Hi Muir. Thank you for taking the time to ask thoughtful questions.
First, let's use the English language correctly. Although Arabs are also a Semitic people, the word "anti-semitism" refers explicitely to hatred of Jews.
Second, the world has MANY problems; I'm not myopic. But yes, the rise in antisemitism is one of them. Why do I think it is important for people to keep a thumb on this issue? As I stated in my previous post, it begins with the Jews but never ends there. Any rise in anti-semitism is going to be linked with persecution of other groups.
I'm sure most here have heard the famous poem by Martin Niemoeller:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
When I say it is no longer safe for a Jew to visit or live in Amsterdam or Sweden, I'm saying it is LITERALLY not safe, that the probability of being physically attacked is too high for comfort. Most of the attacks are by Islamic Fascists, BUT the liberal governments there turn a blind eye to it, and make excuses for it, instead of stamping it out. If you want links to information sources on this, I'll be happy to provide them for you. However, you can simply google "Jews Sweden Amsterdam" and find most of the information on your own.
You know, I didn't even list Los Angeles as a hot spot, but I've personally been singled out for harassment while walking down the street in the Pico Robertson area. I used to have a nice little apartment in Valley Village, but when two Jewish men were shot in the synagogue parking lot while walking in for morning prayers, that was the last straw -- I moved out of Los Angeles. Similarly, Jews are leaving places like Malmo, Amsterdam, and Budapest because its just too dangerous for us there.
I HAVE of course often asked myself why there is so much animosity towards the Jews, and I mean its been empire after empire that has targeted us throughout our history. I have concluded that the root of antisemitism is not racism, but anti-Judaism -- that in every generation, there is some teaching of Judaism that wrankles non-Jews. In the past it has been issues like monotheism, or circumcision, or the idea that G-d is not corporate (therefore cannot be Jesus). Presently some people are having difficulty with the idea of any particular nationality or ethnicity being set apart or significantly different in any way, the idea tha Israel is the Jewish homeland, (for Muslims) the notion that an ape-people could set up a country that is better than their nations under Sharia law, and (for leftists) the idea of having a RELIGIOUS democracy. Since the only way to eliminate anti-Judaism hatred is to leave Judaism, we are faced with the choice of either assimilating and losing our Jewish identity, or simply being willing to fight back. IOW, we are not going to fall into the trap of saying "Oh poor little victims that we are, what did we do to deserve being bullied?"
Why do I think there is a RISE in antisemitism? Because history tends to be cyclical, time tends to spiral. Tides rise and fall. Seasons go around. THERE IS NOING NEW UNDER THE SUN. The shock of the holocaust smacked a lot of complacent people into attention and antisemites had to keep their mouths shut for many decades; but the present generation feels the Shoah was long ago and far away and has no relevance to today. This is simply the way that history flows. I listen to Kim Jong il and Achmedinajad, and I see Stalin and Hitler, because I have studied history and know that it is relevant today, that the whole purpose of studying history is to learn the patterns and spot them in the present... but the average person thinks that history is just the study of a lot of insignificant dead white guys.
Time for a Tolkien quote:
Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
