The Questions Everyone's Afraid to Ask About Jews
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A non-Jewish Canadian teacher asks the questions every Jew struggles to answer.
I’m not Jewish, but if I was, I think the first lesson I would teach my children is that life isn’t fair. How else can a Jewish parent explain to their children the injustice and discrimination they will be forced to face as they grow up? How else can parents answer questions that have no logical answer?
Why are Jews worldwide held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government? How come Jewish high school students living in Canada and the United States get blamed for the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu? No one blames Muslim students for the actions of Hamas or Boko Haram. As a matter of fact, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, politicians both in the United States and Canada advocated for the public not to stereotype or blame members of the Muslim community for the actions of the minority. Yet today, Jews are seen as universally homogeneous.
Why are Jews worldwide held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government?
Why does the term Zionist take on such a derogatory tone? People resent the idea of a Jewish state, but take no offense of Islamic Republics run under Sharia law. The Jewish State protects women’s rights and recognizes same sex partners, while non-Jews are granted the same legal rights as Jewish citizens. Islamic Republics treat women as chattel and homosexual behavior is punishable by death, while non-Muslims are treated as second-class-citizens. Despite the obvious imbalance of human rights, Islamic States face little criticism while Israel is constantly bombarded with condemnation.
Why is there only condemnation of the Jewish state? Public demonstrations against Israel are relentless. How come when Bashar al-Assad in Syria used chemical weapons against his own citizens no one took to the streets? Why aren’t there demonstrations in support of women’s rights in the Middle East? What about human rights in China?
Why is the only country on earth whose majority population just happens to be Jewish the only one being referred to as an illegitimate state?
Why do we hear the claim that Israel has no right to exist? Why is the only country on earth whose majority population just happens to be Jewish the only one being referred to as an illegitimate state? The reality is that Israel has existed for more than 75 years and is among the older half of all countries in the world. Countries either exist or they don’t exist. There is no such term in international law as an “illegitimate” state. So why is this used when describing the Jewish state and no other country?
In 1949, after Chiang Kai-Shek lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong, he moved his government to Taipei. Mao Zedong declared that government an illegitimate entity, yet today Taiwan is universally recognized as a legitimate country. Pakistan was formed in 1947 as a result of Muslim separation from India. Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan in 1971 through an armed conflict. These countries, even those established by violence - once established - become part of the international community and gain acceptance.
Why do people call Israel an apartheid state? How can you be an apartheid state when all your citizens have equal voting rights, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press? How does that resemble the apartheid of South Africa?
Why is Saudi Arabia not called an apartheid state? Freedom of religion does not exist. The government prohibits the private or public practice of any religion other than Islam. Freedom of speech and press are restricted. It has only been in the last ten years that women have been able to drive or vote in elections. So why is it Israel that gets labeled?
After the horrendous terrorist attack of October 7th where Israeli citizens were targeted, no one took to the streets to denounce such a barbaric act. But they did take to the streets and campuses to protest against Israel over a war that they did not start. Many of those same protestors readily acknowledge Ukraine's right to defend itself. But inexplicably deny Israel’s right to do the same.
If I were Jewish, I would wonder why so many people choose to ignore history. Not all history, just Jewish history. No one questions the Cambodian genocide, the Darfur genocide, or the Rwanda genocide. Yet, the largest and most historically documented genocide to ever take place is often up for debate as to whether it happened or not. Why is Holocaust denial even a thing? There is only one reason and that is because it happened to Jews.
Israel, a country historically inhabited by Jews is now being labelled as colonizers by pro-Palestinian supporters. Does this not strike people as ironic? The world’s one Jewish nation, with a population of seven million Jews, is being labelled as colonizers by the world’s two billion Muslims. The religion of Islam has colonized 52 countries, yet the Jews and their one country are colonizers. These facts are there for all to see. Sadly, people will believe a lie that is continually repeated and accept it as fact rather than ask questions and apply critical thinking.
When one country and one group of people are held to a higher standard than others, one must wonder why?
When one country and one group of people are held to a higher standard than others, one must wonder why? Everyone publicly agrees that racism and discrimination is wrong, yet antisemitism is systemic. How do you tell your children that a world preaching tolerance excludes them?
If I was Jewish, perhaps this is what I would tell my child. Jews have been the designated scapegoat of civilization for two thousand years. Every era finds its own justification: religion, race, nationalism, now geopolitics. The packaging changes but the target doesn't. Antisemitism isn't a reaction to what Jews do. It's a pattern so deeply embedded in human history that most people who carry it don't even recognize it in themselves.
If I were a Jewish parent, I would tell my children that you belong to something remarkable, a tradition of wisdom and values that has outlasted every force that tried to extinguish it.
