Rabbi Leib Kelemen, based on an essay by Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz, of blessed memory.
(82) Joao, November 20, 2018 7:47 AM
Gods chosen people
To all my jewish brothers and sisters know that I love you, and I see you as GOD'S chosen nation, you do not know me but I urge you to be strong and remain faithful to GOD as HE has been to you; humanity does not realize perhaps but within your covenant with GOD lies our salvation and let no man add or detract therefrom.
(81) Anonymous, February 11, 2018 12:50 PM
Was not Abraham told that his descendants 'shall be as stars...'? STARS COME OUT AT NIGHT.... stay strong!
(80) Anonymous, December 26, 2015 6:45 AM
non jew
Hi, I am am a non jew fom south africa. I love and support Israel and the jewish people because I love Hashem.
(79) Kittychemist, November 23, 2013 8:12 AM
We are goid looking and smart:) that is why we are hated
Ok, I'm direct;) but it's true!In school I was picked on for being "too smart." We live in a culture of under-achievers. Yes, I have a bit if a chip if my shoulder being who I am. I'm Ashkenazi. I'm very proud of my culture. Other ethnic groups are proud of there background, why not we Jews? We are loving,, great cooks, intelligent, creative and sensitive to animals and human rights. As Jack Nicholson says in as good as it gets: (amended) " does that sound like something bad to be around? Not good for you...World?" We are less than 2 percent of world population but contribute much good in every aspect of life. I say fight anti semitism with just being who we are. Love, compassion, hard work and intelligence. The Abrahamic Covenant ( I'm LDS Jew:)is real. We are a light to the world.
(78) Paul, July 24, 2010 11:31 PM
Re: anti,anti
#71 You are right assimilation wasn't widespread until 1391. However the backdrop of the 1391 riots and the subsequent mass conversions stems from the Black Death, the bubonic plague which swept across Europe between 1347-1351. Following the Black Death, it became very precarious being a Jew. At the heels of this devastating pestilence were blood libel accusations and the 'christ-killer' allegations that were heaped on Jewish communities scattered across the continent. Spain where the golden age of Judaism had thrived and flourished was neither spared. The 1391 Seville riots were a consequence of the deep seethed hatred blaming Jews for amongst other things, the Black Death. In addition, it was during this period that much of Muslim Spain had fallen into Christian hands during the 'Reconquista' and many monks and soldiers in the 'reconquista' harbored fervid resentment and prejudice against Jews. One Dominican monk stands out in particular Vincente Ferrer, who primarily being the chief architect of the riots inflamed mobs to attack Jews at any turn. Although he did not directly participate in the riots his fervid religious sermons demonized Jews and Judaism. According to the historian Paul Johnson in his 'A History of the Jews', Ferrer's aim "seems to have been to whip up popular enthusiasm for Christianity as the sole valid religion; to demolish the claims of Judaism in a big public spectacle; and then, with church, state and populace behind him, ad the Jews demoralized, to effect mass conversion." Indeed Ferrer's actions were to reverberate right into the onset of the Final Solution. Many Spanish Jews became dejected after the Seville riots and so chose conversion in order to be accepted into Spanish Christendom.
(77) Steve, July 21, 2010 6:41 PM
Once I married a Non-Jew
I met and married a "Nice Non-Jewish Girl" and she professed a deep love and respect for me and for the Jewish people, Israel and even some of our religious customs and observances. We had even talked about the possibility of her converting. After about two years of marriage she became friendly with a group of people who identified themselves as "Born Again Believers" and she began to find fault with me and with Judaism. The day she called me a "NEW YORK JEW BASTARD DESTINED FOR HELL" was the day I left the marriage home and began the process of divorce. I have since found my " Bashert " and we have been married for 15 years and affiliated with the CHABAD movement. As the song from West Side Story so aptly puts it: "STICK TO YOUR OWN KIND"
(76) Heni, July 21, 2010 1:35 PM
Reply to Ms. Schiff
Ms. Schiff, Here is a great website for you to continue your learning. Aish is #1!! #2 is: www.projectsinai.org Here on this site you can take live classes where you can see the speaker (the speakers are amazing, especially Rebbetzin Lori Palatnik), and you can chat with the students and ask your questions live!! Please check it out!! Enjoy your learning!!
(75) Antonio Perez, July 20, 2010 11:18 PM
Spiritual Roots of Anti-Semitism
My mother's parents were non-observant Jews. My grand-mother converted to Catholicism over my grand-father's objections. Her three children were baptised as Catholics. My mother's nose was broken when she was 7 by a girl who called her a "Christ Killer". My father's family in Spain was forced to convert to Catholicism. My father and his brothers were baptised as Catholics. My parents met, married in the Catholic Church and had their four children baptised as Catholics. I was raised as a Catholic in a gentile culture. I'm discriminated against for being a Jew. Go figure. I love Jews. I have many Jewish friends. I've never disliked Jews even disagreeable ones. I love Jewish culture, Judaism, Israel, Jewish women, the cuisine, Magen Davids, Jewish music, Jewish websites. Your article is so right and true - it's in my soul even before I found out the truth about being a Jew from my aunt (who told me to keep it quiet). It's our soul. Some people have a deep hatred. I've almost been hit by cars both walking and driving in my car. It's so crazy, but so then is killing more than 6 million of our people because they are Jews.
