I wrote in Part I that anti-Semitism is a political phenomenon defined by Dr. Ruth Wisse as “the organization of politics against the Jews.” Taking up this definition and advancing the discourse in the context of the Arab world, we can then bring it back around to the current anti-Semitic acts here in America.
Picking up on Wisse’s ideas, I also said that anti-Semitism has been used by many as a diversion; it turns people away from real and acute social problems by pointing the finger at the Jews, holding them responsible for a host of difficulties ranging from poverty to catastrophes. It is a game of blame and misdirection.
Anti-Semitism did not stop with the formation of the State of Israel and the mass exodus of the Jews out of Europe. As the horrors of what Adolf Hitler did were exposed after World War II and anti-Semitism as a political strategy was entering a twilight in the West, the second phase of this political movement began with the liquidation of the Jews from all the Arab lands beginning in 1948.
Anti-Semitism grew in the fertile soil of the Arab world because of the long dhimmi status (second-class citizens) of the Jews in Islamic lands, and the authoritarian structures and theocracy of the people of those lands. It continues to be used as a political tool to keep at bay the liberalization of the region.
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