Antisemitism is an elusive thing. For those unfamiliar with the famous quote, late US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's line that when it came to obscenity, "I know it when I see it" fits the bill. At its essence, antisemitism can be summarized as "hostility toward Jews" and holding them responsible for evils and other troubles even when their conduct is in line with or better than that of others.
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Over thousands of years, a number of variants of this ancient hatred have developed in accordance with each generation's anxieties and contemporary moral fashions. Those promoting antisemitism often purport to be morally superior to the Jews. In the Middle Ages and the early modern period, Jews were persecuted in the name of the Christian belief in the love of man. In recent decades, thanks to the efforts of "progressive" human-rights circles, the focus in the democratic West has begun to gradually shift from a hatred of the Jewish individual to the exclusion of their nation-state and its abandonment in the face of its enemies. Alongside the intensification of its violent manifestations and in the name of those lofty values, antisemitism has recently earned the online support of those who once condemned the phenomenon.
The bad news is that antisemitism, along with its institutionalization as a permanent phenomenon in an enlightened society, is on the rise. The good news is that Jewish people and their nation-state have a proven ability to survive and even flourish despite this hatred. It is hypocritical, repulsive, and very disturbing, but it poses less of a threat than ever. There is no question antisemitism has dramatically increased in the West. European leaders and US spokespeople have said so publicly and have even enlisted to fight the phenomenon of late. The foul alliance between radical right-wing fascists and Muslim immigrants and some members of the "progressive" elite, who advocate for the demonization and delegitimization of the Jewish state and rule out self-defense as a war crime, is particularly troubling. Even when the motivation changes, the result, along with the antisemitic imagery – remains the same: the denunciation of the Jews. It is particularly upsetting and repulsive to see Jews and Israelis offer this hatred indirect assistance.
The good news mainly concerns the State of Israel and less so the Jews living in Europe and the US. Jewish life has no real future in most countries across the world, even if the lives of individual Jews are not at risk. In the US, it is too early to say whether the processes underway among the younger educated generation of assimilation, having fewer children, and distancing themselves from their Jewish identity and Israel will reach critical mass.
From Israel's standpoint, it is in fact the prevalence of antisemitism in its various forms in open societies and the disconnect between the conduct of Jews and their countries and the depths of hatred toward them that bolsters the recognition that even in the liberal era, a strong, developed, and ethical Jewish state is necessary to withstand their pressure and ensure the future of the Jewish people. Such a state is not a slave to the need to please the antisemites and those on the margins who support them and placate the nations that have proven to be a fertile breeding ground for this hatred. While it is true that even a superpower would be unable to ignore widespread displays of animosity, Israel has proven in recent generations that even a small, strong, and determined state can guarantee its citizens' security and even prosperity as well as international recognition of its achievements despite the pathological hatred spreading across enlightened circles of those who see themselves as vanguards of human rights.
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