(74) Sam, July 20, 2010 4:07 PM
Less important than it once was
For American Jews anti-semitism should be less of a concern than it ever has been. While we are 2% of the population, over 10% of US Senators are Jewish, and more than 30% of Supreme Court Justices will shortly be Jewish. Half of all Jews marrying, marry non-Jews, and whether one is concerned about assimilation or not , that is a degree of acceptance unprecedented in Jewish history. What anti-semitism is not, however, is objection to the policies of the Israeli government, which are often opposed by both Jews and non-Jews, Israelis and non-Israelis. Despite the difficult and sometimes dire circumstances of Israel, there is no exemption from public policy that is just and in the long-term interests of Israel, even if it is dangerous or inconvenient in short-run.
(73) Anonymous, July 20, 2010 3:09 PM
south african artist?
i know this was written a while ago, but is there any chance anybody knows what happened to that south african artist? i also made aliya from south africa and that artwork sounds amazing - i'd love to buy it! if anyone knows how i can contact him, please let me know. thank you for the great article.
(72) Jill Schiff, July 20, 2010 12:57 PM
A Meaningful Tisha B'Av
Thank you Aish ,Sara and Rebbitzin Heller for a most meaningful day. I am in Cape town South Arica and housebound. However I have spent an amazing meaningful day learning and gleaning material to aid my teaching of young secular Jewish High School sutdents. I look forward to reading Battle Plans.
(71) anti anti, July 19, 2010 3:40 PM
your explanation of the inquisition is very weak
if 1492 is the resul of 1391, then 1391antisemtism is the result of what? the jews were not converting or assimilating before 1391, in many instances in medieval Spain conversion to any religion was forbidden, but in any case it was not very widespread before 1391. It makes ther point of this whole article very weak, and it seems you are trying to force your theory on reality, rather than concluding a theory from facts.
(70) Glenn Rubel, July 19, 2010 12:40 AM
What is anti-semitism?
The term anti-semitism was invented by a German sociologist to "sanitize" the idea of Jew-hatred. Everytime we use the term, we give a victory to those who think they can desguise their hatred. We need to abandon the term and expose those who would harm Jews as haters, be they secular or religious. Mankind has shown itself to be incapable of escaping this most enduring form of hatred. Those who oppose haters of Jews must do everything possible to keep the Jewish people physically safe and strong until spiritual redemption comes to the world. After thousands of years of hatred, we must conceed, only divine intervention can save us.
(69) Jody Barankin, July 18, 2010 7:47 PM
Assimilation v. anti-Semitism
"Assimilation is not the antidote to anti-Semitism; anti-Semitism is the Divine antidote to assimilation." If this is true, are you not really saying that G_d must burn the village to save it? Until the advent of Christianity, influential gentiles disliked Jews for their stiff-necked adherence to G-d's laws (e.g. Haman, etc.). With Constantine's conversion, a more modern form of anti-Semitism was born, centered on the Jewish rejection of Jesus. Official church policy stated (often in the breach) that Jews could be stricken of their civil rights, but were not to be indiscriminately murdered, because one day they will be redeemed to the Christian belief (see the story of the last Jew on Earth). England's Edward I expelled the Jews from England in 1291, an exile that remained in force until 1656. As to the Inquisition, it began long before 1492 somewhere in the late 11th or early 12th centuries. Its primary purpose was wealth acquisition by denouncing wealthy Christian individuals as heretics. Church inspired Autos-da-fe were carried out on non-Jews as well as Jews. In the late 19th century and following on to the 20th, anti-Jewish thought changed from a religion-based anti-Semitism (implying that conversion will lead to redemption) to a racial/nationalistic-based anti-Semitism, which by its nature was incapable of enabling conversion, thereby leading to the Final Solution of the Jewish Question (Problem) as Genocide. We, as Jews, cannot know why G_d chose to allow the Holocaust to happen, but like our Father Abraham before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, we are obligated to ask.
(68) Jill Infidel, July 18, 2010 6:26 PM
I still don't get it
I am not Jewish but I was raised to respect the Jews. I do not understand why people can hate Jews simply for being Jewish. I try to judge people base on their character. I believe that Israel has a right to exist - even Mohammed knew that the ancestors of the Jews were buried in Israel/Palestine. I think Israel has been more than generous to the so called Palestinians and Israel should not give up one more inch of land. I am sorry that our lame "president" bows to our enemies and snubs Israel. There are a lot of Americans who are embarrased by this. Please do not think that America does not support Israel because our our (muslim) amateur boy child in the white house.
