When it comes to the rise of antisemitism, there is plenty of blame to go around. It’s obvious that anti-Semitism is not a new phenomenon, having been in the world for centuries, but it seems to have taken a new and dangerous turn. It would be easy to blame the Left, or the antisemites or the anti-Zionists for the rise in temperature, since all these groups have contributed to this current state of violence and hatred, but much of the anti-Jewish agenda finds its support from the Jews themselves.

For most of its existence, America was probably known as the most tolerant and liberal country in the world. Even George Washington extended his hopes for the future of the Jews in a letter he sent to the synagogue in Newport Rhode Island. In part, it said:

It would be inconsistent with the frankness of my character not to avow that I am pleased with your favorable opinion of my Administration, and fervent wishes for my felicity. May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid. May the father of all mercies scatter light and not darkness in our paths, and make us all in our several vocations useful here, and in his own due time and way everlastingly happy.

Even today Jews point to this eloquent and generous letter, grounded in America’s founding principles, which gave Jews much hope for their lives in this land of opportunity.

As the Jews settled in as apparently accepted members of society, they attained positions of prominence in almost every field, and fought against many elements of societal discrimination, since they knew what it meant to be the underdog. But while they were busy championing other causes, they neglected their own defense within the country and aligned with Progressives and Democrats, putting their religious identity on the backburner:

Missteps by some of our oldest and best-funded organizations were years in the making. For at least three decades, the Jewish establishment underwent a mission drift, transforming from defenders of Jewish-first issues into foot soldiers for progressive politics and social justice causes. They refused to seriously address the toxic brew of leftist and Islamist ideologies seeping into universities. Stuck in their woke echo chambers, they sidelined voices who rejected progressive agendas, the two-state solution or insistence that antisemitism is never worse than when it’s on the right.

Since the “woke” agenda was primarily supported on the Left, Jews backed the woke agenda, to their own detriment.

They never took the time to reflect on their own efforts to help the downtrodden, and the negative consequences those efforts might yield. Instead of considering the ramifications of assisting groups who were publicly antisemitic, they rested on their Leftist laurels and spoke out:

Aligning Jewish groups with liberal causes came with a hefty price tag: The focus on antisemitism — particularly within social justice groups themselves. Take Black Lives Matter, an organization that literally enshrined anti-Zionism within its foundational mission statement. That, however, didn’t stop more than 600 Jewish organizations from signing a full-page New York Times ad in 2020 endorsing BLM’s efforts.

Another challenge for the American Jewish community is whether those who hate them are conflating hatred of Israel with Jew hatred. For many years, even Jews tried to make a distinction; that actions taken by the State of Israel don’t equate to all Jews. Eventually, it seems that mixing the two was more convenient and supported an ancient, traditional trend.

Since the Jewish Left has been embedded in the Leftist agenda, they didn’t realize (or ignored) until it was too late that they would be caught up in the hateful woke agenda that would include them, too:

The woke attempt to radicalize society was terrible for race relations; one of the aspects of this belief system was the notion that Jews and Israel were ‘white’ oppressors who deserved to be suppressed and forced to apologize for their success and even existence. These subversive concepts were aimed at transforming America and served to legitimize Jew-hatred among the chattering classes in a way that was unprecedented in this country. That they are echoed by a loud, though relatively small, ‘woke right’ faction led by people like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson only adds to the gloom that Jews are feeling.

Perhaps the most blatant example of this dynamic we’re now seeing is the support that New York Jews are giving to Zohran Mamdani for mayor. The man has openly expressed his antisemitism, support for Hamas, and readiness to arrest Bibi Netanyahu (among other things). He also is anti-capitalist, and calls himself a Democratic Socialist, but he clearly has a Marxist agenda. These are his stats amongst the Jews in New York City:

Jewish New Yorkers support Zohran Mamdani more than any candidate for mayor, but they strongly disagree about how he would shape their future, says a new poll from a pro-Israel nonprofit.

Mamdani is pulling the largest share of Jewish voters at 37%, with the rest dispersed between his competitors, Mayor Eric Adams (25%), former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (21%) and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa (14%), according to the poll commissioned by New York Solidarity Network and conducted by GQR.

I believe that until the Jews take back and own their heritage, take responsibility for defending American and Jewish values, and defend the positions and status we have earned in America, we are in trouble. Here’s one last thought:

Both the successful reconstruction of American institutions and an intelligent defense of Jewish interests depend on educated citizens filling those offices. I have argued in the past that the central failure of American Jewish organizations has been the prioritization of fashionable causes over the transmission of basic literacy in Hebrew language and culture – the basic price of admission into the splendors and absurdities of Judaism. Absent this kind of rigorous education, no Jewish future in the diaspora is conceivable, regardless of favorable political conditions.

Jews must fight for themselves because no one else will.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.