It is pretty well excepted that hate is a large and growing problem. Not just in America. It is as much of a problem in Europe, maybe more.
Anti-Semitism is considered hate. But is different than your garden variety hate.
For one thing, some say it is the oldest hate. It has biblical roots that trace back to Genesis and the Abraham.
Another characteristic of anti-Semitism is that it comes at Jews from all sides. Anti-Semitism exists in all nations, all cultures, all ethnic and religious groups, all levels of society. It is hard to defend yourself when you are being attacked from all sides.
A classic Jewish humorous line puts Jewish history and experience this way, "I know we are the Chosen People, but why did you have to choose us."
The history of the Jewish people is summed up with this classic Jewish humorous phrase:
They tried to kill us. We survived. Let's eat.
From biblical times, through the dark ages and medieval times, through the American Revolution, WWII to today, Jews have had to deal with people accusing us of many things and blaming us for a lot more.
Jews have responded to the hate we faced over thousands of years in very constructive ways. From our sense of humor to how we practice our faith and keep traditions to our entrepreneurial spirit and professional tendencies, Jews have strengthened themselves in response to hate.
Anti-Semitism isn't just a type hate, it is a measure of hate in all forms in a society. Anti-Semitism is a gauge that applies to society at large!! The surest sign of a healthy society is how it treats it's Jews.
It is said that God chose the Jews to be a Light to all the nations of the world. I don't believe that means that God ensured the salvation of the Jews more than any other nation of people.
Jews are to be a light to the world by showing the world how to be behave by walking in the says of the Torah.
The obvious implication is that we are to demonstrate God's laws, his Commandments and Mitzvot for the world to see. We are supposed to show others to "love their fellow as themselves."
Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew who took this message one step further and showed us both a life and a death that was dedicated to God's ways, and was for purposes of saving us from our personal failings to do so.
God rewarded Nations that honor the Jews who honor the Torah. Such Nations have a healthy and prosperous society. They are blessed. God is to be feared as well, and Nations that curse the Jews have been cursed.
In conclusion, anti-Semitism is different. I offer a different way to view anti-Semitism -- a paradigm shift.
The more that there is "hate in the hearts" of the people of any nation, the more anti-Semitism rises in that nation! Anti-Semitism is the RESULT of hate. regardless of whether that hate is for Jews or others.
In other words, anti-Semitism is an indication of a dysfunctional society. That is why Jews have been referred to as the "canary in a coal mine" -- Jews are an "early warning system" of society or nation with a toxic level of hate.
Therefore, anti-Semitism is as much a result of the hate people have for Trump OR Hillary as it is for the hate people have for other things including Jews.
Regardless of whether hate is rising on the Right OR the Left, it elevates anti-Semitism. And when it is coming from both sides, which it is today in America, as well as Europe, the rise in anti-Semitism is that much greater.
Anti-Semitism is a measure of the overall hate in a society.When people say that love is the answer, they are right in the sense that Love is the opposite of hate. So a society in which loving kindness is predominant, hate is pushed down and therefore anti-Semitism declines as a result.
That is not to say we should love and tolerate any anti-semite let alone any form of hate.
What it is clear to me is that the dramatic rise in anti-Semitism in America and Europe is telling us that our world is allowing hate to win.
What frightens me most is the way some Jews are acting today. We nurture hate when we reason it, justify it and especially when we deny it.
Our media and culture are fanning the flames of hate. Fake news from either side is contributing. So are many politicians who are exploiting fear as means for motivation and dominance - POWER.
GOD IS OUR ROCK. GOD'S WORD IS THE TRUTH. FAITH IS THE SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH.We aren't just the victims of anti-Semitism. If we hate others, whether it is Trump and his supporters or Hillary and her supporters, whether it is people who have different views on climate or attitudes towards the 2nd Amendment, hate is hate and our hate adds to the dysfunction.
The rapid rise of anti-Semitism in America is warning us to check our politics. When our politics has become a partisan battle for power, and domination is the only means to an end, we have failed as a Nation.
The Father of our Nation, George Washington warned us in his Farewell Letter how we might fail. The writing has been on the wall for nearly 250 years. But Americans today are just not reading it.
The writing came down from on High. It was delivered to the world on Mount Sinai. And it is in our Bible.
"Do not hate your fellow in your heart. Reprove. Don't nurture a grudge and take sin unto yourself. Love your fellow as yourself. I am the LORD."
P.S. Please read my previous blog post Beyond Hate -- The Rise of Rage.