On Anti-Semitism

Among Jews, this is a big topic today.

I want to classify anti-Semitism into four categories:  governmental, societal, organizational, and individual.  This differs from the usual historical categorization of religious, racial, economic, political, and cultural.  Some of the latter types overlap and frequently a few of them are held by the same person.

Governmental anti-Semitism is when the government is openly anti-Semitic and uses government power to harass, discriminate against, and persecute Jews.  Examples are Nazi Germany, Tsarist Russia, Hamas-run Gaza, Iran, and some Western European countries from 1200 to 1500 which among other persecutions expelled Jews, e.g. England, France, Spain, and Portugal..   Note that at the beginning of the 20th century, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church wanted 1/3rd of Jews killed, 1/3rd expelled, and 1/3rd converted (genocide by its modern definition).

Societal anti-Semitism is when the government may not be anti-semitic or only mildly so but society allows anti-Semitic activities to be openly tolerated.  These may be anti-Semitic discrimination in housing, jobs, education, and employment.  It may include some violence against Jewish persons and institutions.  It may consist of the rise of some anti-Semitic political parties which have a minority following but do not achieve a governmental role.  Examples include America in the 1920s and 1930s, France from 1900 through 1940, and much of the Arab world from 1945 to 2020.

Organizational anti-Semitism is where small and often local groups are openly anti-Semitic but society as a whole is not anti-Semitic.  This may include individual politicians who may be members of a large party or a governing party who make anti-Semitic statements.  Patrick Buchanan and Marjorie Taylor Greens are American examples of this.   American anti-Semitic organizations include the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other White supremacists.  In the UK, there are small racist, anti-Semitic groups operating. 

Individual anti-Semitism is the personal behavior whose actions and statements are not part of an organization nor reflect society’s culture overall.  It is manifested in behaviors such as derogatory remarks to Jews, personal discrimination against Jews, swastikas and other graffiti on Jewish institutions, vandalism, and assault against individuals or groups of Jews.  The worst recent example of this was the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre that killed 11 Jews.

These categories overlap.  Anti-semitic social media from an anti-Semitic organization may inspire an individual anti-Semite.  An anti-Semitic organization may become a political party and influence society in an anti-Semitic direction.  Lastly, an anti-Semitic or racist society may elect an anti-Semitic party into government or at least as part of a coalition.

The anti-Semites want to push forward from individual anti-Semitism to organizational to societal to governmental anti-Semitism.  Historically, this process culminated in the zenith of governmental anti-Semitism, i.e. the Holocaust orchestrated by the German government.  From the Jewish point of view, the process is reversed.  Governmental anti-Semitism is more dangerous than societal which is more dangerous than organizational which, in turn, is more dangerous than individual anti-Semitism.

In America, and most of the developed democratic world, the levels of anti-Semitism are individual and organizational.  Even these levels can be dangerous, witness the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting but they directly affect fewer Jews than governmental and societal anti-Semitism.  Let’s consider the classic breakdown of types of anti-Semitism mentioned in the first paragraph i.e. religious, racial, economic, political, and cultural.

The main spectrum of anti-Semitic events ranges from a mildly anti-Semitic remark to the murder of several Jews. Let’s take an event somewhere in the middle, say, a swastika on a synagogue or vandalism at the offices of a Jewish charity.  The perpetrator is usually not apprehended, but assuming he (usually a he) is, does it make any difference if his action was based on racial, religious, or economic anti-Semitism?  The event happened and what counts for Jews is the frequency of such events.  The point of this essay is that the frequency of anti-Semitic events rises as the prevalent form of anti-Semitism changes from individual to organizational to societal to governmental.

So what is the situation today in America?  Despite Trump being labeled “an enabler of anti-Semitism” by Deborah Lipstadt, neither Trump’s presidency has been nor a possible future Trump presidency will be marked by governmental anti-Semitism.   Societal anti-Semitism is not an issue in America with Jews being the highest respected racial, ethnic, or religious community in America.  Also, anti-discrimination laws and anti-hate laws are widely approved.  Organizational anti-Semitism, e.g. Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and white supremacists is a serious issue.  Much of their hatred is against immigrants, Blacks, and Hispanics although Jews are certainly one of their targets.  Even under a Trump or a demagogic Republican presidency, their role in anti-Semitism will probably be limited.  The most danger to Jews comes from individual “lone wolf” actions by extremist anti-Semites.  These are notoriously hard to predict but in the aftermath of October 7th and the mass civilian killings in Gaza, it is notable that there has not been an eruption of violent acts, including murder, against American Jews.

Some speakers and writers invoke a litany of individual anti-Semitic actions, usually of violence against persons or property.  These have been on the rise since October 7th.  But comparisons to Nazi Germany or statements that America or the West is becoming societally or governmentally anti-Semitic are false.

I believe despite the Israel-Gaza war and the Israeli army causing the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents, there will not be societal or governmental anti-Semitism in the developed democratic world.