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Responding to


                                Antisemitism



                        in the Thought of Rabbi Sacks zt”l                                          Dr. Daniel Rose


              ntisemitism was a theme Rabbi   Christian children, etc.) However, in the age   try as far as possible not to be different. The
              Sacks returned to often in his   of reason of post-enlightenment Europe,   best way for Jews to combat antisemitism is
              writings, broadcasts and speeches   no longer could a rationale for prejudice   to wear our identity with pride.
      A(including his last two speeches    be based on religious belief. Jews instead   But we cannot fight antisemitism alone. He
      in the House of Lords). He argued that it is   became hated for their ethnicity, an alien
      a pressing issue facing not only Jews across   race polluting the bloodstreams of Europe.   urged Jews to stand together with other vic-
                                                                                tims of hate and to find allies from other
      the world but society as a whole. “The hate   This new form of pseudo-scientific, racial
      that begins with Jews never ends with   antisemitism led directly to the crematoria   communities, to stand together with society
      Jews,” he wrote. “Antisemitism is the world’s   of the Holocaust.         as a whole against hate.
      most reliable early warning sign of a major
      threat to freedom, humanity and the dignity   Prejudice and hate always seek justification   In defense of difference
      of difference.”                      in a civilized society. This lowest form of   He argued that antisemitism is the para-
                                           evil must seek legitimation from the highest
      In explaining the historical phenomenon of   source of authority of the age. In the Middle   digm case of dislike of the unlike and fear
      antisemitism, he gave us a framework for   Ages, this was religion, in post-enlighten-  of the other. The hatred of difference. For
      understanding, the tools to respond, and   ment Europe it was science, and today it   Rabbi Sacks, this is the quintessential role of
      hope for a future without hate.      is “Human Rights.” So the antisemitism of   the Jew – to be different and to teach the dig-
                                           our age is disguised as criticism of Israel   nity of difference. Antisemitism is an assault
      The mutating virus                   that attacks Jews not as individuals but as   not on Jews alone, but on the human condi-
                                           a nation, directed against their nation-state.  tion. Life is sacred because each human is
      Rabbi Sacks showed us that like a virus,                                  different and irreplaceable. A world without
      a nefarious prejudice like antisemitism                                   room for Jews is one that has no room for
      needed to mutate to survive and defeat the  What should our               difference, and a world without space for
      immune systems set up by cultures to pro-  response be?                   difference has no space for humanity itself.
      tect themselves from hatred. In the Middle                                Our response to antisemitism must be to
      Ages, Jews were persecuted because of their   While  encouraging the  fight  against   honor the dignity of difference. This is the
      religion, at first because they rejected Chris-  antisemitism, Rabbi Sacks warned Jews not   Jewish message to the world.
      tianity, and later as a perceived demonic   to internalize it. Antisemitism says every-
      force in Europe, who were to blame for   thing about antisemites and nothing about
      all the evils of the age (poisoned wells,   Jews. It is a mistake to say that since we are   Dr. Daniel Rose is the Director of Edu-
      spreading the plague, the ritual murder of   hated because we are different, we should   cation for the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust.




      Antisemitism can take many forms

      Theological or religious    the business world and      Political or ideological    the Holocaust or exag-
      antisemitism | Jews are     control the economy.        antisemitism | Jews are     gerated the facts. Other
      persecuted because of their   Racial antisemitism |     accused of being disloyal to   conspiracy theories include
      religious beliefs; they are   The belief that Jews are of   their country or of harboring   the claim that Jews have
      portrayed as “Christ-kill-  an inferior race, what was   perverse and destructive   a secret plot to take over
      ers” or forced to convert   behind the Nazi ideology    political ideologies and are   and control the world or
      to Christianity or Islam.   and the Holocaust.          seen as the cause of political   that Jews are the cause of
                                                              upheaval. Historically, Jews
      Economic | Antisemitism     Social or cultural antisem-  were accused by nationalists   Coronavirus or other calam-
                                                                                          ities or natural disasters.
      rises due to the Jews’ finan-  itism | Jews are consid-  of creating communism,
      cial and economic success;   ered socially inferior; they   and by the communists   Anti-Zionism | Hatred or
      they are accused of being   are accused of either not   as being capitalists.       criticism of Israel is used
      stingy and obsessed with    assimilating enough or of   Holocaust denial and        to mask hostility toward
      money. This often includes   assimilating too much and   conspiracy theories | The   Jews in general, even those
      the belief that Jews run    their culture is shunned.   claim that Jews fabricated   disconnected from Israel.


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