search
Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden
Psychology, Medicine, Science, Politics, Oppression, Integrity, Philosophy, Jews -- For those who like their news and truths frank and sharp

Again, Jew-hatred morphed, so the definition of Antisemitism needs upgrading too

It is well-known that each era has its own Antisemitism

It is widely recognized that comparing Jews and/or the Jewish State to Nazis, Nazi Germany, and Hitler is a form of Antisemitism.

Earlier, I already argued that the most recognized definition of Jew hatred needs an update.

And now, a new modification is in order.

Russia’s Putin attacking and trying to occupy Ukraine reminds everyone of Hitler Germany invading Poland. (Putin’s spin that the Jewish Zilenskyy and the Ukraine are Nazis is so ridiculous, it doesn’t warrant any study.)

Jew-haters, not missing a beat, have begun comparing Russian war crimes and violations of international law to … you guessed it: Israel and its behavior of what they call ‘the occupation.’ (Of course, they ignore that democracy in the West Bank is only for Jews living in the liberated (from Jordan) areas while, sadly, Muslims living in the PA-occupied areas are ruled by the dictators of the Palestinian Authority. They won’t fight for democracy, human rights, and a free press for them! They’d prefer to have Chamas run the West Bank which even doesn’t deny being terrorists.)

So, the example of Jew hatred: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis,” should be changed into: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis or those compared to the Nazis.”

Meanwhile, my earlier suggestions to broaden the definition are still valid. A good example is Sweden allowing Bible burning outside the Israeli embassy on this week’s Shabbat (!!), which is not Antisemitism by the current definition but the real thing according to what everyone understands and according to my extensions of the definition.

Thankfully, things calmed down after much protest. First, the Swedish government informed Israel it will create a law against burning of sacred texts. Second, the activist who threatened burning a Hebrew Bible or Torah was just trying to draw attention to an earlier Quran desecration.

We never lack plain old Jew-hatred from known Antisemitic families. Tonight, it was reported that Robert F. Kennedy Jr has said that COVID-19 was specifically engineered to avoid harming Jews. While we already are known to control the weather. Those Jews.

Plain good news on the subject too long in coming is that the Netherlands outgoing administration Friday agreed on a new law against denying, trivializing, or condoning the Holocaust, along with other genocides, with a maximum prison sentence of a year. Dilan Yeşilgöz, the Dutch Minister of Justice announcing this, was born in Ankara and has Kurdish roots!

BTW: The term is: Jew-hatred, not: Jewish hate.

I want to reiterate that Antisemitism is not a problem of Jews, though we are the ones victimized. It’s a Gentile problem they need to solve. Just like the Holocaust was not the downfall of European Jewry but of Europe.

Also: Antisemitism is not a sentiment or an opinion. It’s a falsehood.

About the Author
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, an almost daily blog contributor to the Times of Israel, and previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is (partly) generated by AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. He doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit about what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and education contribute to his visions. * If you don't know the Dutch, get an American peek behind the scenes here: https://youtu.be/QMPp6h6r72M * To find less-recent posts on subject XXX among his 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. Yet, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people who don't deserve that. He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust, and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * His most influential teachers (chronologically) are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. * One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. He loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, anti-elitism, anti-bigotry and supremacy, for Zionism, Intersectionality, and non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, empowering therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids non-violently. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's being a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. He lives with his library in Jerusalem. Feel free to contact him. * His writing has been made possible by a (second-generation) Holocaust survivors' allowance from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
Related Topics
Related Posts