(67) Sharon, August 27, 2007 7:12 AM
The Shoah contradicts this view of anti-Semitism's role
Clearly there is spiritual role for the existence of anti-Semitism, and the example of the Spanish expulsion fits into that theory, but the much more recent Holocaust where complete villages of Torah-observant Jews were wiped out, stands as a thorn to this understanding. In Germany, where Torah observance was at an especially low level (by large), a very large number of Jews understood the situation and escaped with their lives. At the end of WWII, Torah observance was not bolstered, but at an all time low. Obviously there is no simple forumla to understanding the phenomenon of anti-Semitism on a spiritual realm.
(66) Asher LERNER-STADLER, March 7, 2007 7:41 PM
It's overtaking.-
It's a subject open to discussion.- I believe it's not "antisemitism" since arabs are our cousins.- It's just plain anti-jewish, anti-jew, because of socio-economical-political reasons driven by fundamentalists, nazi-fascists managed by local nationalistic economical power.- Probably related to asimilation, even preserving the jewish soul like for example the jewish representatives to the russian Duma, were also persecuted under the suspicion to be "traitorous".- Nowbody takes care about irish people, scotiish, arab, italian, married between them, preserving their traditions.- It's remarcable different (although the situation is equivalent) when it involves jewish people!! And it's remarcable the reaparence during economical crisis!!!! No wonder somebody could write about "the yellow star"!!!It's the fear to admit the jewish soul.-
(65) Anonymous, March 7, 2007 5:22 AM
State vs. Religion
Excellent article! Still I believe that State and religion should be separate. I'm an American, living in France and am jewish. I don't wear a kipa, I don't go around proselytizing for jewry but I believe to be true to the Covenant. Religion is a private thing, to be practiced in the privacy of the home or the Synagogue (church, etc...). When can we return to human values and forget religion, nationality, color of the skin?
(64) David, March 5, 2007 11:18 AM
Christian take
Thank you for your excellent article.
I am a Christian who loves and cherishes our Jewish 'older cousins'. I think it is a tragedy all the problems that are being placed on Israel, and Jews around the world. If you notice, Christians aren't getting a much better time either.
Israel is weakened by their current government, and the US has begun to get weak-kneed too. We need to stand up against that neo-Hitler, Ahmadinejad and speak with one voice against his rhetoric of destroying Israel and the US.
(63) Hank A.Wesselius, March 4, 2007 9:58 AM
As a chritian I read your article and found it very interesting and informative. However I do Love my neighbour wich also include the Jewish people. During the second world war my family hid many Jews from the nazi's. Many people love the jewish as their neighbour.
(62) Anonymous, March 4, 2007 8:34 AM
Extremely confusing, conflicting, too much coverage. Over stated. Suggest you stick with one subject at a time. Thank you. Public Speaker.
Reread your views. Too, too, over stated and broad. Am bothering to respond, because I think your meanings are well meant, but your fabulous display of content is, "over kill". Short and sweet will gain you more attention. Bye.
Try again some time, and remember the rule of "expression"....."Keep it simple stupid".
Yes. I too am a public speaker for many, many years. Good luck.
(61) Sephardic-Male, May 24, 2006 12:00 AM
anti-semitism is mostly caused by early christianity
most of the anti-semitism originates from early christianity first it is about hating Jews for not believing in Jesus over time this evovled into blood libel, host desecration being non aryan etc.
(Saint) Hippolytus: Roman Priest (170-236 CE) “the Jews were receiving and would continue to receive God’s punishment for having murdered Jesus.”
Hitler in Mein Kampf "By destroying the Jews, I am fighting Christ's battles
(60) Moss David Posner, M.D., April 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Excellent depiction of anti-Semitism in the service of Jewish Destiny
Excellent. I appreciate this article very much, and I thank you.
(59) Tim C, April 14, 2006 12:00 AM
Overcoming ignorance: a solution
As a non-Jew, I can attest to anti-Semitism being alive and well and have recently seen through my own soft anti-Semitism inherited from my parents simply by wide reading fuelled by a desire to find out. I am from an educated western family which esteems scholarship, yet reason at times vanished when discussing issues involving Jews.
If rank prejudice and ignorance can thrive in very educated families in civilised countries, then what an enormous task have we in combating anti-Semitism among the less educated, not to mention dangerous, barbaric countries?
In answer to why the world hates the Jews (or sides with the enemies of the Jews), I’d like to offer some suggestions.
Here are 5 main ones, 4 of which will be with us forever, but I’m sure there are others, just as irrational. The effects of the 5th can largely be conquered by a responsible MSM.
1. Envy: Israel and Jewish people are more successful relative to other nations and groups, in general (as pointed out by David)
2. Cowardice: Islamists are the more violent & fearless and so the more to be feared. Jews are tolerant and humane, which is perceived as weakness, and so they attract scorn. Bin Laden’s (accurate) weak horse/strong horse analogy.
