Today's Antisemitism Goes Beyond Kanye West & Adidas

Those that know me, know that I have a lot of causes. One of them is Judaism. I am proud to be Jewish. I am vocal about it and I will never stop fighting for my people so long as I live. So I'm compelled to share my thoughts on the rise of global antisemitism. 

Antisemitism is nothing new. It’s not unique to this moment, it doesn't know political parties, nor is it uniquely American. The hatred of Jews predates the Germans, the Russians, the Iranians and the Romans. Antisemitism goes beyond the color of one's skin, appearance - it is a hatred centuries old and attacks our very existence. 

In the past two weeks Kanye West’s comments have created a slow burn of outcry against his antisemitic remarks. Yes, he’s been dropped by the Gap, Balenciaga, and now finally Adidas, but notably in their decisions they did not actually come out and condemn antisemitism.

Many have used this opportunity to use the Jewish as political pawns in this insistence as a rallying cry to get out and vote on November 8th. This is not about politics. It would be easy to say that if you vote out every republican, that would end antisemitism. That’s not the case. There is just as much of it on the left as there is on the right. 

The true way to combat antisemitism is education and action. So here are just a few things you should know. The world's Jewish population is only about 15 million people, with 6 million living in the United States (roughly 2% of the US population), 6.9 million living in Israel, and the rest scattered throughout the world. Prior to the Holocaust the total population was almost 17 million Jews in the world. This is important to understand because Jews make up a very small percentage of not just the American population, but an even smaller amount of the world population. According to FBI statistics for 2020 60% of all religious based hate crime was against Jewish people and the numbers for 2021 and 2022 will be significantly higher. These attacks are not in rural parts of the country, but rather places like New York and LA.

So where did this come from? Well I would argue that antisemitism has always been there, bubbling under the surface. “The Jews control Hollywood,” “You don’t look Jewish,” and “You’re such a Jew” may be things you've heard and just taken as jokes or flippant comments, but they are in fact antisemitic tropes. History has shown that time and time again when things are bad in the world, Jews are the scapegoat. It’s been less than 80 years since the Holocaust and people in this country still know very little about what it was. Many schools have stopped teaching it, reducing it to a line or two in a World War II history class. Nearly two thirds of Millennials and Gen Z don’t know that six million Jews were killed. These numbers are scary. Every year there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors left to share what they went through at the hands of the Nazis, which is why educating the masses today is so critical. 

The Holocaust did not start with the gas chambers. It started with ideas, pamphlets, rallies and everyday people turning a blind eye, deciding it wasn't their problem. I would encourage people to read more to understand. There are tons of great books, The Diary of Anne Frank, Number the Stars, Night, The Hare with the Amber Eyes, just to name of few. Don’t let the Holocaust become just a line in a history book or history is bound to repeat itself.  

Then there is action. First take the following words out of your vocabulary when talking about things you don’t like, you don’t agree with, you hate, or think are terrible: Nazi, Hitler, and Holocaust. Your boss may be an asshole, but he’s not a Nazi. You can think Trump is scum, but he is not Hitler, and you can be upset about things going on in the world but it’s not the Holocaust. When you use these words you in fact diminish their impact, their meaning, and undermine the atrocities that have happened to the Jewish people. So along these lines, speak out against antisemitism. When an orthodox Jew is beaten on the way to services on Shabbat speak out. When a synagogue is vandalized with “Free Palestine” (don’t worry I’ll get to this one too) speak out. Even when you just hear a passive antisemitic comment speak out! Finally reposting a statement from a celebrity that you support your Jewish friends is great, but it's baseline - actually condemn antisemitism. It’s not political, it’s just human decency. 

So now let me get to where issues have been conflated. I’m sure I will be told I’m wrong and am over simplifying things and you have every right to say that, but imagine those statements come from an infographic rather than a lack of understanding of what you are actually talking about. You can agree with a people’s right to exist and not agree with choices of government. Being a Zionist means this and only this, that a Jewish state has a right to exist. It is not talking about the government and it is not talking about actions of the government. So when you say you’re anti-Zionist that means you do not believe the Jewish people have a right to have a state that exists. A state where half the world’s Jewish population lives. This is why being anti-Zionist is being antisemitic. Schools like UC Berkley, CUNY. Amherst, and others are silencing Jewish students and removing them from organizations by claiming they will not allow for Zionists and those who support Zionism to have a voice. This has become woke antisemitism.

While I take joy in a small victory with the Adidas decision, this is obviously a drop in the ocean of ending antisemitism. My hope in writing this is to help my friends and others understand a little more about the topic and start a dialogue. My hope is that people will be more than keyboard warriors and virtue signalers and take real action. At the very least, I hope that you will reach out and check in on your Jewish friends and listen. Ask them how they feel, ask them what they think. Don’t use this opportunity to tell Jews what you think is right or use this for your own narcissistic agenda. Actually have compassion, listen and learn and may we all use this as a reminder of the lesson of the Holocaust, that NEVER AGAIN be a reality.

[Photo via Unsplash]