Power to perception, an Israeli victory defeats antisemitism

//Power to perception, an Israeli victory defeats antisemitism

Power to perception, an Israeli victory defeats antisemitism

2025-01-28T03:48:33+00:00 January 28th, 2025|

JNS

As Israel’s fate unfolds, so does the trajectory of antisemitism; thus, the solution to the current state of global antisemitism lies largely with Israel.

Rescued Air France passengers wave to the waiting crowd while leaving the belly of the Hercules plane at Ben-Gurion International Airport. Credit: Moshe Milner, July 4, 1976, from National Photo Collection of Israel, Photography Department, Government Press Office via Wikimedia Commons.

Rescued Air France passengers wave to the waiting crowd while leaving the belly of the Hercules plane at Ben-Gurion International Airport. Credit: Moshe Milner, July 4, 1976, from National Photo Collection of Israel, Photography Department, Government Press Office via Wikimedia Commons.
Marc Weisman
Dr. Marc Weisman is a physician and writer.

Antisemitism is the world’s oldest continuous bigotry. While the reasons for it are multifactorial, conflicts involving Israel are accompanied by a rise in antisemitism. Oct. 7 was a massive intelligence and strategic failure. Israel’s enemies were elated to witness what appeared to be a kink in the armor of the storied Israel. This perceived weakness sparked a crazed exacerbation of Jew-hatred and blood lust in their mistaken belief that they could finally bring about Israel’s demise. Israel and the Jewish people are indelibly linked and as such, antisemitism is directly coupled to global perceptions regarding the State of Israel. Both Jews and non-Jews understand this.

The Jewish Diaspora’s connection to the Land of Israel spans thousands of years. It is cemented by religious traditions and scripture that place Israel, particularly Jerusalem, at the epicenter of Jewish identity. This nexus between Israel and Diaspora Jews is amplified during conflicts involving Israel, where global media and political criticisms of Israel often spill over into antisemitic stereotypes and attacks on Jewish communities. In a world of 195 nations—158 of which are majority Christian and 51 are majority Muslim—there is only one Jewish state. For all these reasons, the Jewish people and the State of Israel are deeply intertwined by an enduring bond. As Israel’s fate unfolds, so does the trajectory of antisemitism; thus, the solution to the current state of rabid global antisemitism lies largely with Israel herself.

Since Oct. 7, the Anti-Defamation League has counted a 388% increase in antisemitic events in the United States, with similar trends in most Western European nations. This trend is being observed across numerous platforms, including college campuses, social media, public-forum protests, and perhaps the most worrisome of all, violent attacks. The FBI reports a sharp rise in anti-Jewish physical attacks in the United States and Europe, where scores of assaults have affected synagogues and Jews individually. Unfortunately, too many on the left in America, including university professors, infotech leaders and mainstream journalists, have thrown their weight behind this anti-Israel rhetoric. We’ve witnessed university presidents, journalists and even Democratic congresspeople supporting the pro-Hamas, anti-Israel narrative.

Ironically, the very thing most responsible for fueling antisemitism is also its antidote: the annoying habit Jews and the Jewish state have in punching well beyond their weight. The successes and achievements of Jews and Israel are well known, and so far beyond their tiny numbers, it is sometimes hard to fathom. Mark Twain stated of the Jews, “He has made a marvelous fight in this world, in all the ages, and had done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself and be excused for it.” John Adams put it this way; “I will insist the Hebrews have [contributed] more to civilize men than any other nation.” Sadly, the veneration great men and women have for the Jews is equaled by the envy of weak-minded people. It is this envy that drives antisemitism.

An interviewer asked the economist and social philosopher Thomas Sowell, what can Jews do to mitigate the 2,000-year-old scourge of antisemitism? His answer came brilliantly as a single word: Fail. While that is undoubtedly true, failure is typically not in the Jewish DNA, so the next best solution is precisely the opposite: succeed spectacularly.

Success begets respect, and respect is a winning formula. When spiteful antisemites control the narrative as they have this past year, antisemitism rises. Alternatively, when the esteem for Israel rises, antisemitism falls. There is historical precedent supporting this theory. In 1967, when in just six days Israel soundly defeated four invading Arab armies in a stunning victory, American support for the Jewish state grew. Another example is the July 1976 raid on Entebbe, an amazingly successful Israeli military mission that rescued the crew and passengers of a plane hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists. That event was followed by increased support for Israel and diminished antisemitism.

It is fundamental human nature to rally around the winner. The useful idiot, terrorist sympathizers at home and abroad who are spewing the anti-Jewish cacophony but are not vested in Jew-hatred, are vulnerable to realignment. A definitive Israeli victory will shift their allegiance toward the Jews and Israel or at least relax their support for the terrorists. Bullies pick on the weak, not the strong. Herein lies a critical component of the solution to the antisemitism that was fueled by mistaken optimism that Israel and the Jews are weak and defenseless. They proved, once again, to be lions unmatched anywhere on earth by their numbers. Israel’s success in defeating their enemies will bring global respect, maybe not love, but respect, and with that respect will come a diminution of Jew-hatred.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally shed his obeisance to the perpetual demands by U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Democrats for ceasefires and “proportional” responses. This released Israel to do what it does best: Succeed. Netanyahu has finally unbridled Israel’s awesome capabilities, and once again, the tiny nation of Israel has proven to the world its astonishing military reach and technological capabilities. They have methodically and systematically routed both Hamas and Hezbollah. These wars are not yet over, but the tide has indeed turned in Israel’s favor these last few weeks. The Israel Defense Forces has demolished all 12 Hamas brigades and assassinated nearly all of Hamas’s leadership. They executed a James Bond-like pager/walkie-talkie magic-bombing feat against thousands of Hezbollah terrorists in a single moment that stunned the world. They killed every high-level Hezbollah leader in 10 days, including their leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

A decisive victory by Israel against Iran and its proxies would create a rare opportunity for reshaping the Middle East. Not only would Israel guarantee its own security but would also deliver an era of reduced global antisemitic tension. The Abraham Accords would expand, likely to soon include Saudi Arabia, which would pave the way for true Arab-Israeli peace, at least with the Sunni nations. Finally, when the Islamists and their witless antisemitic followers in the West have their dreams crushed under the weight of a definitive Israeli victory and they crawl back into their holes, all the West will benefit.