June 21, 2026 Categories: Headline / Perspectives / Op-Eds
Approaching Antisemitism from the Inside Out
“In the warmest of hearts, there is a cold spot for the Jews.” – Irving Howe
Why They Hate Us
If you hate Cubans, Blacks, Chinese, Muslims, Mexicans, Indians, or Italians, you are called racist. But if you hate Jews, you’re not simply a racist – you’re an antisemite. Because Jew-hatred has been prevalent for so long, there’s a specific name for it. No other minority shares this distinction. Though antisemitism began much earlier – with Lavan and later Pharaoh and his people – Amalek stood out from the beginning. As the Torah says: “Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of G-d… You shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” (Devarim 25:17-19). Rav Soloveitchik, zt”l, noted in a 1974 lecture that Amalek personifies evil because they had no territorial, economic, or political reason to attack us, other than pure, illogical hatred. This hatred is hard for Jews to comprehend, because it comes from within Amalek’s actual soul. That’s a far cry from the pintele yid. Antisemitism grew in the Greco-Roman world, intensified with Christian doctrines of deicide, and was perpetuated with blood libels and segregation. Whether it was lies about Jews poisoning wells, spreading plagues, or killing Christian children for their blood, we have always been the target of persecution. We were either greedy capitalists in America, or the evil communists in Russia. Throughout history, whether it was the Greeks, the Romans, the Babylonians, Betar, the Black Plague, the Inquisition, the Cossack Rebellion, Martin Luther, the Khmelnytsky massacres, Hitler, Nasser, Arafat, ISIS, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Farrakhan, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Khomeini, Nasrallah, or Sinwar, yemach shemam, Amalek has always been around. In 1969, Konstantyn Jelenski wrote in the Parisian journal Kultura: “Poles have never come out against Jews because they are Jews, but because Jews are dirty, greedy, wear sidelocks, speak jargon, do not want to assimilate, and also because they do assimilate and cease using their jargon. They want to be regarded as Poles because they lack culture, and because they are overly cultured; because they are superstitious, backward, and ignorant, and because they are damnably capable, progressive, and ambitious; because they have long hooked noses, and because it’s difficult to distinguish them from pure Poles; because they are bankers and capitalists, and because they are communists and agitators – but in no case because they are Jews.” Did you know that the second best-selling book in the world, even after more than a hundred years, is The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, an antisemitic hoax and forgery purporting a Jewish plot for world domination? OK, we get it. From our very birth as a nation, we have been hated. In fact, Hashem makes it abundantly clear in Vayikra 26:36 that the Jews in exile would live under tremendous fear and horror: “I will cast a faintness into your hearts in the land of your enemies. The sound of a rustling leaf shall put you to flight. Fleeing as though from the sword, you shall fall though none pursues.” Why, pray tell, would G-d mention this to His newly betrothed nation? Can you imagine saying to your new wife: “Honey, thanks for making the leap with me. I’m so excited about our life together. Oh yeah, FYI, we are going to be hated by practically everyone in the world. Please pass the salt.” It seems that Hashem was effectively telling us from day one: “Listen up, guys. Before we even start our relationship, there’s something you’ve got to know: There’s this nation that is the personification of evil that is going to really despise you. It’s a consequence of who you are and, more so, what you represent, which is goodness. No matter what you say or do, they will hate you, and this will never change. Remember that.” The first reason we are hated, then, is because we represent the powers of good, which sit diametrically opposed to evil. The Jew, by definition, is the original torchbearer of morality, law, and goodness to mankind. This lies in stark contrast to Nazism. Hitler, yemach shemo, proudly and publicly declared: “Yes, we are barbarians. It is an honored title to us. I am freeing man from the restraints of an intelligence that has taken charge… from conscience and morality.” Indeed, Kristallnacht, Hitler’s first large-scale attack on the Jewish people, allowed mobs to murder thousands of Jews, destroy hundreds of synagogues, Jewish businesses, and yeshivas, along with desecrating Sifrei Torah and sacred texts. On fast days, Hitler assigned extra food rations in order to make the Jews sin by breaking their fasts. This was a war against G-d and His moral teachings as much as it was against His beloved children. The second reason for antisemitism is that we are different. But