Iran’s Attack on Israel
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What can be done about the rise of antisemitism.
“It is very difficult to defeat antisemites, but it is imperative that we educate ourselves so that we know what we are fighting for,”
These are the words of Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, who serves as the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Ambassador Lipstadt recently met with Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish, and Jamie Geller, CMO of Aish, at the State Department in Washington D.C. to discuss the rise of antisemitism in the United States and around the world, and what can be done about it.
Geller asked what can be done about what Lipstadt had previously termed “a tsunami of antisemitism”?
“There is no easy answer,” Lipstadt responded. “If there were an easy answer we’d all have it. People need to understand why antisemitic claims are absurd and then speak up and explain the absurdities. To do that they need to educate themselves. There have been quite a few books that have been written on this topic in recent years people need to read them, you (Aish) should put together a reading list. (See reading list below.) I think that is critical and a good starting point.”
Lipstadt said that she wasn’t surprised that antisemitism exists but she was shocked by the “speed and degree” at which it was taking place. “There was a long period after Hamas attacked on October 7th, before Israel entered Gaza, nearly three weeks, and even during that time antisemitism was through the roof. The other thing that surprised me was the denial. The denial of the attack and the denial of the rapes and sexual violence, that was shocking.”
Rabbi Burg compared the denial of Hamas’ attack to Holocaust denial. “Holocaust denial took years to develop, and here the denial was instantaneous.”
Geller added, “So many people are waking up now, people who referred to themselves as a ‘quiet American Jew’ and are now questioning and exploring their Jewish identity in response to the wave of antisemitism.”
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Geller asked Lipstadt if living as proud Jews would help combat antisemitism. “It wouldn’t stop the antisemites, but it would give the person fighting a greater sense of what they were fighting for. I spoke to a gentleman years ago who told me that he was a busy man and didn’t give his sons any Jewish education but was very proud that if there was ever an attack on Jews, his sons would be among the first to show up at the barricades. On the one hand, I was pleased that he was proud of this. But on the other hand, my heart was breaking, because they would be at the barricades, but they wouldn’t know what they were fighting for. If all you know of your Jewish identity is that ‘I’m gonna fight’ then you are missing the roots. I couldn’t do my job if I wasn’t well rooted in my Jewish identity.”
Geller reflected on a message she heard from historian Rabbi Berel Wein who said that many Holocaust survivors didn’t want to share the liability of being Jewish with their children after WWII, but that also meant that they didn’t pass along the assets of what it means to be Jewish. “Why would anyone be proud of their Jewish identity if all they knew was the hassle that comes along with it?” Lipstadt said. “These people have been robbed of the joys of what it means to be Jewish.”
Rabbi Burg added that a strong sense of disillusionment and betrayal has grown among many liberal Jews since October 7th. “Many people have approached us and said that post-October 7th they feel betrayed by the liberal causes that they supported who didn’t speak out against what happened in Israel.”
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Ambassador Lipstadt agreed and said that there was a failure of the human rights organizations and feminist organizations which she attributed to antisemitism as well. “I wrote an op-ed together with Ambassador Michelle Taylor where we looked at the responses of women’s rights and humanitarian rights organizations to October 7th and compared them with the responses to the kidnapping of women by Boko Haram, and the Yazidi women, and women’s rights in Iran, when the world spoke up, and we concluded that this was a case of antisemitism.”
The Ambassador added that this was in line with what a lot of the people in government were thinking. “President Biden abhors antisemitism. I’ve spoken with him and he feels it and he abhors it. I’ve received tremendous support from him, Vice President Harris and Secretary Blinken. We’ve never had a national strategy on antisemitism before, and the sense that we have to implement this strategy is even stronger now.”
Reflecting on the importance and challenges of her work combating antisemitism today Ambassador Lipstadt said, “I’m a historian. When I look back at history there is no reason that the Jewish people should exist today, 80 years after 1 out of every 3 Jews was wiped out. That alone is a miracle and it gives me a lot of reasons to be optimistic.”
Lipstadt said antisemitism isn’t just a threat to Jews but a threat to democracy. “Authoritarian governments love to use antisemitism as a tool. This could be for a variety of reasons, whether it is to destabilize Israel, to garner favor with countries where antisemitism may take root, or to show that Western liberal democracies as failed states, they love using it they help it spread. Just for that reason, it is a threat to democracy. But it also undermines the very values that democracy was built upon.”
