Anti-Semitism is not a Jewish Problem Part III

Just as we remember the dreadful day that befell us 21 years ago and came to be known as “9/11,” the Jewish people will never forget their own 11/9 that occurred 87 years ago, in Germany of 1938.

That day came to be known as the infamous “Crystal Nacht,” when hundreds of Jewish synagogues, shops, businesses, homes and lives were destroyed because villainous people wanted, and tried, to destroy the Jews just because they were, and are, Jewish. What connects these two horrific events is hatred for the sake of hatred.

Crystal Nacht was the continuation, not the beginning, of antisemitism. Antisemitism was neither new in Germany nor unknown in the world, nor is it unfamiliar today. Crystal Nacht was not the first pogrom in the 20th century either. What made, and makes, Crystal Nacht so significant is in that the way the world’s unresponsive reaction to it was to the Nazis a “green light” for their megalomaniacal plans for the Jews in particular and for the world in general. At that time, in November 9, 1938, only Hitler and his gang knew that a Holocaust was coming and a genocide was to follow. The rest of the world, including the Jews, didn’t know, or, more accurately, didn’t want to know. Lamentably we haven’t learned yet that ignoring the signs does not eliminate them nor prevent what might be their outcome, and similar signs that history might “repeat itself” still exist, unfortunately. It would be a blessing to all if we cared to realize and remember that history does not repeat itself. It’s people that repeat the same mistakes throughout history.

It is not totally unlikely that someone somewhere today, as in the past, is planning something like 9/11 and Crystal Nacht again, this time for America, and, as usual, for the Jews. There are voices in the air that call for “Death to America” along with voices expressing sorrow that Hitler “didn’t finish the job.”

America’s “crime” is in that it is a nation that wants to continue to thrive. The Jewish “crime” is in that it is a nation that wants to continue to survive. There are, lamentably, people and forces in this world that wish to frustrate, if not to eliminate, America’s thriving and Jewish surviving. These forces and the people behind them refuse to see, to understand and to realize that America and the Jewish people are the enemies of no one. Thus, hating America and loathing the Jews are not representative of any valid claims or legitimate causes. They represent what is clinically diagnosed as “paranoia.”

Regrettably and deplorably, there are people and forces in this world who wish to reenact Crystal Nacht and repeat 9/11. These paranoid people and evil forces are neither the Americans nor the Jews. They are not seeking solution to any real problems. They are seeking the annihilation of the Jews, the destruction of Israel and the ruin of America.

Antisemitism is the wish to destroy, and so is anti-Americanism. Both fall under the category of anti-Humanism, and this is a problem that now calls for self-defense, not for more analyses, academic studies, erudite debates, scholarly discussions, heartwarming speeches or fiery sermons. Now, even though Antisemitism and anti-Americanism are never going to go away, we must not give way by accepting this evil as part of our reality. If Antisemitism and anti-Americanism are inevitable, their possible outcomes are avoidable and preventable. If history has taught us that we could win a war by fighting, maybe it can teach us how to win peace by reducing the forces of evil through increasing the power of resisting it.