Only a bold and comprehensive approach to the problem of anti-Semitism will address it properly and to the benefit of all. Opinion.
The current wave of anti-Semitism is only getting more powerful – for several reasons. One of the main reasons is the relentless propaganda efforts that are pushed by malicious operatives from the Radical Right, Radical Left, and Radical Islam. Theoretically, a well-financed propaganda effort that is based on deception and misinformation should be relatively easy to expose, and hopefully, defeat. Unfortunately, too many good people around the world are busy with their own priorities and are not paying attention to this malicious wave of anti-Semitism, which may cause even them a lot of trouble, along with the entire free world.
We know from several previous studies that relentless and repetitive propaganda can be very effective in influencing public opinion, and these efforts are even more dangerous when they are directed at brainwashing vulnerable children and young adults.
There are multiple honorable organizations, like StandWithUs, The Lawfare Project, Brandeis Center, OpenDor Media, and many others, that pay a lot of attention to this problem and offer some practical solutions. Unfortunately, there are other institutions, like the massive organization “Yad VaShem,” which has its headquarters in Jerusalem, that until recently were focused only on the Holocaust – which happened during the Second World War – and practically ignored the creeping wave of the current rise in anti-Semitism. During World War II the Holocaust did not start out of thin air. It followed a massive wave of anti-Semitism that escalated gradually from verbal abuse to economic restrictions, to educational limitations, to physical marginalization in designated ghettoes, to enslavement, and finally to extermination. Unfortunate, this wicked escalation of evil was facilitated by the deafening silence of the media, academia, civic organizations, politicians, and even many Jews who hoped that if they did not sound the alarm, they might be saved from that horrible wave of evil.
It is obvious today that we are facing the early stages of a very similar wave of rise in anti-Semitism, which is also caused by the ongoing demonization of the Jewish people and the State of Israel by the three main Radical groups and many other oblivious people. Looking at the current situation with open eyes, we can see too many similarities to the anti-Semitic wave that happened before and during WWII. The results of this hatred brought upon the free world a major disaster that included the loss of many lives, the destruction of property, and the shaking of the political stability of many nations.
Today, we too notice the silence of too many in the media, in academia, in politics, in the general population, and even within some Jewish groups. In addition, there is an ongoing effort by some of them to hurt Jews and the State of Israel, both economically and politically. So far, these efforts have not been very successful, as there are many honorable people who recognize the just cause of the State of Israel and the Jewish People, and who understand that if evil is rewarded and prevails, all good people will become its victim.
Following the Holocaust, some institutions dedicated themselves to teaching what happened during those dark days of history, hoping that if people know about the horrors of the past, they will be more inclined to prevent it from happening again. Unfortunately, as reported by Jonathan Tobin, there are too many people who readily cry over dead Jews, but simultaneously continue their blind hatred of the living Jews and the Jewish State of Israel. This can be partially attributed to the ongoing anti-Jewish incitement and the total ignorance of current and historical facts about the just cause of the Jewish People and their absolute legal right to live in their ancestral homeland in the Land of Israel.
I am delighted that Yad VaShem in Jerusalem – which is dedicated to the study and education of the Holocaust – has received several major donations from many donors, from the State of Israel, and from the wonderful and philanthropic Dr. Miriam Adelson and her family, which has allowed Yad VaShem to also launch an academy to train future leaders in Holocaust awareness.
Additionally, Yad VaShem recently appointed a new chairman, Ambassador Dani Dayan, who joined the leadership of the institution with a fresh vision. As reported in the JNS, he urged the leadership of the Christian world to improve its ways combatting anti-Semitism, and to observe the International Holocaust Memorial Day as a day of reflection and fight against modern-day anti-Semitism.
The spirit of this statement was very significant, as it set up the wise policy of helping the organization remember the Holocaust while at the same time seriously addressing seriously current events and related modern anti-Semitism, with the stated goal of preventing the atrocities of the past from happening again. This message will have to be implemented throughout the organization and included in its various programs.
In addition to sharing important and relevant information about the horrors of the Holocaust, and about the just historical cause of the Jewish people and the honorable modern State of Israel, we must also include information about the following three points, to put the big picture into the correct perspective:
1. The enemies of the Jewish people and the State of Israel are relentlessly using deception and misinformation to promote their malicious propaganda.
2. When we investigate what these enemies of freedom and liberty stand for, we find that many of them are corrupt, support terror, abuse children, abuse women, etc. All these issues should be despised by the many people whom, unknowingly, support their malicious agenda. Once properly informed and educated, many of these oblivious people will likely discontinue their support of bad operatives.
3. People must know that these bad operatives will not unconditionally respect those who supported them in the past. Should evil prevail, all good people will become their victims. Therefore, giving evil financial support and political power will only make them bolder and more aggressive enemies of all good people, and not only of the Jews.
The more that people are educated and informed, the better it will be for the entire free world.