What Explains Rising Antisemitism?

It's Not Just What You Think

Antisemitism has spiked over the last two months. Surveys suggest a 400 percent increase.

Anecdotally, I can say my community has never felt more uneasy.

What's the cause for this upsurge? Is it Israel's response to the terrorists' murder of 1200 Israelis?

Yes, in part. Antisemites portray Israel as bloodthirsty, aggressive avengers committed to genocide.

But this explanation only goes so far. It is the equivalent of saying water boils because of a degree of increase in temperature.

One degree may change hot water to boiling, but the water has already gotten very hot. The terrorism of October 7th was like the slight increase in temperature turning water from hot to boiling.

What Is Really Going On?

So why was antisemitism growing so much before October 7? I wrote a whole book about it in 2018, but I have seen one major change since then.

It is the concept of anti-colonialism.

The phrase is a mouthful, but it refers to the belief that non-Western oppressed people have experienced the worst atrocities imaginable, and therefore, any response to them is justified.

The most extreme proponents of anti-colonialist thinking argue that Hamas murdering civilians, kidnapping children, and raping women is a legitimate response to oppression.

And Israel responding forcefully to it simply reinforces the oppressive policies of the West.

The antisemitic twist on anti-colonialism goes even further. Not only are Israel and Jews around the world guilty of oppression and genocide. They embody Western colonialism. They are the face and origin of this universal evil.

The Modern Devil

On a psychological level, this view is similar to the classic antisemitic association of Jews with the devil.

The devil was seen as responsible for all pain, tragedy, injustice, and evil in the world. And the devil was a Jew.

So today colonialism is the cause of climate disaster, poverty, war, and much more. And Jews, as Tomer Persico puts it, are now the purest manifestation of Western colonialism, the ultimate oppressors."

From this perspective, Hamas's goal to eradicate the Jewish people is a worthy one. It will help cleanse the world from the evil of colonialism.

Drawing from the work of Rene Girard, one can say Jews are the ultimate scapegoat for the sins of the Western world. Destroying them will bring some peace from mounting conflict around the world.

Who Believes This Nonsense?

You may be wondering who believes this hatred. Who sees Jews as responsible for all the world's evils?

Well, it is not purely about right versus left. We find virulent antisemites on both sides of the aisle.

The common ground for this new form of antisemitism is an all-or-nothing view of the world. Rising antisemitism comes from the same set of conditions producing extreme political polarization. It is the view of the world as us vs. them.

Any means are justified to achieve righteous ends. Since ending evil in the world is the most righteous end, any means of doing so–including rape, murder, and terrorism–are justified.

Of course, not all or even most of those who sympathize with anti-colonialism subscribe to this all-or-nothing view.

But the tolerated extremes often define the middle, and all-or-nothing language is appearing in high frequency in antisemitic protests around the world. 

We heard in Charlottesville when marchers yelled "Jews will not replace us," and we heard it in major cities across this world this month when marchers described Hamas as freedom fighters and Jews as genocidal murderers.

Mainstream protesters would have been embarrassed by and hidden such language in the past. Today it is front and center.

As extremism grows, so will antisemitism. And so will the risk of future and more deadly conflict. All of us have an interest in eradicating it.