3. Grandstanding: taking the side of those who live in (self-induced) squalor, eg. the Palestinians, wins more public acclaim. (it is a great Christian failing that poverty = righteousness)
4. Ideology: don’t let facts get in the way. Socialists hate capitalism. Jews and Americans personify capitalism.
5. Ignorance: I don’t know anything about the situation and I don’t want to know, but my opinion (that has been bombarded into my brain by the pro-Palestinian MSM) is as valid as (more valid than?) yours, OK?!
(What a silly argument from Mr Roth: non-Jews are anti-Semitic because they know that the Jewish God is the real God. Islamists use the same argument in reverse)
In answer to ‘what can we do about anti-Semitism’, the author fails to answer the question, but sees it as a blessing in disguise. I think this is a little naive in this age of WMD and rogue Islamist states. Anti-Semitism and the double-standards applied to Israel have to be confronted head on, everywhere by at least western governments (since the people and non-western governments can’t be relied on to do it. Forget the UN – the sooner that organisation crumbles the better, replaced by an organisation where membership is minimally contingent on democracy), but also the western media, who continue to passively condone the furious anti-Semitism among Muslims, even those residing in the west.
I myself am continually challenging blind apologists for Palestine (de facto anti-Semites) by offering superior logic. I’m not sure I change their mind, but seeing a confused look dawn on their face as if hearing an alternative viewpoint for the very first time and getting a begrudging acknowledgement of the facts provides me with hope that reason can triumph over ignorance. This is our challenge.
(58) Jose Nigrin, March 22, 2006 12:00 AM
Other antisemitic considerations
When you consider a Jew, as a born jew, and his religion not having an approach for gaining more members, as Christian do, by salvation etc. You become a minority targeted for excluding the majority of the population.
(57) Yehudah, March 22, 2006 12:00 AM
So, nu, what to do?
These are dangerous times. One might think, to escape the assimilation of America, one should flee to Israel. Yet there, too, there is rampant assimilation. We may have xmas trees next to our menorahs, but I've heard of Israelis who've never lit a menorah. Ever. And it seems as if Hashem is sending this generation's worst anti-semites, the Arab terrorists, more to the Holy Land then here. And certainly the folks from Gush Katif were anything but assimilationists, yet Hashem removed them from the land. It's so confusing, and depressing. I don't know what to do.
(56) Wendy, March 22, 2006 12:00 AM
. Being popular is not a Jewish value. Being true to God's Covenant is.
let's make this a bumper sticker!
(55) Tzemach, March 22, 2006 12:00 AM
Brilliant article really touches a nerve.
Coming from a family in which assimilation and intermarriage are common I only really began to investigate my heritage when I lost a job after admitting my Jewish ancestry. It was anti-semitism that made me conscious of my roots.
(54) raye, March 21, 2006 12:00 AM
The Media World and Anti-Semitism
The Media World spreads the notion of worldwide anti-semitism. There have always been crowds in history who were swayed by the current hysteria of the time. Rather than indulge in miserable contemplation of the current trend of antisemitism, we must stand tall and try to unite as one folk as never before.
(53) Anonymous, March 20, 2006 12:00 AM
The Collective Jewish Soul...!!???
WhatABOUT THE jEWISH pOLICE THAT WERE FORMED BY THE NAZIS. INTO FORCED LABOUR GROUPS... AND THE JEWISH kAPOS IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS... SOME OF WHOM WERE VERY CRUEL... ALSO HITLERS G RANDFATHER IS WIDELY BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN JEWISH...
(52) Avraham Broide, March 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Only partially true
Wishful thinking. The thesis of this article is only partially true. Over the centuries, the Conversos did manage to cover their tracks completely (although some have retained Jewish customs). In America, and Europe, hundreds of thousands of Jews have successfully integrated with the gentiles and their children are absolutely non-identifiable as Jews. The assimilation rate is over 50% and those leaving are generally not coming back. There is little likelihood that the Nazi Germany phenomenum will repeat in America and Europe.
(51) Chaim Yitschak Sheiner, March 20, 2006 12:00 AM
the real cause of antisemitism
The tribe of Levi was not given a portion of land to inherit in Israel, their portion is what the rest of the Jews donate to Hashem, the tithes that they receive may be eaten outside the Temple. you might think non farmers are exempt? no. The Tora says if you live far from the place God chooses put it into money and bring the money to the place God chooses and there buy steak, wine, beer or whatever you desire and celebrate there with your family and don't forget the Levi who has no portion with you (in the land). When the Jews start doing this, giving God His portion by giving the tribe of Levi their portion anti semitism must die because the true cause of it, HASHEM HIMSELF will be happier with us than he is today. by this arousal from below by us, levites will be forced to find the Cohen Gadol in order to give him one tenth of their tenth as required and the real Cohen Gadol will shine true, and as a wink of the eye we will have the Holy sanctuary.