But here is what that history also shows: Every empire that tried to erase them is gone. The Egyptians who enslaved them, the Romans who exiled them, the regimes that built industries around their destruction. All of them are footnotes, but the Jews are still here.
That is not an accident. It is the result of a civilization that chose meaning over despair, memory over forgetting, and morality over convenience. A people who, in the aftermath of the worst atrocity in human history, built a thriving nation, won Nobel prizes, pioneered medicine and technology, and continued to ask the oldest Jewish question: how do we make the world better than we found it?
If I were a Jewish parent, I would tell my children that you belong to something remarkable, a tradition of wisdom and values that has outlasted every force that tried to extinguish it.
That is a legacy worth carrying with pride.
It's a very beautyful article. Thanks to this wonderful teacher.
I have no idea how many people think like the author of this article, but I can only hope that their numbers increase.
What I would ask this gentleman is why does he think either Israel or even Natanyahu has done something so bad that it might reflect mistakingly on jews. I am sick and tired of having to read that Jews are not responsible for Israel's actions, sure they are not, but what evil are we talking about. Can anyone give a valid answer ?
You are correct that the article has begged the question what has been done that is so bad. However, we cannot assert that we don't bear some responsibility without answering that question, first.
Since Israel could not be taking the actions that it is without some international support, I'm sure that the answer to the second part will be "yes, we do bear some responsibility" for whatever Israel does, whether good or bad.
This articulate article just about says it all in so few words. Thank you for writing it!
Perfect. Thank you fir your wisdom and bravery in such an intolerant world. God bless you.
I have reservations about some of .the assumptions. What would you tell your children if you were Black ? You would most likely give them the talk which slmost all Black parents do, to keep them calm and safe in a world which assumes they are stupid, criminal, and genetically inferior . And by the way. a significant number of Black people are Jew.s.
In addition , just because atrocities happened to other groups more recently, it does not make them any less. If Jews have maintained their identity, other groups may well maintain their beliefs and values for as long. Nor must we assume the there will never be a prize winning scientist from a Muslim country or from Darfur.
Catholic with close friends who are Muslims and others who are Jews. I was in their weddings. They were in mine.
ADS doesn't realize the knesset is ran like the British parliament, so there is a coalition of different parties besides Benjamin Netanyahu party and there is arguments in the knesset before any decision, so nothing is so simple like some people think, also in America they are protocols in place, so why are people blaming Benjamin Netanyahu, actually his brother Yonatan ( obm) Netanyahu was supposed to be prime minister but he got killed in the raid in Entebee, Uganda in 1976 so his brother Benjamin ended up being the prime minister instead, that is what I read in a book about the Entebee, Uganda raid to free the Jewish and Israeli hostages on July 4 , 1976
Take a step back and examine what is happening to our democratic society. The terms: intellectual honesty, moral relativism, cognitive dissonance, revisionist history, holocaust denial, objective reality, inversion, violence, political propaganda, selective outrage, exclusion, silencing of voices and a few other terms I might have missed... have all been leveled against one global minority group, and against the only ancestral homeland, corroborated by archeological and textual evidence, that this indigenous minority group has ever known. It's hard to define this behavior as anything other than sociopathic. It is certainly not social justice, because it defies the definition. No other minority group would be allowed to be slandered in the way Jewish people have been libelously portrayed.
Well stated, thank you.
Perfectly stated. Again, it holds more weight because a non Jew said it. But still excellent. Thank you sir for being honest and brave in this backwards world.
Amazing insight! Wow!
Outstanding, thank you! If I were a Christian, I'd want to be just like you.
Buddy you nailed it.
"No one blames Muslim students for the actions of Hamas or Boko Haram." I would submit that some do. After 9/11, Muslims were universally targeted by some, and continue to be in some circles. Regarding "Jewish high school students living in Canada and the United States get(ting) blamed for the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu, again, many don't. Many critically thinking people believe still believe in personal responsibility. Bigotry exists everywhere. Making sweeping generalizations to open your article may be technique for attention, but the statements completely break down upon the gentlest scrutiny, and turns off serious thinking people.
David, theoretically your point is valid, but in actual practice, do look at the numbers of people who targeted Muslims after 9/11 and also the types of harassment offered, as opposed to the number of people who target Jews today and the types of attacks as well as harassment perpetrated.
Thanks you in my name and of all the Jewish people in the world 🌎!
I am not Jewish. This article is the truth. Jealousy makes people behave badly. Choose admiration instead. Condemn murderers, even when in the name of religion.And a so-called religion that regularly cuts off people's heads and treats others as second-class is no religion, but a boys' club.
thank you for this.
