Stop persistent mistakes when fighting Jew hatred

You can’t make the same mistakes and expect a better outcome

Let’s go over some of the most ‘popular’ mistakes and misconceptions that happen on the way to free the world of Jew-hatred.

Jew-hatred is an opinion we must honor

Jew-hatred, like all oppressions, is rooted in lies. A tolerant person does not need to tolerate lies. There is not a kernel of truth underlying the oldest hatred. Jews are hated ‘because they are leeches sucking us poor’ and ‘because they’re the uneducated masses that drag us down.’ How can Jews both be the bankers and powerful and the Communists and Marxists? Jews are hated ‘because they are deeply immoral beings’ and ‘because they invented an impossibly high morality to make everyone feel guilty.’ Etc. In an epoch of heightened dishonesty, Jew-hatred gains more ‘legitimacy.’

Jew-hatred is deeply rooted

In almost all people, Jew-hatred is a superficial sentiment. Standing up against rabid Jew-haters is not to change their minds but to help the bystanders move away from the foul nonsense.

Change Jews to stop Jew-hatred

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Jew-hatred is not caused by Jews. It’s based on slandering Jews, but even if all Jews were to move away or turn into total Angels, Jew-hatred would continue with the same force. Since it’s lie-based, better facts won’t make it disappear. Jews trying to change (blame) Jews might be just infighting that all oppressed groups do and should ban.

All Jew-hatred is pro-Holocaust and pro-genocide

Just like not all sexism or racism is rape or murder, most everyday-life Jew-hatred is mild. Yet, it creates a culture that may feed and empower groups of people to seek to ‘exterminate the Jews.’ For instance, it leads to making terrorists’ propaganda believable over simple information from Israel.

The left hates Jews more

If we consider extremists, the extreme left and the extreme right are equally deadly for Jews. Still, political affiliation plays a major role. The right tends to use Jews for their classist plunder of the population, and when the latter revolts, they blame the Jews. The right can do this when the left and the working class don’t stand with the Jews as solid allies. Naturally and traditionally, Jews will stand with the disempowered. So, when you see Jews who don’t, resist their reactionary words and actions, but make clear you understand they are held hostage by the right because of the left.

The fight is eternal or even futile

Who says Jew-hatred will never stop? Diehard Jew-haters believe Jews will go extinct because of their actions and soon, even when the physician shakes his head and pulls a sheet over their heads. But they are proven wrong, generation after generation, against all odds. But those who say this societal illness is incurable are wrong, too. Smallpox was eradicated. Only, it’s silly to believe that Jew-hatred will stop while other oppressions go on unhindered. Sexism, racism, adultism, classism, able-bodyism, and all forms of bigotry and supremacy need to go, too. It’s a package deal.

Jews and Israel must lead the fight

Gentiles must end Jew-hatred like men need to end sexism, Whites must end racism, grownups must end adultism, etc. They can quote the words of protest and analysis of the oppressed, but the latter are busy enough as it is with maintaining unity against infighting and creating a safe home for their fellow oppressed. ‘You made the mess—you clean it up.’

Jew-haters are bad people

Jew-haters are not inherently wicked, or they would be innocent, like you don’t prosecute a false dog. Rather, Jew-hatred is bad, and the hatred must be stopped like we all must be stopped from stealing, being violent, etc.

The media make people into Jew-haters

Most of the media slander the Jews. Yet, you see that some populations are still for Jews and Israel and against Jew-hatred regardless of the slurs. The media only brings out the dormant animosity against the Jews, and that should be stopped, but they don’t cause Jew-hatred. So, we don’t see an uptick in Jew-hatred but an emboldening of those who already hated Jews and a misplaced timidity by the rest. To blame Israel for poorly explaining its case is like blaming the fire brigade rather than the arsonists. Jew-haters often work in key positions in the international and national media, just as pedophiles work more often in the children’s wards than in geriatrics.

Christianity/Islam causes most Jew-hatred

Christians and Muslims throughout history often have been pivotal in spreading Jew-hatred. But many Christians and some Muslims now are staunch allies of Jews. However, they frequently fail to call their fellow haters to order. And too many believe that having a ‘good heart’ is enough. Jews don’t need them to declare themselves ‘the good ones.’ We need them to stop and turn the ‘bad ones’ into ‘good ones.’

Freedom of Speech enables Jew-hatred

It doesn’t need to be like that. Freedom of Speech is part of human rights and democracy. There is no reason to give supremacists who don’t believe in fundamental equality a privilege that belongs to a democratic society. ‘When you’re good to the bad, you’ll end up being bad to the good.’

Many Jews ask why

Jewish knowledge and morality lie at the root of almost all monotheistic religions and cultures. Today, they are 90% of the world’s population. That makes Jews stand out. On top of that, there is tremendous wisdom in Judaism, as in all cultures, but the degree of subtleties (details on details) is enormous. For these two reasons, most people will either honor Jews and feel grateful for what they have given them or be jealous and envious of them. Jews are called upon to help all of humanity, but most people dislike people who (aim to) stand out. That’s why the Holocaust is unlike any other genocide, and Jew-hatred is not just another form of racism.

Jew-hatred is so confusing

It is simple and complex. The best definition is long. Still, it’s incomplete. And this bigotry is ever-morphing, adapting to new conditions continuously. Intersectionality, to stress similarities and solidarity between oppressed groups, seems designed to exclude Jews. Woke excludes working-class men and Jews, falsely typifying them as oppressors rather than oppressed, too. All Peoples in the world deserve national independence, but when the Jewish Nation claims that right too, it’s called imperialism, colonialism, and racism. These clear lies still confuse many left-wingers. But being confused is no excuse for being a passive bystander. Rather, it obliges us to study the issue until we get clarity. Just as with sexism, racism, etc., these social ills are tenacious. We just must be more persistent to let the good cause win.

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About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. 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 generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 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 too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, 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 when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) 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 - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), 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. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers 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. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. 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. When he can, 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, for Zionism, Intersectionality, 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. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his 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, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * 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, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. 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 a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors 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