(50) David Maicon, March 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Great that Aish.com has re-published Sara Rigler´s scholarly article on Anti-semitism
I had indeed read this masterful piece when it was originally published,in November 2003, and we, Jews, MUST always bear it in our collective minds! There are 2 comments I must briefly make: 1) Anti-semitism, to a large extent, is nothing but the opposite side of the (devalued) coin of envy E.N.V.Y, and 2), To a large extent, the original seeds of our lot (mostly sweet, as milk and honey, partly bitter, for all we have had to live through to survive through our history) were planted long ago in the 2nd or 3rd Century, around our year 3,900 or so, when a sage, or jajam, in those years, ruled that we, Jews, were beyond proselityzing, probably for a good short term, reason, but condemning us, for all generations since, to remain as few as we are, and always subject to the rise of a Haman, a Torquemada, a Hitler or a Hamas. As to the "envy" part, I have always believed that the major problem of those peoples who have persecuted us for eons in most places we have ever lived, (except for the blessed USA, and a few other similarly enlightened "venues", which by the way, appear to have also harvested a pretty good return on their investment), by way of the cruzades, the blood libels, the inquisition, the Holocaust, anti-semitism in general, are actually driven by a very ruinous, but alas, very human, sense. As a result of what most of these bastards have done to us throughout History, as probably no other people in the last 5,000 years has gone through, we, Jews, have evolved, and have indeed, become better at whatever it is we do, be it science, art, law, medicine, cinematography, literature, you name it. There is even an historians´theory, I believe it may have been Toynbee, called "Challenge & Response", if I am correct. Well, we have been certainly been challenged throughout History, and to a large extent, we are here !! . However, we must be sure we will remain, so all we have to do is remain united among ourselves, be tolerant of our many different ways of being Jewish and not be too bloody arrogant, particularly towards thos enlightened segments of other religions, nations and races. Thank you again to Aish.com, Sara Ringel, and all the others !! Shalom v´hatzlajah.
(49) Menashe Kaltmann, March 20, 2006 12:00 AM
Is this really the Emes?
Some good points thank you for re-publishing this article.
I must question though the historical accuracy of some parts of your article.
I personally know of many families who call themselves "Ashkenazi" but are really descended from the ~150,000 -> 200,000 Sephardim who left in 1492 at the time of the great and tragic Expulsion.
How many Ashkenazim nowadays are really descendants of those who ended up in Germany or eventually Poland?
My Great Grandfather of Blessed Memory lived in Mattersdorf (nowadays Austria) and his community had a tradition from their fathers and mothers that they were originally from Spain! Originally Sephardi background!
The Alter RebbeTz'l R. Schneur Zalman of Liadi of Blessed Memory The first Rebbe of Chabad I think also writes that on one side of his lineage one of his descendants also left Spain at the time of expulsion!
(48) Andy, March 20, 2006 12:00 AM
well said with some uncertainties here
Crusades, pogroms and other seeming catastophes come to mind when an antidote to assimilation seemed unecessary.". A Jewish soul cannot unite with a non-Jewish soul any more than a helium atom can bond with any other atom" Are there sources for that statement? I don't want to speculate on the merging of souls in marriage and if oneness can be achieved in an interfaith marriage. Certainly there are couples who believe they have accomplished it. I did enjoy the article and do believe much of what you state is truth.
(47) simon, March 20, 2006 12:00 AM
source of anti jewish actions
when constatine invented what we call christianity he was trying to kill off the jewish religion,read the book constatines sword the church and the jews.that is the beginning of modern hate
(46) Anonymous, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
"God engineers anti-Semitism to ensure the survival of the Jewish people"
The antisemitism expressed with my boss and my inability to defend myself drove me to study Torah, Jewish story, light shabbat candles read Aish every weekend.
I have also recently sent one of my stepdaughters to Israel in a Masa plan to study there and experience deeply her judaism
(45) Anthony D'Auria, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Great.
(44) richard reiser, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
ati semitism as the divine antidote to assimilation is hard to believe.
god can do better than a 3000 year history of ongoing genocide to keep the jewish people in tow and profane the rest of his non jewish children with the scourge of anti semitism. as he hardened pharoahs heart, he too can intervene for the better.free choice is not an absolute. while nobody knows for sure what motivates our creator, your theory might be the best argument yet for faithlessness and despair. at the end of the day, our responsibilty for our own behavior toward ourselves and our fellow man is what drives our history. god just provides us with a divine blueprint. the rest is our own choice.
(43) Anonymous, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Wonderful article...the warning about causless hatred amongst Jews ( and lack of love) especially relevant...Bless the Gesher people for doing their utmost to combat that problem.
(42) marc milton-talbot, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Forgotten Rites
There is a village in Spain where the residents perform ceremonies whose origins are lost in time.They involve lighting a candelabra under a covered table, and spreading sand on the floor[to reduce the noise made by dancing.Someone suggested that these had Jewish origins and were designed to avoid the prying eyes of the Inquisition.
(41) Anonymous, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Recent facts in history undermine the concept of the existence of the Jewish Soul.