Excellent
An awesome read .. very well constructed and explained.
This should be sent to every member of parliament in the western world .. and to every member of every world organisation such as the UN, World Health etc
Beautiful, but you admitted the fact that we still exist because God created Israel, established its borders, and promised that we would never cease to exist. Am Yisrael chai!
Outstanding.
Thank you.
This is by far the most articulate article I have ever read regarding anti semitism and the unanswerable question as to how pervasive it is. I was very impressed with the examples of apartheid and genocide that are tolerated in so many other instances without protest. I am Jewish and have always thought that we hold ourselves to a higher standard. At this point I definitely do not condone Israel s action in Gaza and Israel certainly has the right to exist and is not apartheid. But I feel it's present leader does not have the best interest of the Israeli citizens in his head.
Thank you that was excellently said and beautifully written and the plain truth
This is one of the greatest articles I have read on the subject: simple, clear, and profound. An encouraging reminder that the Jewish people deserve to have good friends like Patrick Mascoe. Thank you Mr. Mascoe!
Thank you!
This excellent article articulates in a clear and understandable way what so many of us often try to say, but unfortunately don't succeed
Thank you for your very thoughtful and powerful article. The questions you asked deserve to be answered, except that there is no answer.
It is quite simple.
People who hate Jews reject HaShem and His Torah (Instructions, in English) before hand.
Jews insist to accept HaShem and His Torah (Instructions).
Torah (Instructions) equal ethics.
Ethics equal holiness, and fulfillment of the command to be holy like HaShem.
Holiness repellent unholiness.
Hence, endless ongoing rabid, blind hate.
No, this is so wrong.
The people who hate Jews, namely, Muslim and Christians, accept HaShem and His Torah. They, too, believe that they hold the key to ethics and holiness.
A "holier than thou" argument fails completely; being refuted with "that's what they say, too".
One can’t equate the Quran or “New Testament” with the Torah.
Despite large copied sections, the actual ethics of both diverge significantly from the original.
That each religion believes it holds the key to ethics and holiness is indisputable; yet one crucial difference is that both Muslims & Christians believe they hold an exclusive key to which all locks must be moulded - thus the emphasis on missionaries/conversions.
Judaism, by contrast, emphasizes practicing the ethics and living in holiness regardless of circumstances.
It is this steadfastness of ethics and holiness, this living example of what life can be, that is insupportable to the unholy and inspires the rabid hatred.
Holy people of whatever religion are not bothered by the Jews.
What I am disputing is the fallacious argument that their antisemitism is driven by envy. Because Christians and Muslims were able to take anything they wanted from Judaism, there is nothing that the Jews have that they covet. From their perspective, they took the best parts, corrected the errors, and now have the perfect religion. What's to envy about the Jews?
Describing the devout followers of these religions as "unholy" is surely extremely offensive to them and, well, could inspire a "rabid" backlash.
Fantastic article.....great points, well articulated, all worth remembering, or even memorizing! Thank you Patrick Mascoe! Keep up the good work.
The Shame is Secular Jews do not even believe in their own history and destiny!
You're generalising. Secular Jews DO believe in their history and destiny. Forty percent of Israelis are Secular. Why are they living in Israel and fighting for the State if that's not the case?
Not true. I'm a secular Jew, lived in Israel for 17 yrs, served my country & love it. I definitely (and I know MANY like myself) believe in my history & destiny!
The evil doers aim at Israel, the Jew & Torah. For this is Gd’s lifebuoy for the world. Without her this corrupted world would long devour itself.
After 9/11 no one blamed American,
but Muslims, the perpetrators.
After Oct 7, all blame Israel response, but not Muslims, the savaged murderes.
Jews and non Jews should read and take to heart his important message, and there should be more people like him in the world, thank you for saying the truth about Jews and Israel, and whoever starts up with Jews and Israel do not have a good end, most empires that did are in history books, and aren't around like the Jewish people and Jews are, Jews and Israel did not conquer like other empires did it was the Tanach( the holy books that the Jewish people have) shaped the world and the 2 other religions did not have their own ideas most things are distorted and warped copies of Judaism, the world is a better place with Jews and Israel most important things in all fields come from the Jews and Israel
The author is a very insightful person to see clearly what others miss, also nobody says anything about Valdomir Putin( the leader of Russia) starting wars, invading and conquering countries, making his opponents dissappear by mysterious circumstances sending weapons to Iran, and help Iran to get nuclear power, and also China and other countries that really have human rights violations, before thre was Christianity and Islam there was Judaism, and for some reason the world has a problem with Jews and Israel, the author Mark Twain( is pen name) said I am purchasing it" everyone is mortal except the Jews, the Jews are immortal " the Jews are like the mythical bird the Phoenix being reborn from the ashes rebuilding Israel after the Holocaust, the author is absolutely right
What do you mean. "Nobody says anything about Putin..." ? People do not stop saying things about Putin and calling him evil..He is both evil and a monster. The only one who admires him might be Trump.
