The rise of antisemitism in America

Antisemitism has plagued the world for centuries and the early years of the 21st century appear to be no exception. Hatred of the Jewish People, sometimes known as the oldest hatred, arose in early Rome and Greece, continued with the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition and the Pogroms of Eastern Europe and culminated in the extermination of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust a mere 80 years ago. 

Growing up in a predominantly Jewish community in South Florida, I was raised in a reform Jewish household. I went to Hebrew school weekly to learn about my heritage and culture and eventually to study for my bat mitzvah – a coming of age event in Jewish life. I always enjoyed celebrating the religious holidays with my family and friends as well as helping those in need and advocating for inclusion and against hate through programs at my synagogue. I also learned to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to take pride in the State of Israel as the one and only homeland of the Jewish people.  

Moving to Colorado as an 18-year-old brought me out of the environment I was used to. I have found most people in the CU Boulder community to be unbiased and welcoming. However, I have also been exposed to antisemitic and stereotypical remarks like “jews run the world” or “jews are cheap and all about money.” One night I even ended up in a heated debate about Israel/Palestine while I was out on the hill.  

During this exchange, a fellow student told me I was wrong or worse for even believing that Israel deserved its own nation. One may have differing views on how to resolve the Israel/Palestine dispute, but advocating for the destruction of one side –a vibrant country of 9 million people– is simply antisemitic and inhuman. 

This type of behavior, and worse, are not confined to our community.

Sadly, According to ADL/ Global 100, approximately 1,090,000,000 people in the world harbor anti-semitic attitudes. Synagogues are frequently vandalized with swastikas – the abhorrent symbol of Nazism. Across the country, Jewish fraternities and sororities are flooded with hate speech. Even Jewish graveyards of holocaust survivors are disrespected and vandalized at their place of rest. In recent years, our political system has also produced a far right Neo-nazi culture and a far-left Anti-Zionist culture that are both thriving to a disgusting extent, often fueled by the use of social media.-

Even celebrities like Kanye West have helped to perpetuate antisemitism. In recent tweets, West stated that he wanted “to go defcon 3 on Jewish people,”  claiming he cannot be antisemitic because “all black people are actually Jewish.” Defcon is a system used by the US military to identify the level of threat from an enemy. Kanye’s offensive remarks are dangerous to society and promote Jewish stereotypes. He has a cult-like following of people who put him and his beliefs on a pedestal, which can cause the perpetuation of hate speech and acts of violence against jews. Kanye’s tweets subjected him to losing a vast majority of his brand deals with popular brands like Balenciaga and Adidas.  Adidas, a company with historical links to the nazi party during its rule of Germany, has remained by Kanye’s side over the last six years, regardless of his erratic behaviors. Their decision to wait A WEEK to cut ties with West shows a questionable degree of allyship to the Jewish community, leaving one to wonder whether they are more concerned with business than morals. West said on the Drink Champs podcast, “I can say antisemitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me,” It was pressure from other groups that led them to drop him, not antisemitism. Candace Owen, a political figure, who now is isolated in her excuse of Kanye’s remarks, defended Kanye’s hateful tweets. 

The only solution to this problem is action. All communities of good faith should offer allyship, listening and learning from the experiences of their brothers and sisters in the Jewish community. Our fellow citizens should speak up, reject and condemn these antisemitic acts and call them out whenever and wherever they occur. A true ally is someone who speaks up for you even when you are not around and even when they are not asked. Educational programs should be enhanced to stamp out this oldest hatred once and for all. Those who provide their support to seemingly  every movement or cause should extend their activism to the defense of Jewish people from these hateful ideologies and voice their opposition to these antisemitic movements. 

 Being brought out of my bubble growing up in South Florida has taught me even more of what it means to be Jewish. I was raised in a manner of doing “mitzvahs” (good deeds) for others; to be welcoming all regardless of the color of their skin, religion or sexuality. Judaism has been a safe haven for my entire life. The values that have been instilled within me are ones that I will hold near and dear to my heart for a lifetime. I hope that in all the outbursts of hate the Jewish community is facing at this time, that in voicing opposition to the hate, there will be an opportunity for growth and improvement for our society.