Not much compassion, indeed none at all, was shown to their Jewish soulmates by the whole,half-Jewish and quarter-Jewish high ranking officers of Hitler's Wehrmacht. The Field-Marshal of the Luftwaffe, the many generals and hordes of colonels only too happy to do the Nazis' bidding. No hint of their Jewish souls peeking out. German Jews have a lot more for which to be anwserable than the forty two percent intermarriage rate and their apostacy which led to all this. They must take pride in the fact that of all the forces in which Jews participated in the Second World War the German Army, Air Force and Navy holds the record for the largest number of highly decorated and highest ranking Jewish officers. Only the Russian forces comes anywhere near. Read the book, taboo in Jewish circles since it was first published by the University Press of Kansas in 2002.Authenticatd by Brandeis,Yale,Penn and a three page list of higher educational institutions of the similar standing," Hitler's Jewish Soldiers" by Brian Mark Rigg only serves to show that every attempt to explain the reason for antisemitism leads to a semantic cul-de-sac for the subject defies any rationale understanding. Try to justify the case of tnhe quarter-Jew-Marine-Oberbaurat and Nazi Party member Franz Mendelssohn, a great-great-great, grandson of Moses Mendelssohn who survived the war in the German Navy bearing his ancestral name.Remembar all performances of the works of his other ancestor Felix was strictly Verboten in the Hitler's Third Reich. It simply does not make any sense! SSK
(40) Anonymous, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Truth
This whole article is so true and coming from jewish ancestors who had changed to the pc religion of their day, I understand completely the concept of a 'Jewish soul' as I found my roots and am being drawn back to them.
(39) Anonymous, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
No better then than now
This article was a particularly nasty piece of "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"-type prejudice turned inside out when it was issued by Aish three years ago and remains so today. It is one thing to recognize that assimilation is no protection against anti-Semitism, quite another to suggest it is the cause of the Shoah. Hitler did not stop with the German Jews, and the vast majority of the six million who died were humble, pious and decidedly unassimilated. For that matter, Hitler did not stop with the Jews. Another six million Romany (Gypsies), homosexuals, developmentally disabled and others deemed "undesirable" by Nazi ideology also were murdered. It is almost as wrong to place all or even most of the blame on Conversos for the expulsion from Spain. Don Isaac Abravanel (or Abarbanel) and other openly practicing Jews were as much a challenge to unreasonably jealous business and political competitors. Such a skewed reading of history is bad enough, but worst of all is the pernicious pseudo-theology which holds that anti-Semitism is the means by the Eternal assures Jewish survival against the threat of assimilation. Just what we need, another excuse for anti-Semitism and sinat chinom alike. Non-Jews who hate the Jews can claim to be on a divine mission, and Jews who reject any kind of Judaism but their own as legitimate can attack their soul-brethren with equal ferocity. Some bedfellows, huh?
(38) Anonymous, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
This is why Islam and Christianity were created.
I believe that anti-semitism is behind the creation of Christianity and Islam...
For the nations wished to reject G-d and His statutes, so they created new religions in the image of Man.
(37) jan mensink, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
soul
really appreciated this piece and its exposition wrt the jewish soul. Thanks
(36) Anonymous, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
How does one wake up the Influential Jews?
In the 1930's there were no well known Jewish organizations but today there are but silent. "Never Again" means nothing to them or any of the many well know Jews in this society. Fundraising for others are what they do but not for their own. Are you tired of hearing that "Jews run Congress" or "Jews run the media"? It that were only true would they still be silent about the anti-semitim of their so called friends?
(35) G. Tzipporah Saunders, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Thank you!
Thanks for a good, insightful and nicely written article! You stated many of hte things I had been thinking. Thanks again.
(34) eudora, March 19, 2006 12:00 AM
Jewish People Are the chosen people It doesent mean though that God doesen't love the rest of us!
I fid your Paper Aish to be beautiful, well Written and very educational! I grew up in New York City where It sounds like a typical statement Some of my best friends are Jewish! We students were not separated.We went to conservatories and schools in Jewish neighborhoods,My parents had jewish friends and business partners, We ate great food in fabulous Jewish Delis/Restaurants all our lives.Our music teachers were Jewish and encouraged us! I was a AU -Pair Madchen (girl) in many homes and was treated like a daughter! As a Concert Artist living in Vienna Austria for over 19 years I am amazed at the Still very ignorant ,and anti-semetic ideas and comments which I get and hear in the year 2000,Also from young people! It's really sad!unbelievable and sometimes schocking!
I had a big wedding and so called friends didn't want me to invite my Jewish friends ?I did though, and They came and had a great time!I was also in my life invited to jewish weddings,Barmitzwahs,and other ceremonies!! And I am a Black American!I have really learnd a lot! When I tell them that what they call Rosti is a jewish Potato pancake(Latke) My great Chicken soup or the beautiful breaded egg bread is also from a Jewish mothers kitchen They get mad at me!
(33) Tammy, May 23, 2005 12:00 AM
i found your article very up-lifting and full of hope.
i have very recently discovered my blood line stems back to european jewish and still working hard to establish all the connections but have been do a great amount of research into jewish history of late and can honestly say that i am proud to have jewish blood running through my veins . I have never read or heard of a more courageous and strong community than the jewish people.
