During the Passover Seder, Jews recount the details of the departure from 430 years of Egyptian captivity and bondage. Many, also proclaim the eternal warning, lest they become too comfortable to remember our turbulent past: “In every generation, one shall rise up against us, to destroy us.”
There is little exaggerated paranoia emanating from Jews, as our history is replete with too many endeavors to eliminate us and erase our connection to our tiny refuge and heritage in the Middle East. Beyond the extended Egyptian captivity mentioned above, they include the Babylonian destruction of our most prized First Temple built by King Solomon at the behest of King David to honor the Lord God; subsequently, Jerusalem’s rebuilt Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. Both destructions condemned the inhabitants to lengthy periods of bondage in the Diaspora. Later ravages were carried out by the Crusaders, Muslims, the Spanish Inquisition, the Ottomans and multiple sequential pogroms by various nations, all leading up to Hitler’s “Final Solution.”
Carrying on beyond the Holocaust, our newest self-professed destroyer waiting in the wings stems from within the nation of Iran. It boldly proclaims its animus through repetitive chants and with prayers calling for “Death to Israel!” at every opportunity.
As frightening as that is, what makes it even more so are its enablers from within the United States, Israel’s ally.
US President Joe Biden’s administration seems to have misplaced its promise to Israel of pursuing its due diligence. Just days ago, it took unexpected steps, appearing to excuse Iran’s not-so-subtle agenda of tracking nuclear weapon capability. Agreeing to remove sanctions that to date have kept its abominable endgame in check, America may have unconsciously contributed to destabilizing a region already prime for war.
Yet, there is a current lightly veiled danger challenging Israel’s viability that appears off the radar of its “true” friends in the US, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Within Lebanon, Israel’s northern neighbor, resides a large cache of technically sophisticated missiles and rockets estimated at over 100,000, while a lesser amount of similar weaponry is allegedly within Gaza. Both storehouses are under the watchful eye of Iran and its regional proxies Hezbollah and Hamas. All three have posed an active threat that should never have been allowed to progress to this magnitude.
CONTEMPORARY RANCOR toward Israel and Jews has been escalating for some time now, and has been made even more precarious with alliances of convenience that eagerly join together to promote “Zionophobia,” all in the name of the same racist objective: blotting out any evidence of Israel’s Jewish existence for generations to come.
In the past half-decade, a virus-like, anti-Israel malady has been also brewing on college campuses across the United States. It targets pro-Israel Jewish students, faculty members and speakers brought to educate anybody willing to discuss Israeli truths.
In the beginning, the confrontations appeared relatively civil. However, as coverage by the media expanded, the rhetoric intensified. To tone down charges of blatant antisemitism, the confrontations were termed “mere” anti-Israel policy actions. Yet, angry demonstrators could be heard spouting antisemitic characterizations, some laced with intimidation and others with violent threats. When opportune, property damage and desecrations came to be.
As they were not openly challenged, the perpetrators grew bolder and acted as if First Amendment rights gave them an entitlement to target Jews, particularly those wearing clothes traditionally identified as Jewish. These unfortunate folks became targets of opportunity.
Jewish students appeared bereft of the justice offered to other discriminated groups under Title VI of the US Civil Rights Act of 1964. This formally prohibited discrimination based on race, color, and national origin, not specifically recognized as acts of religious discrimination.
Along come US Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) among others of similar ilk who actively promote their common disdain toward the Israel- Jewish American equation. Without apparent filters, antisemitic characterizations fanned flames of malice. Pro-BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) ambushes had an instant appeal to other recognized disparagers of Israel and Jews.
Even aspects of the relatively new social justice movement appeared hijacked by anti-Israel forces. False racist and apartheid accusations were spewed like venom toward Israel and by extension to Jews; an act of hypocrisy coming from black minorities that seek for themselves relief from racist attitudes and actions.
Too much of today’s psychological warfare appears reminiscent of tactics employed by Nazi Germany during the 1930s and ‘40’s against its vulnerable populations, which eventually led to their decimation without meaningful objection from within Germany.
Facing danger from the far Right and far Left, the Palestinian Authority joined radical Islam and other determined hostile groups as Jews found themselves with few friends openly advocating for their rights and protection. Jews appear once again in perpetual danger and may now be vulnerable to “In every generation, one shall rise up against us, to destroy us.”
History will not be favorable to our current American political leaders unless they promptly correct the strong perception that they abandoned Israel and Jews, in deference to a demanding population that in a matter of time may likely turn against the United States
The writer is the author of the geopolitical thriller “First, the ‘Saturday People’, and then the ...,” as well as an op-ed contributor to The Miami Herald, The Washington Examiner, The Jerusalem Post and other media resources.