No patience for Jews

Soon we may see that the world has lost its patience with the Jews. Yes, those who oppose antisemitism, who rally for the rights of Israel to defend ourselves, even these good people might soon become tired of our Jewish ‘problems’.

Don’t get me wrong; our friends around the world certainly stand by our side. And the staunchest of them will never leave us alone. Mainstream anti-anti-semites might know in their gut that being anti-Jewish is wrong, but their patience may be worn thin as these episodes escalate and become commonplace.

One could expect that an increase in violence leads to an increase in opposition to that violence. However, human nature has shown time and time again that we tend to get used to a situation; and as it increases in intensity, so too does our patience to wait it out. Take the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for example – who wasn’t horrified by the footage of tanks rolling past the border into neighboring territory. But admit it, our senses become numb as the outrage turns to acquiescence, if not acceptance, over time.

When was the last time a picture of a starving child in Africa moved you to really take action? UNICEF used to play on our senses, but now we are desensitized, for the most part. I fear the Jewish problems will face the same fate. As the world radicalizes, and elements of anti-semitic, anti-Israel sentiment invade the countries of Europe and towns across the US, acts of violence against Jews are hardly in the headlines anymore.

The unimaginable violent attacks in Amsterdam actually happened, thus they are now imaginable. And almost acceptable, judging by the lack of outrage on the part of the liberal left in European leadership. Campus antics have become almost acceptably violent in the name of free speech and Jews are left to cower behind doors hoping to escape the attacks on their person.

Do not go gentle into that good night, wrote Dylan Thomas, not about anti-anything, yet those words are relevant today as a reminder for all of us. Do not accept what you once found abhorrent. Do not tacitly approve of ideas or actions that go against your good instincts. Antisemitism is bad. Period. Today’s antisemitism in the form of anti-Israel rhetoric is harmful too. Do not let yourself be desensitized. The stakes are too high, for whomever comes next, for the ‘other’ will always be the next target of bias.

With this in mind, we can only rely on ourselves. Sure, we have good solid friends. But we must forge ahead with the moral clarity that we know what is right and we do what we must to defend our people, at home and around the world. On our borders, we will do what we must to defeat the enemy, holding our heads high and hoping that the world does indeed recognize this honorable choice – and still have patience for the Jews.

It is a matter of survival.