(32) Martin Roth, January 8, 2004 12:00 AM
Real Reason for Aniti-Semitisim
I read with interest your article, "The Spiritual Roots of Anti-Semitisim". But the real reason is that the non-Jewish world knows - in their own hearts and souls - that the Jewish God is real and the Jewish religion is true.
And the anti-semites hate us for it.
(31) Irene, November 25, 2003 12:00 AM
Torah
I want to learn about Torah, as a result of this article. Thank you.
(30) Anonymous, November 23, 2003 12:00 AM
I was startled
Reading lines in this article like 'Anti-semitism keeps Jewish people from dissipating into oblivion' I was hit with a jolt of truth.
I'm not Jewish and I worry when I see assimilated Jews or even worse, Anti-Zionist Jews who fail to stand proud and fierce. Where would the rest of us be without their ancestors who lived and ultimately died for Israel and the Jewish faith?? I pray that something great can come from this horrible anti-semitism we're experiencing presently, like Jews, right-wing, left-wing, secular, orthodox and in every nation binding together like never before to defend their land, their existence and their magnificent religion, and for righteous Gentiles to stand beside them.
(29) Chani, November 21, 2003 12:00 AM
Misconception? But Whose?
LINDSEY....the hard line that you speak of is because THEY WANT TO KILL US. Have you noticed that! WE DO HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES?.......... Thankfully, the Israeli government has the sense to protect the country even
though there are those who would give the entire country away which is another story! The media encourages the perception that in relation to the Palestinians Israel is the aggressor. If the Palestinians would stop fighting today there would be peace. If Israel stopped defending itself the same terrorism that is sweeping the world would crush them. G-d help us if we don't fight the evil in the world. However, Anti-semitism did not start recently....read the article again, I think you missed the big picture in an excellent article..."Being true to God's Covenant is" what this is all about. May G-d grant us true peace soon. Shabbat Shalom
(28) Rodney Long, November 21, 2003 12:00 AM
Moved by comments
I am a Christian, very moved by these comments by Sara Rigler, who provides a vision and example for Jew and non-Jew to emulate. I support you and am inspired by you and the struggle of the Jewish people. May God grant us all the courage that you show.
(27) Anonymous, November 20, 2003 12:00 AM
Be proud to be Jewish.
Indeed, the Jewish people have suffered immensely, lost many during through the thousands of years but nevertheless there are always those that chose to join the Jewish people and in many ways they add new life. I started my giur in Septemeber 2000, exactly the same time with the new troubles in Israel and I have experienced first hand the Anti-Semitism that exists.If a non-Jewish person (yet) can bear it, fight it and come back stronger, how is it possible that a Jewish person can't do the same?Be proud to be Jewish,be proud to be different, be proud for 3315 years of existence through the worse persecutions,be proud for all the contributions to Humanity.Shalom al Yisreal... Kol tov
(26) debbie, November 20, 2003 12:00 AM
This was quite interesting and enlightening!
This was quite interesting and enlightening.
(25) Anonymous, November 20, 2003 12:00 AM
Re: to Aryana
Sara did Not say that non-Jews don't have compassion. Of course some non-Jews have compassion. She was just trying to point out what the Jewish soul has. As for treating others, I treat non-Jews well and I know other Jews who also treat non-Jews well.
Sara, thanks for the article. I love the part about the glow in the dark paint.
(24) Anonymous, November 20, 2003 12:00 AM
Beautiful Article
This was a beautiful article. Very well written, very intelligent, true and inspiring. Thank you for strengthening our hopes. You have put into words what I could never articulate to freinds about intermarriage and our Jewish soul.
(23) Solomon David Spector, November 20, 2003 12:00 AM
Give Kindness to get kindness
Hello,
I am an assimilated American Jewish person. From this article, would you advise that I leave this land of assimilation and move to Israel, the home land? Should all Jews? If we do, is there room there? Then we will be among our own, and become stronger in our Jewish faith, but then what? How can we be a beacon among nations from afar? If there is a cycle of this diaspora being assimilated and bad things happening, now that we see it, how can we prevent, or avoid, or pre-empt it?
I'm interested to know the other side, the positive side, the 79% of Italians who like Jews and count them among their friends. How and why does this happen?
My real question is, what can we do to improve things. What has worked in history to have a strong Jewish contingent among a non-jewish people.
If we want kindness from others, the best way to get kindness, is to give it. I believe we should perhaps feed and clothe people that are not our own, such as the Palestinians, such as Abraham would do for strangers in the land next to his. By feed, I mean provide good jobs so they can support themselves.
(22) J. Mendel, November 20, 2003 12:00 AM
Turn back to Torah
This article makes me weep.
Instead of trying to figure out why we are hated, it's obvious it isn't going to end,we need to turn back to Torah so the Almighty will lift His right arm to defend us.
