If the Jews are the chosen people, for what are they chosen? It does not mean they are superior but that they are given a purpose. They are the beacon in the fog, the lighthouse in the dark, the indicator light on the dashboard that shows when something is wrong.
There is no rational reason to hate Jews. They are the music makers and the poets. They are playwrights, comedians, and writers of books. They seek to entertain. They are trying to be loved by everyone—one person at a time.
Jews have a tough history. On any night when no Jew is vilified, rounded up, beaten, or gassed, they go to bed relieved. They know what humankind is capable of, and they love us anyway.
Antisemitism is the leading edge of the coming of bad times. When antisemitism appears, so does much else: the rise of authoritarianism, the imposition of supremacy, the rationale for violence, and, worse, the rationale for suppression of human rights. Hating Jews hurts the haters, but not for some arcane psychological reason, but because hating Jews is an indication that the dark side is ascending. Some aid the ascent; some ignore it; and we all will suffer from the lack of light.
October 7 was cynical, calculated, and a success. The enemies of democracy, of freedom, and leniency calculated correctly that it was a propitious time to kill Jews and hobble Israel. Those cynics were right, and they were ready. They got out of Gaza, and from a distance, rejoiced when Israel attacked.
It was the right moment because, regardless of the power of a committed and trained army, the Jews would lose the war. The cynics calculated that the rapes, the murders of infants, kidnapping of the old and frail who would die in captivity, would make savage retaliation by Israel inexorable. As Gaza burned, the battlefield was not the carnage on the ground. The battle was winning the hearts and minds of a world that would help isolate and weaken the home of the Jews.
Prejudice is not dirty looks, swear words, and unkind characterizations. Prejudice is the denial of rights justified by unkind characterizations. “They” are dirty, dumb, criminal, and, most importantly, unlike us. Well, okay then, that gives us the right to exclude them, deny them, and treat them badly. Whoever “they” are.
We are permitted to deny “them” the rights to a good job, equal pay, or inclusion. If a white man kills a Black man, there might be good cause. If a black man kills a white, there cannot be. If “we” retaliate after an attack, “we” are justified—no matter if hundreds of thousands are killed. If “they” retaliate after an attack, it is a war crime, a punishable war crime. Prejudice is the denial of rights of whoever is lesser.
The first goal is to win the hearts and minds of the masses and instill hate in those hearts and minds. The facilitator is the speed and efficiency with which we can transmit alternative facts. The reinforcement is the ease with which we can isolate groups and feed them a continuous loop of falsehoods. The great advantage for those who wish to divide and conquer us is the dearth of education, the ignorance of history.
The foregoing is a powerful combo that can turn people into an ignorant, emotional mass and an easily manipulated destructive force. What do the manipulators receive? Money and power—the people’s money and power. The trick is to cause the people to give both away willingly.
Evil is, by definition, the perversion of good. Every gift granted can be misused. Every decent impulse can be perverted. It is possible that every person breaking windows in our nation’s Capitol on January 6 was tricked into believing they were acting out of goodness—patriotism, protection of our country, defense against an imagined evil. The tricksters want profit, control, and, most important, immunity from negative consequences.
So, listen, follow, and hate. No matter who—Jews; Black, Asian, Native American, or minority groups; or women. Any of us who do will cause pain to “them” and also to our own children, grandchildren, loved ones, and to ourselves. Any of us who do will play an important part in turning our community and our country into a place unlivable for all of us.