don’t take my word for it. In Megillas Esther (3:8), we are introduced to the king’s trusted advisor, Haman, as he tells the king: “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom, and their laws are diverse from all the people….If it pleases the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed.” Hitler, too, referred to Jews as an “alien race” and a “parasite” destroying the “national community.” Martin Luther, in his work On the Jews and Their Lies, depicted Jews as “alien” to Christians and “venomous.” What’s ironic is that while most cultures are free to honor and celebrate their own respective and distinctive customs, Jews do not share this privilege. It seems that observing the Shabbos and holidays, keeping kosher, studying Torah, praying, speaking an ancient language, and wearing a kippah really angers people. Rather than celebrate our contribution to the world, they resent it. The third reason for antisemitism (and perhaps the most obvious) is good old-fashioned jealousy. Jews work hard, value higher education, and experience success. Jews rise to the top of practically every profession and field they enter, and win more Nobel prizes than any other race in spite of our tiny size. In the face of constant antisemitism and hatred, we still manage to bring the world pacemakers, defibrillators, genetic engineering, polio vaccinations, endoscopy and pill cams, stents, cell phones, Waze, Fox Studios, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Spielberg, Levi’s jeans, and a whole lot more. This bothers people. Islam’s contributions? September 11, October 7, hijacking, suicide bombings, death, and jihad. Quite a difference.An Approach to Antisemitism
I didn’t title this section “A Solution” because, as we have noted, antisemitism has been around since our inception as a nation and isn’t going anywhere. But we are still obligated to protect ourselves, to fight it and, more to the point, to learn something from it. First, from a strictly practical standpoint, every Jew should know some self-defense and carry some form of protection (gun, taser, or pepper spray). I might not have felt this way a few years ago, but these are different times. With no provocation whatsoever, antisemites openly display hatred toward Jews throughout the entire world. While it’s close to impossible for one person to take on an army of thugs, we still need to do our hishtadlus and empower ourselves. Second, logic will not change those who hate. Mark Twain noted that no amount of evidence will ever convince a fool. Especially a hateful one. French philosopher and novelist Jean-Paul Sartre said it best: “Never believe that antisemites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous and open to challenge, but they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words; the antisemites have the right to play.” And play they are… Case in point: I went to the same post office for 30 years and became acquainted with a guy named Miguel who would playfully tease me. One day, he asked how I would like to send my package, first class or third. Jokingly, I remarked, “Well, Miguel, if I say first class, I’m a rich Jew, and if I say third class, I’m a cheap Jew.” He smiled and agreed, and as time went on, he became a little too comfortable and one day said to me, “Yo dude, why do you think Hitler killed the Jews? I mean, think about it. Everyone hates you guys.” It was clear that his question ended with more of an exclamation point than a question mark. Frustrated, I asked him if he had ever seen Schindler’s List, and he coldly responded: “Bro, that ain’t got nothing to do with me.” I tried to explain to him that Hitler would have eventually killed him because he was not an Aryan and that the Muslims would execute him for being a Christian infidel. It made little impression because his hatred for Jews precluded saving his own life. In Star Trek III, The Search for Spock, Captain Kirk battles an evil Klingon who has killed Kirk’s son. In a climactic scene, Kirk successfully overpowers the Klingon, who manages to grab onto the edge of a cliff, dangling for dear life. Kirk, in an act of benevolence and personal risk, extends his hand in order to save the Klingon from certain death. Incredibly, rather than save his own life, the Klingon opts for Kirk’s heel, attempting to pull him down into the abyss along with him. At this point, Kirk is done, realizing that this Klingon is irreparably evil, and angrily kicks him to his death. Lesson learned. You can’t reason with illogical hate. Third, every single Jew is connected, regardless of our religious affiliation. This is why attacks in Israel affect each of us. The world views us as one entity and so should we. But make no mistake: This is where our strength actually lies. “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh.” When we are united, G-d is with us and our power is untold. After October 7, so many Israelis, not to mention Jews