(21) Anonymous, November 20, 2003 12:00 AM
Jewish hate non-Jewish?
It is articles like this one that lead me to wonder whether we should acknowledge a 4,000 year old "Anti-non-Semitic" stance on the part of the Jewish people! This type of theology breeds contempt and hate...not of the Gentile for the Jew, but of the Jew for the Gentiles. And subscribers to it are the true bigots.
(20) Aryana, November 19, 2003 12:00 AM
Disturbed by article
I am disturbed by Sara's article. I do no believe in the "Jewish soul "although I am Jewish. I believe that every soul has the capacity for compassion and love. There are evolved souls and learning souls in every walk of life, Jew and non-Jew.
I believe a Jewish soul idea sets up a duality of "us" and "others", which only serves to separate us more. Ulitmately,we will be judged by how well we have loved others, not the religion we have practiced.
(19) Anonymous, November 19, 2003 12:00 AM
While some of the article is informative it is flat out wrong to blame anti-semitism on assimilation. Blaming the victim is not usually the way to find out the true cause. We don't know the source of Hitler's hatred of the Jews, but I doubt that it had anything to do with the success of assimilated Jews.
(18) Anonymous, November 18, 2003 12:00 AM
Awesome article
This is one of the most well written articles I have ever read on the subject of anti-Semitism. This is definitely a must read article for everyone. Keep up the excellent work, you are reaching many through this site. Shalom
(17) Laura Beth Gregerson, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
Choosing Sides
I appreciate the candor and passion of this article. I am not Jewish but feel a sympathetic fear in the pit of my stomach when I sense the threat of anti-Semitism. It is my desire to stay informed of these issues so that I may never be caught unaware. I choose to stand by the chosen.
(16) Anonymous, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
WOW!!!
Hello;
I just had to write and tell you how much I loved your text. Thank you so very much for explaining why we are, whom we are.
Shalom
Otillia de Andrade
(15) ed menser, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
A++ article by an A+++ author
SLR is tops and in this seminal article she shows us why. Keep on writing and publishing because you are the reason I visit this site.
Thanks
(14) Edgardo Carrasquillo, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
A must read.
Great article. I wish it could be read by as many as possible; jews, muslims, christians, agnostics.
(13) Gerald Mandel, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
clarifying and inspiring
i couldn't stop reading this article. the approach is so logical and reasonable. although it's impossible to accept the hatred of anti semitism, now it's at least more understandable to me. but why can't the non jew recognize the beauty and value of judaism, embrace it, rather than kill the jew?
(12) Lindsay, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
Misperception
There is one reason not covered in this article for ill-feeling towards Israel ( and many Jews agree with this), and that is that many are unconvined that the hard-line stand against the Palestinians is not morally justified. It is not helpful to talk about rights when before God we have no rights-only responsibilities to our fellow man. For better or worse, Israel encourages the perception that in relation to Palestine, it is the agressor.
(11) Laurence A. Somers, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
Excellent explanation
The best article I have read re "why do they hate us".
(10) Dov Ben Avraham, November 17, 2003 12:00 AM
Painful and Proud
This was an excellent article, articulate, explicit and to the heart. It makes me proud to be Jewish and it makes me yearn for peace as well.
(9) MIchael, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
Lots of good points
Will pass it on.
(8) Berta Mendoza Brass, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
The best I have read for a reason to learn and be true to my Jewishness.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You have given me the best reason to be what I am.
(7) Anonymous, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
Good article!
Now this is a good article ! Heartbreaking-but good.
(6) Katya Levitan, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
Great timing!
A very good article perfectly timed. More and more "public" Jews think that distancing themselves from the rest of their nation will help them avoid the unpleasantness of anti-Semitism. Well, it didn't work in 1930s in Germany, and it won't work in 2003 in America. The ultimate irony is that, unlike us, those who hate us make no distinction between secular and religious Jews, rich and poor Jews, Israelis and those living in the Diaspora. It's time we learned the lesson: we're all in this together...
(5) j, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
excellent article
i want to congratulate aish for yet another excellent article that helped me look at anti semitism in a new way thankyou
(4) b n newman, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
Thank you.
Many thanks for a wonderfully written article.
(3) Mrs. Rhonda, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
Sara; you are one gifted Neshamah. What a well written article. Thank-you.
(2) Dr. Alex Pister, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
Kiruv is the mitzvah of our generation
We would do very well to internalize Mrs. Rigler's article. The "writing is on the wall". Nobody in the Jewish world is exempt from the violence of the Jew-Hatred. The only answer to the problem of Jew-Hatred is to finally begin to internalize the Torah concept that it isn't "The Problem" in the first place. Jewish ignorance, and the associated assimilation it brings with it, is the problem to which Jew-Hatred is the solution.
(1) Anonymous, November 16, 2003 12:00 AM
Your words have given me strength...
We live in a small community in Australia, where keeping jewishness presents additional challenges to other more established communities. Your words have given me strength, may the Almighty give me courage.
Toda Raba