She concluded by saying, “We have to think of antisemitism not just as a threat to Jews, but as a threat to democracy and a threat to national stability. Yes, it's a threat to Jews, but it's not just that. It is so much more, and we have to fight it.”
For further reading and viewing:
The Real Reason Why People Hate Jews
The Best Response to Antisemitism
I Am a Quiet American Jew
Why The Jews: Exploring the Unique Meaning of the World’s Longest Hatred
It's very sad that Lipstadt was appointed to this position. The ZOA in the US was correct in being against her appointment for stated reasons. Shame on those who supported her appointment. Is it any wonder why Jews are often seen as supporters of heavily leftist political values rather than a people who represent Torah values. While writing, do you know her positions on what the Torah states in regard to Eretz Yisroel, including Judea and Samaria. I also question whether she is going to truly address the main sources of anti-Jewish acts. I found this article very disappointing.
I doubt the sincerity of anyone who claims to be opposed to prejudice if they only mention crimes & insults by "them" against "us," and never mention crimes & insults by "us" against "them." If they only mention the first category, then all they're doing is attacking the enemy out of ethnic nationalism -- which is the motivation for the worst crimes in history. In fact, if I were to ask Prof. Lipstadt about this, she would probably make the racist statement that anti-Palestinian racism doesn't exist. How about the idea that Palestinians have less right to live or vote or hold property in their own country than Russian immigrants do?
I'm not sure what your argument is here. Palestinian governance is up to the Palestinians, especially in Gaza, or at least it was before the war. That has been the case since 2005 when Israel pulled out of Gaza. Your example of their right to live or vote is a result of Palestinian or Hamas leadership in Gaza. What racism do you believe existed on the part of Israel or the West? Can you provide an example?
"Palestinian governance is up to the Palestinians"??? Dare I make the radical statement that no one should be stateless. Netanyahu has said multiple times Israel will never allow a fully independent state, and has put 700,000 Israelis into what was supposed to be that state, "Judea and Samaria," to make sure of it. So as there will never be a Palestinian state, absolutely everyone in "Judea and Samaria," regardless of race or religion, should be citizens of the state they're actually living in. Which is Israel. So yes, they should have the right to live or vote in Israel, because that is the country they have spent their entire lives in, and that is the country they will spend the rest of their lives in. But they don't, because of their race. So yes, that makes Prof. Lipstadt a racist.
You are mixing a lot of things. 1st the Palestinians don't have a country like you claimed in your first statement, something which you agreed on in your second statement.
In Judea and Samaria they do have self governance in areas A, while they don't have a state. In Gaza, which is what I was referring to, they received land and their own governance once again, once Israel left in 2005.
Second, Palestinians in Judea and Samaria do vote for the PA rulership, which is the governing body of their area of governance under the Oslo accords.
Third, Netanyahu didn't put anyone in Judea and Samaria. Most of the current Jewish townships in the region were built prior to Netanyahu's terms of Prime Minister ship, dating back to the 80s.
To finish my above statement, the towns certainly expanded under Netanyahu, and yes there were a few new ones, but the same can also be said for the time when Olmert, Rabin, Peres, Sharon and Barak were Prime Ministers. With the exception of some of the Soviet refugees who were "put" in Ariel when they arrived in '91 under Shamir, most people who live in Judea and Samaria have moved to those towns of their own free choice. Palestinians included by the way, as they do have the ability to immigrate to other neighboring countries should they chose to do so.
Lastly, I don't see how Lipstadt can be blamed for the geopolitics of Judea and Samaria.
Dr. Lipstadt has made a lucrative career promoting leftist ideology under the guise of fighting antisemitism. The latter serves as an all-encompassing defense against any serious discussion of the former.
She spent four years espousing vicious screed against President Donal Trump and anyone who supported him. Now she lauds President Biden as someone who “abhors antisemitism.” Her administration funds Iran, feeds and fuels Hamas, and “forces” Israel to fight in a manner that values not-so-innocent Gaza civilians over Jewish lives.
I know that diplomacy is the defense of the indefensible, but this is just too low. Dr. Lipstadt has a world stage where she could accomplish so much good. That would require prioritizing Jewish values over leftist activism.
