As a realist, which is what we pessimists prefer to call ourselves, it is unheard of for me to look for a silver lining in anything. And if there were ever a time in my half century of existence to not be optimistic, sadly I would have to conclude that it is now. With a pogrom the scale of which we have not seen since World War II and anti-Semitism seemingly everywhere, it would be only logical to believe that there is no time like the present to have a negative outlook. And I do. But, I am cautiously hopeful that something positive might yet come from all of the current suffering.
After the horrific events of 10/7, it took less than an instant for the world to turn against Israel and, naturally, Jews in general. Of course, except for the self-deluding Jews of the world who think that all is love and kittens, this came as no surprise to most of us. And why should it? Jew hatred is as old as it gets. Yet, notwithstanding that, it was nonetheless unclear where such widespread despise of us as a people was emanating from this time around.
A few days ago, a Harvard (feel free to jeer) Center for American Political Studies/Harris poll was released that showed some highly disturbing trends. Among its findings, 67% of 18-24 year-olds (i.e., Gen Z) believed that Jews as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors. My initial reaction to this was that, particularly in light of the recent nauseating performances of three presidents from so-called elite universities, this was largely a reflection of the brainwashing taking place at colleges across the nation. And yet, something did not quite add up. In fact, someone raised an excellent point on Twitter, which sounds like an oxymoron I admit: There are not nearly enough American young people who attend college to account for this two-thirds that view Jews as oppressors. Thus, these poisonous ideals must have their origins at least partially elsewhere.
Thankfully, there are still some true journalists in the world who seek actual truth instead of peddling fashionable narratives that come with “trigger warnings.” One such outlet is the year-old The Free Press, founded by former New York Times journalist Bari Weiss. In an article published on TFP today (https://www.thefp.com/p/how-us-public-schools-teach-antisemitism), which I encourage each and every one of you to read in full, there is some information that is helpful in explaining how so many Americans can be so irrationally arrayed against us. Stated simply – spoiler alert! – diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) curricula have been used as a cover for anti-Semitic propaganda, the likes of which would surely make Goebbels proud. And it is firmly entrenched at public schools across the country, starting as early as pre-K. Even in New York City – Hymie Town itself (as Jesse Jackson would – and did – say). That’s right. Four-year-olds are being taught to hate us. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is only one state in the nation that has a mandatory Holocaust curriculum – New Jersey.
As the article in TFP points out, the DEI movement is wholly binary in its outlook: either one is an oppressor or the oppressed. This presents a problem for us Jews since we are not oppressors, but the “oppressed” refuse to claim us because we are far too successful. I kid you not. As a result, even though we are not white oppressors (we really are not white either), our success cannot by their logic be explained by anything other than we must be engaged in oppression. Israel, which obviously does have power over the West Bank (and now, involuntarily, Gaza again) is merely evidence of our oppressive ways in these modern-day Marxists’ eyes.
Of course, no one on the far left ever stops to consider that instead of hating us and trying to fit a round peg in a decidedly square hole, they might actually study what we have done to reach where we are. Instead of stepping on others to get to where we are as a group, and knowing the only assistance we would get would be from each other, we worked to get to where we are. That is not to say that all people facing discrimination have it the same – some have it worse than others to be sure. And I will admit without reservation that I was a long-time supporter of affirmative action as something had to be done to try and undo to whatever degree this country's horrific and dehumanizing history. But Jews are not, no matter how one slices it, the oppressors. Harvard kept us out for a long time, as did countless law firms, businesses and social organizations that were vital to networking and climbing the rungs of society. And yet here we are – at the top again. And hated again. Actually, the hatred never really stops, as I am sure you all are painfully aware. The rationale for hating just changes to fit whatever narrative is trendy. If one is a bigot, you do not have to concern yourself with things like intellectual consistency.
Yet, as I noted at the outset, I actually find in recent events a glimmer of possible hope. Although not worth the price exacted for it, we have uncovered as a result of all the suffering in Israel – and Gaza – this insidious rot deep within our society. Had the events of 10/7 not led to a surge in antisemitism, we would not be as concerned about the dramatic increase in Jew hatred nor its underlying causes. But since we have been confronted by incessant reminders of how loathsome our existence is to so many and our roles as masters of the universe (which, to be honest, is not a new smear at all – it’s just that it used to be only trafficked in by the other end of the political spectrum), we now know the rocks from under which many of these despicable hatemongers have crawled. With that knowledge, we can hopefully – hopefully – take meaningful steps to try to minimize and, ideally, begin to attempt to undo, the terrible lies that have been implanted into the already uninquisitive brains of today’s young people.
A final thought, and maybe also a slightly positive one: Assuming we can yet mitigate the damage from this crisis, hopefully we will be more vigilant going forward. Of course, who I am kidding? If we couldn’t maintain vigilance for even 75 years after the Holocaust, the worst real genocide the world has ever seen – by far – how can we expect to do better in the future? So much for my optimism.
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