Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism

Donald Sterling's recent comments have rightly led to opprobrium and a discussion on the state of racism in American today.  Yet, I wonder what it says about America that there has been almost no discussion of the roots of modern-day anti-Semitism following the murder of three innocent people in Kansas City? Jeff Jacoby identifies the source:

"Where anti-Semitism is gaining market share today is not among those who yell “Heil Hitler” or demonize Jews as Christ-killers. The oldest and most protean of hatreds has assumed a new form for a new age: hostility to Zionism and Israel. The classic anti-Semitic motifs — Jews are aliens, Jews are murderous, Jews are rapacious, Jews are disloyal, Jews manipulate governments — have been repurposed for a post-Holocaust generation that speaks with a post-Holocaust vocabulary."

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2014/04/26/amid-holocaust-remembrance-anti-semitism-adapts-and-thrives/D0kkT4Wih5OAiYUFSgHLYM/story.html

J'accuse!

There have been many waves of antisemitism throughout history.  There has been religious antisemitism promoted by the church or the mosque (e.g. the Inquisition). There has been political and nationalist antisemitism based on the xenophobia of nation-states.  There has been racial antisemitism based on social Darwinism and eugenics. And, there has been the antisemitism of the underclass and lumpen proletariat.

What is interesting about today's antisemitism is that it is being spearheaded by "intellectuals."  Whether it is the BDS campaigns against Israel, the outlawing of kosher meat, or the banning of circumcision, present-day antisemitism cannot be separated from trends in academia.

 
Rooted in the postmodernist fallacy that there is no objective truth, postcolianialist guilt, grievance narratives, and (ironically) a liberal universalist worldview with strict and unassailable notions of what is right and wrong, modern-day antisemitism poisons the youth from the top down. Combine this with the current economic malaise, anti-capitalism, anti-nationalism, and isolationism and it is easy to see why this virus easily replicates itself.

To my ex-colleagues in academia: There is nothing courageous about attacking Israel and the Jews.  It is political hipsterism devoid of morality and substance. History will judge your support for the most oppressive and obscurantist forces against a thriving liberal democracy that grants equal rights under the law for all its citizens.

By leveling your invectives solely against Israel and the Jews, you have allied yourselves with the mob. Perhaps this makes you feel a little less powerless, but you are not only playing a dangerous game with other people's lives but also toying with an all consuming fire. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Missiles

John Kerry, who literally lives in cloud cuckoo land, has urged a "reality check" from Israelis and Palestinians.  This come from the person who has been obsessed with the only sliver of land in the Middle East that is not currently on fire as the rest of the region burns.  I am sure he does not even realize that now, like every time there has been a so-called "peace process," we will have to deal with the fallout and frustration of failed expectations.

Personally, I am really looking forward to the day when John Kerry is just a historical footnote.