I'm not convinced that Orwell was making his comments about defense of the indefensible about all diplomacy or screed as you put it, and I would shy away from comparing Dr. Lipstadt to Orwell's political examples of Russian purges and the dropping of the atom bomb.
I believe your last point is valid and that Dr. Lipstadt has the ability to accomplish much, I think this interview is showing that she is on the correct path. Whatever her past political decisions may be, left or right, Anti-semitism is an issue that affects everyone and needs to be taken seriously by everyone. Instead of knocking her down, let's see how we can work together to fight it.
About 80 years ago ethnic-based hatred was socially accepted so people could conveniently hate any ethnicity they chose. Little by little the world has realized how wrong this is and the realization now covers most ethnicities, leaving people lacking a convenient “comfort hate”. Jew-hatred is the last of the acceptable group hatreds.
Despite the change in social attitudes many people still seem to require a “comfort hate” and that is why community leaders such as college presidents are so reluctant to fight antisemitism.
The only solution I see is continued spiritual growth and maturity of humanity as a whole. Paradoxically proud, open Judaism will facilitate this growth.
With regard to 07 October 2023, it is now obvious that the planning included the propaganda to be used to justify the attacks - it was released almost simultaneously with the attacks themselves.
Very disappointing article.
Where was the pushback by Aish against Lipstadt fawning over Biden and his anti-Semitic policies. Biden's blood libel against the Jews, with his fraudulent executive order against Jewish citizens of Israel, encourages anti Semitism and violence against the Jewish community.
Shame on Biden, Blinken and Harris' vicious lies and Jew hatred.
Lipstadt criticized Charlottsville and Trump, but there is
a defening silence when it comes to Biden and the dozens of Charlottsville by the Democrats and their supporters.
Hypocrisy has no bounds when it comes to Lipstadt. Her appointment is a tragic joke.
Aish is a non-political entity that works with whatever administration is in power, chosen by the American public, to further the voice of Jews and Jewish interests in the public sphere. It is not an advocacy group and doesn't take sides in favor of the Democrats or the Republicans. Biden came out heavily in favor of Israel at the beginning of the war. I don't think classifying his policies as anti-semitic is just or correct. Can you please specify which executive order you are talking about?
https://zoa.org/2024/02/10449381-zoa-condemns-bidens-antisemitic-executive-order-sanctioning-jews-in-judea-samaria-while-ignoring-arab-terrorists/
The bottom line is that a lot of Jewish people in the U.S. and in Israel have no idea what it means to be a Jew. Unfortunately, they were denied a Jewish education.
Uri Zohar (may he rest in peace) wrote a book about his returning to his roots. He wrote that he felt robbed of his heritage.
Lipstadt claims that Biden "abhors antisemitism." OK - so why has he continued funding Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas et al? Brandon is a liar, and unfortunately - Lipstadt (otherwise a good person) is a DUPE when it comes to this issue. Lipstadt and others of her ilk STILL haven't realized that it's the LEFT that leads the way in Jew-hatred. Their party in America? It's the DemIzlamik WokePeeplz Partee.
(Blinken is a miserable KAPO, by the way.)
Your last paragraph is so true. Even a non-Jew should be aware that antisemitism is a threat against democracy and life. Terrorists have issued threats against Israel and American in one statement. Rather than valuing life, they glorify martyrdom and use civilians as human shields. Those points can be a firm ground to begin a conversation with an uninformed person.
Where's the reading list of books that Lipstadt suggested Aish put together? A link to a few articles isn't sufficient or satisfactory.
I'm not sure exactly what list she was referring to, but here is a helpful list from the Jewish Book Council - https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/books/reading-lists/antisemitism
Lipstadt also wrote a book called "Antisemitism: Here and Now"
As usual, Anti-Semitism is used as a political tool by the far left progressives but the shock is that so many different groups have been swept into it as tools. It might help liberal Jews and assimilated Jews wake up to reality. And this also goes for the Israeli left because Israel is faced with an imminent existential problem which will eventually affect the diaspora. Also, I don’t agree with Ambassador Lipstadt about the current American administration’s stance about being pro-Semitic. They play a double game but always try to hold Israel back from defending its interests.