My dear, sweet Christian neighbor, a widow like myself, has never had a close Jewish friend before. She cannot understand why Jewish people are constantly blamed for so much evil that has gone on and continues to go on in the world. I, too, have asked myself the questions that Mr. Mascoe raises. Do we see Mosques in America, where I live, being bombed and attacked? I can't recall. Yet, it's become so commonplace for synagogues to be attacked, that we come to expect it every holiday.
I really liked this article.
So many important and good points. But this is not a rhetorical question… why really are Jews villainized and scapegoated? Is it envy?
I believe it's because the Jews are the conscience of the world, and the Torah's
moral and spiritual message engenders hatred in those who can't accept it.
This transcends other reasons for discrimination (race, economic inequality,
threats to the powerful, envy etc.) The varying, often contradictory, explanations
for anti-semitism are just a cover for real reason for the hatred. It also reminds
of us of who we are when we lose or identity and unity with one another.
Political solutions, correcting media bias etc. are essential, but strengthing
our connection to Judaism is the real answer to overcoming this evil.
Excellent article, clear and precise, I couldn’t have said it any better. THANK YOU FOR SAYING WHAT NEEDED TO BE SAID!!!! I only hope many non-Jews and Jews alike read and absorb this excellent information.
It is unfortunate, we preach to the converted. Ie most of the people who would read the article are those that would say the same thing.
This article really touched my heart. It said everything we've all been espousing, but more concisely and so much better. A wonderful touchingly honest article. Thank you.
All true but how are we going to turn the public education around?
What an incredible article!!
The author might as well be Jewish, but it is nice to read a non-Jew ponder these important issues.
What a well written article. Love the objectivity. As a scientist trying to understand this hate, it’s so helpful to have this.
Great article.
The author states, "Jews have been the designated scapegoat of civilization for two thousand years...", and "Every empire that tried to erase them is gone. The Egyptians who enslaved them,... " Note that the Egyptians enslaved them much longer ago than 2000 years!
I think antisemitism reaches back further than the Christian era.
This should be required reading for every high school student! This provides so much opportunity for critical thinking and exploration of hypocrisy.
The contradictions are beyond reason, aren’t they? Yet on we go as if every double standard that excoriates Jews & Israel were no big deal.
We are shameless & that includes, perhaps most of all, the mealy-mouthed leaders of Western countries —Australia, the UK, France & Canada—who piled on Israel by declaring a Palestinian State as young Israelis were dying in defence of their minuscule ancestral homeland.
But thankfully, the extraordinary mettle of the Jews—as seen in their ability & determination to rise above the baseness of those who condemn them—this great people have transcended the terrible abuses of history with their humanity intact.
They are truly exceptional.
I’m confused about how the author seems to compare Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to Hamas and Boko Haram? Not only do I not want to be blamed for Israeli government actions, but I also don’t want to stay silent when such false equivalences are suggested. I can be against Netanyahu and still know he is 1000 times more moral and upstanding than terrorists like Hamas and Boko Haram. Jews do hold to a higher standard and we’re proud of it.
The author isn’t comparing Netanyahu & the Israeli government to Hamas & Boko Haram; he’s comparing people’s reactions to them. He’s pointing out how ridiculous it is that people are condemning the Israeli government, but not condemning the terrorists, who are factually doing far worse things than Israel is.
Patrick, your words ring so true. My question to you is one that cannot be answered - how come YOU get it and all the Pro-Pallys believe the nonsense they're fed? Kol hakavod (all respect to you) to you.
I wish every non-Jew gets to read this article, but they won’t!
same goes for Jews as well!
Thank you from a true ally who knows history, unlike some of the rabble who protect what they don’t understand. Thank you.
The Big Question?
The writer misses one big question
Why should there be only One Jewish Nation in the World? There are several Christians nation, several Muslim nations and several Buddhist nations and yet for over 3000 years Jews had been scattered to all most all the nation in earth yet Jews cannot form barely one nation?
Because we've only ever needed the one country, Israel. It's where we come from, where all of our history happened, and at the center of it all sits Jerusalem, to which we direct our prayers every day.
Your words speak truth! Thank you!
Thank you for your words! Words of truth with an encouraging tune... as we navigate the tumultuous stormy waters of anti-Semitism.