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Maurice Ross

No Apologies

The term anti-Semitism was coined in Germany in 1873 as a scientific-sounding term for Judenhass (“Jew Hatred”). That has been its normal use since then. Whatever its name Jew Hatred is as old as Judaism itself.

It has taken on a number of forms such as:

political and economic anti-Semitism;
theological or religious anti-Semitism;
nationalistic anti-Semitism;
social anti-Semitism; and
racial anti-Semitism.

Now there is a new form of anti-Semitism, coming simultaneously from the left, the right, and radical Islam, focusing on opposition to the Jewish homeland in the State of Israel. This new anti-Semitism is euphemistically called anti-Zionism.

The language of anti-Zionism is used to attack Jews on a very broad basis.

I have just watched a video of Jews participating in a pro-Palestine demonstration in London. How they did not hear the chants “death to the Jews” is beyond explanation! When interviewed they were oblivious to the possibility that anti-Zionism is the new anti-Semitism.

These Jews are the extreme example of the “guilty” Jew. We Jews always think that when people hate us, it is because we have done something wrong. We then compensate for their hatred, by questioning and then apologising. We then become apologists for our legitimate cause.

The Jews who participated in the pro-Palestine demonstration take the matter to extremes. They think that by participating in such a demonstration they will be saved from the worst extremes of the hatred expressed by the others on the demonstration. All of a sudden they will be the acceptable face of the Jew. But they kid no-one, only themselves. Anti-Semitism has no bottom level of acceptance. A Jew, is a Jew, is a Jew.

When those Jews stand in the line, to the table with the man in the white coat, who will decide if they should go to the left or to the right, they will not be asked if they took part in a pro-Palestine demonstration. The decision whether they live or die will be based on the Jew, is a Jew, is a Jew.

Fortunately for those Jews who participated in the pro-Palestine demonstration, there is an Israel.

Fortunately for those Jews who participated in the pro-Palestine demonstration there is another line. It is the line that is available to those who wish to make Aliyah, and those who one day, may be obliged to make Aliyah. That line leads to life.

Over the past weeks, apart from taking to writing a blog and trying to keep people up to date with some form of balance on the situation, I have been referred to numerous articles of one kind or another, some not so friendly to my viewpoint and some not so friendly to my very life.

The latter may be as a consequence of my non-apologist style. Then again, it could be simply because I am a Jew. I am under no illusion about it and I make no apology for it. A Jew, is a Jew, is a Jew.

A wonderful article that I read the other day was titled: “Dear World…”

In this article the writer asks the world the question “What do you want from us?”

The “us” in this case is the Jews.

He asked the question from the point of despair and confusion and not from the point of apology. He made no apology whatsoever and posed issues which challenge the very essence of anti-Semitism.

With the world going mad, I regret he is not going to get any answers. Those who hate us do not care for the question and those who do not hate us have no answers.

So I wish to turn the question on its head and say to the world a few things that put things into perspective and tell them what we want of them.

Firstly, when there are calls for “death to the Jews”, “Hamas, Hamas, gas the Jews”, “Jews out” and the like of a most offensive nature, brought about because of the current situation in Gaza, that is not anti-Zionism. It is anti-Semitism and we want the world to recognise it for what it is and say so.

When Ban Ki Moon refers to the so called “atrocities of the Israelis…” and does not refer to the “atrocities of Hamas…”, that is not anti-Zionism. It is anti-Semitism. We want the world to tell him so.

When the UN establishes a committee to investigate those so called “atrocities of the Israelis…” and not set up an equivalent committee to investigate the “atrocities of Hamas…”, that is not anti-Zionism. It is anti-Semitism. We want the world to demand equal treatment of both, even if at the conclusion, one proved to be unnecessary.

When the UN appoints a Chairman of the foregoing Committee, who is recognised as someone who already has a prejudiced attitude to Israel, that is not anti-Zionism. It is anti-Semitism. We want the world to demand his replacement.

When George Galloway, a bigot of the first order, calls for a city in the UK to be an Israeli free zone, that is not anti-Zionism. It is anti-Semitism. We want the world to call for his resignation.

There are many more specifics. These are just a few.

They are the opening symptoms of an illness that has turned into a disease, the prognosis of which is the end of the democratic world as we know it. Anti-Semitism is only the beginning.

The hatred of any one group of people grows and develops into the sea of hatred that we can see all around us.

I am reminded of the saying, “No one person can terrorise a whole nation unless everyone is an accomplice.” This may well be true for a nation, but it seems that the world is being terrorised by groups of persons. Whereas not everyone is an accomplice, not enough are standing up against those groups and the tyranny they inculcate in the name of their evilness.

And so, like the writer who asked the question “What do you want from us?” and made no apology in doing so, I make no apology for demanding of the world those things that are inherent in any belief structure that honours life and abhors death.

Before it is too late to recognise who brought to the world such a belief structure, the world needs to defeat the madness that is surrounding us.

That is the overall demand that we make to the world.

About the Author
Maurice Ross was born in Ireland in 1955. Made Aliyah in 2007, having lived in London, UK since 1965. Former Jewish community Professional and Educator.