Though many people say the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, changed them, it was the day after that transformed me.
Until then, I never really understood antisemitism. Sure, I know that a swastika spray-painted on a synagogue is antisemitism, and that an angry mob beating an Orthodox Jew is antisemitism.
But that’s not the essence of antisemitism. That’s the easily recognized, low-hanging fruit, shake-your-head-in-disgust antisemitism. The essence of antisemitism was laid bare to me by what happened elsewhere on Oct. 8, Oct. 9, Oct. 10—and every day since.
It was laid bare to me by listening to people call into talk-radio programs in the United States and debate whether babies were beheaded or “just murdered and burned,” as if that is a relevant distinction.
It was laid bare to me watching LGBTQ activists march in support of Hamas, even though they’d be murdered for their identity in Gaza, but welcomed and celebrated in Israel.
It was laid bare to me as the supposed intellectuals and “experts” who explained that Israel must abide by the “laws of war,” which it does, while simultaneously stating that the murder, rape, torture and kidnapping of civilians were somehow legitimate forms of “resistance.”
It was laid bare to me by false reports of “war crimes” by Israel, without mention that Hamas has been committing actual war crimes since 2005 by indiscriminately launching thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians.
It was laid bare to me by esteemed universities, like my alma mater, Harvard University, that hold lectures on “microaggressions,” but then allow protesters to chant “Kill the Jews” at campus rallies.
It was laid bare to me as people chant “From the river to the sea,” yet they can’t name the river or the sea, and couldn’t pass a basic history test about what they are protesting.
It was laid bare to me by Western media trying to show “balance” and “both sides” of the story, as if terrorism and the response to terrorism are equivalent.
It was laid bare to me as people demanded the creation of a Palestinian state, which would be the 58th Muslim-majority country, to replace the only Jewish country in the world—Israel, whose “Zionist empire” is the whopping size of New Jersey.
It was laid bare to me after Jewish women were gang-raped and publicly defiled by terrorists on Oct. 7, yet international women’s groups failed to say a word about it.
It was laid bare to me as the far right and far left finally found common ground on something: The killing of innocent Jews.
It was laid bare to me as the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania testified before Congress that “It depends on the context” when asked if calling for the genocide of Jews is bullying or harassment.
It was laid bare to me as self-proclaimed “social-justice warriors” and supposedly smart people, like college students, professors and some members of Congress, marched for the terrorist team.
It was laid bare to me as the kidnapped victims’ posters were torn down, as if recognizing their humanity was a sin.
It was laid bare to me as people equated terrorism with a response to terrorism.
It was laid bare to me not by Hamas but by much of the world’s response, or lack of response, to Hamas and its actions. Frankly, Hamas is easier to eradicate than antisemitism.
Long before there was a State of Israel, Jew-hatred thrived. And long after Hamas is gone, antisemitism will still be here. The issue isn’t where Jews live, but that Jews have the audacity to live.
Antisemitism, the oldest ism in the book, is a special form of hypocrisy. It has no equal. Before you defeat it, you need to at least acknowledge it. Looking away is like ignoring the pink elephant in the corner of the room. Or worse, trying to rationalize it, justify it or apologize for it further fans its flames.
All said, though Oct. 7 in Israel was sick and obvious, it didn’t teach much about antisemitism; Oct. 8, and every day since, does.