Trump has used universities' alleged anti-semitism—in condoning student Gaza conflict protests—as an attack point against them, withholding federal funds. There is much talk everywhere about anti-semitism. As a Jew, I experienced anti-semitism in my youth in the statements and actions of everyday people. It is hurtful, and so I welcome any discussion that educates the public about anti-semitism and the baseless nature of its "causes."
But the cause of all the tumult today has little if anything to do with anti-semitism. Anti-semitism is a bias against Jews for attributes supposedly descriptive of Jews or the Jewish people—rich, elite, manipulators, Christ-killers, or controllers of the world. All of these are easily disproven, which I shall address later in this post.
But, first, I must address what is commonly referred to as anti-semitism today: being against the State of Israel, or more exactly, against Israel's conduct of the Gaza conflict against Hamas. This is not anti-semitism.
First of all, there are many Jews in this country and around the world, myself included, who are very much against the way Netanyahu and his ultra-right nationalist supporters have turned a legitimate defensive response to Hamas' vicious attack on Israeli citizens on Oct. 7 into an all-out offensive war, totally out of proportion to that attack, killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians and reducing to rubble vast areas where Palestinians lived.
I and my fellow Jews who have opposed the war are not anti-semites. We are not even anti-Israel. (Although being anti-Israel, or anti-Zionist, is also not being anti-semitic; one may be, but not necessarily.) We are, however, very anti-Netanyahu and against the ultra-right coalition that keeps him in power.
It is unfortunate that many well-intentioned supporters of a Palestinian state and opponents of the war have been led by provocateurs to turn that opposition into an opposition to the State of Israel, rather than the current leaders of Israel; they have made them anti-Zionists. It's as though people who are against Donald Trump and MAGA were turned into haters of America instead. Wouldn't that be unwarranted and ridiculous?
Yes, there has been some violence against Jewish students as part of these protests, but that violence has not been against them as Jews but as supporters of Israel and the Gaza war. This, again, is not anti-semitism.
However, it must be noted that there has also been an uptick of violence against Jews, whether in synagogues or elsewhere. (There was also an uptick after Trump's first inauguration.) This is clearly anti-semitism, and it is very worrying. Whether the perpetrators are white supremacists taking advantage of the tumult or people against the war is not known; from the reports I've read, I suspect the former.
In light of this discussion, what of Trump's allegation of anti-semitism against Columbia and other universities and his assertion that he is the best friend Jews have ever had? As I've just shown, actions condoning these protests have nothing to do with anti-semitism; they are more actions supporting free speech. This is just a ruse for him to attack liberal institutions and withhold funding for liberal causes.
As for his claim that he is the best friend Jews have had—how ludicrous. His support of Netanyahu does not make him Jews' best friend, not even Israel's—just Netanyahu's. More importantly, here is a man who, as president, has cozied up to white supremacists who are known to be anti-semites, as well as Blacks, such as Kanye West, who are openly anti-semitic; a president who has people on his staff who are known anti-semites.
The existence of anti-semitism in this country and elsewhere is very real. But that real anti-semitism is not even referenced by Trump. It is not on his agenda because it does not serve his political goals and would actually endanger his support from those of his supporters who are White supremacists.
And, now, to the supposed attributes of Jews that are the underpinning of anti-semitism:
* Rich - while it is true that a somewhat greater proportion of Jews are well-off relative to the rest of the white population, a large proportion of Jews are low-income (31%).
* Elite - while it is true that a larger proportion of Jews are college graduates than the rest of the white population, Hindus and several Protestant denominations have as high or higher rates. The Jewish rate is a function of how Jews view the importance of education, mainly because, as historically oppressed people, education was an avenue to improve their lives.
* Manipulators - The human race is full of people who manipulate others. This is not an attribute that can be attributed particularly to Jews.
* Christ-killers - While the Temple priests considered Jesus a rebel, and according to the New Testament urged Herod to crucify him, the Jews as a people were not involved in the process, and so were not his killers.
* Controllers of the world - This charge is based on the so-called "Protocols of the Elders of Zion." This fraudulent fabrication, which originated in Tsarist Russia—a very anti-semitic society—purports to show that Jews plan to dominate the world. It would be laughable were it not still in this day a document that moves many to become anti-semites.
But even if these specific "causes" of anti-semitism are debunked, the real root of anti-semitism is that it's been around so long that it's in some people's blood. They heard it from their parents, and so they believe it. As the song in Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific says, "You've got to be taught before it's too late, before you are six or seven or eight, to hate all the people your relatives hate, you've got to be carefully taught.”
Anti-semitism, just like racism, will be with us until the leadership of this country and its cultural institutions decide it's time at long last to have a national discussion of these issues, to show people the baselessness of these attitudes and their lack of humanity.
Ronald L. Hirsch is a teacher, legal aid lawyer, survey researcher, nonprofit executive, consultant, composer, author, and volunteer. He is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School and the author of We Still Hold These Truths. Read more of his writing at www.PreservingAmericanValues.com