throughout the world, felt a kinship. Many Jews who had never kept kosher, Shabbos, or tefillin recommitted themselves to a life of Torah. The stories of achdus among Jews in the face of evil is nothing short of beautiful. Several Israeli restaurants that were previously not kosher became kosher out of respect and a desire to serve observant soldiers, just as countless Jews started putting on tefillin to honor their fellow brothers and sisters. Fourth, on the flip side of that, we have to look within ourselves when antisemitism rears its ugly head. There is a direct correlation between G-d’s Divine protection and Torah observance, as Hashem tells us in Leviticus 26:14-15: “If you will not obey My commands, you will be punished. If you refuse to obey My laws and commands and break the covenant I have made with you, I will punish you. I will bring disaster on you…” In other words, when we turn our backs on Hashem and His law, He, in effect, does the same and hides His face from us, subjecting us to the tentacles of evil. Ramban says that our suffering is designed to force us to look inward and repent. The Vilna Gaon felt that antisemitism was an intentional, spiritual obstacle designed to test and strengthen Jewish resolve. The Chasam Sofer and Abarbanel both noted that when Jews are treated well, they tend to abandon their religious identity and assimilate, and suggested antisemitism was a painful but necessary tool for the survival of our people. Something to think about. Fifth, antisemitism is not politically or financially motivated. This is a religious war between good versus evil. America dealt with this problem when the Axis of Evil attempted to destroy the world with Nazism back in World War II. In fact, the Talmud Yerushalmi reiterates that hatred directed at Jews is really a deeper, unconscious hatred towards G-d. Since the nations cannot attack G-d, they strike at the people who represent Him. This would explain why in every generation, every evil regime forbids Torah study or putting on tefillin, and they eventually burn our sacred texts and Sifrei Torah. They know that the Torah is the secret to our success and the very heart of what makes us tick. But here’s the good news: The powers of evil never win. Sure, they make headlines for a while, but ultimately the powers of good always prevail. Let us remind ourselves that Hitler ended up with a self-inflicted bullet hole in his head because he couldn’t face the fact that he had lost the war. Eichmann, Goering, and the Nazi machine thought their power would last forever, but instead, they spent their last days humiliated as they were tried and executed for crimes against humanity. The same fate awaited Sadaam Hussein, while Bin Laden was lucky enough to be executed by Navy Seals in the comfort of his own bedroom. Sinwar, Nasrallah, and Khomeini and their proxies bombed and threatened to destroy Israel for decades, until the IDF decimated Gaza as well as Iran’s air force, generals, and nuclear scientists. These guys had it all but forgot that, in the end, justice always prevails. Why? Because justice is the execution of goodness which stems directly from G-d, the source of everything. We aren’t blind to the facts. We know that our enemies far outnumber and out-finance us. A simple glance at a map of Israel and its surrounding neighbors (a.k.a. sworn enemies) makes you think about the odds. But then, logic would also dictate that Pharaoh would have finished us off at the sea, that Haman would have killed every one of us, and that Hitler would have completed his Final Solution. Lucky for us, G-d had other plans. Plans involving sea-splitting, hanging Haman on the very tree he had erected for Mordechai, and freezing Hitler’s armies to death in Russia, costing him the war – and his life! Our very existence defies logic. Getting the State of Israel was a cataclysmic event. Winning the Six-Day War was a flat-out miracle. Victory seemed bleak at the start of the Yom Kippur War, but once again, we were united, G-d blessed the IDF, and the rest is history. No wonder Mark Twain called us “the emblem of eternity” over a hundred years ago. When King Louis XIV of France asked Blaise Pascal, the great French philosopher, to give proof of the existence of miracles, his response said it all: “Why the Jews, your Majesty, the Jews.” Many years ago, my wife’s grandfather, who had escaped the Holocaust, returned to his old neighborhood in Poland and recognized an old local gentile. He said in Polish, “I’m Moshe Weiss. I lived here many years ago.” The man was shocked to see him and remarked, “I thought you were all dead.” Without missing a beat, Zaydie Moishe beamed with pride and responded, “Actually, not only did we survive, but we flourished, and we all became successful; we have big homes, we are proud Jews, and we have many grandchildren (bli ayin hara).” And with that he left. Our greatest revenge? To keep the Torah and raise frum children.
