Q&A of the Day – About Israel & What Antisemitism Is
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station page in the iHeart app.
Today’s entry: Submitted via Talkback: Hey, Brian, is there a place for us just not to support Israel? Is that OK? Or are we automatically all anti-Semites if we don't support Israel? Cause that's pretty much what you say every time. And everybody else in your Israel first party.
Bottom Line: Today’s note is in response to my Top 3 Takeaways from Tuesday entitled Trump’s MTG Divorce & The Battle For the Soul of the GOP. In those takeaways I described President Trump’s public break with supporting Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Green but also one of the major undercurrents within fringe factions of the GOP - antisemitism. MTG specifically has taken to speaking at White Nationalist events while advancing absurd theories a la that Jews used lasers to create California’s wildfires to profit from them (something she has walked back only in the past two weeks). While breaking much of this down in my takeaways, I also said there’s no place for antisemitism in the GOP – which is at the crux of today’s question.
While there’s a great deal of emotion for many involved in this topic, as always there are two sides to stories and one side to facts, so let’s break those down as it relates to today’s question(s). The first question is potentially more complicated than it may seem. That’s due to what Israel is – a Jewish state.
Israel was established as a Jewish state on May 14, 1948, shortly after the end of World War II in 1945. The Holocaust, which killed six million Jews, intensified global support for a sovereign Jewish homeland in the historic Land of Israel (ancient Judea and Samaria).
The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine recommended partition in 1947, proposing separate Jewish and Arab states. Jewish leaders accepted it; Arab states rejected it, leading to civil unrest (this is one of many reasons, incidentally as to why Palestine isn’t a recognized state – the people have historically rejected any state that includes a sovereign Israel). With that established let’s look at what antisemitism actually is...
The most widely accepted definition of antisemitism is provided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. This is the definition adopted by most countries including the United States. It’s this:
- Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.
Specific examples provided are these:
- Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of an ideology or religion.
- Accusing Jews as a people of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
- Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination (e.g., claiming the existence of Israel is a racist endeavor) while applying double standards not expected of any other democratic nation.
- Using classic stereotypes (world conspiracy, blood libel, controlling governments, etc.).
- Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel.
That sets the stage for addressing today’s questions pragmatically. You’ll notice that the definition of antisemitism speaks of the “actions” of the State of Israel, as opposed to the State of Israel itself. That is a difference with an important distinction. When today’s question was posed as ”are we automatically all anti-Semites if we don't support Israel”. The answer is a question that only you can answer.
Is it possible to be pro-American while not supporting the policies of the Trump administration and the current political makeup of the federal government? Absolutely. Are you anti-American if you don’t support the United States of the America? By our country’s definition – yes. So, the question is this. Do you not support the actions of the Israeli government currently or is your issue with Israel as a Jewish state? Therein lies the crux of the matter and the answer that is yours to decide as you know what’s in your heart and I don’t.
Effectively, when I said that antisemitism doesn’t have a place within the GOP, that could also be stated as “racism and hatred” - generally don’t have a place within the GOP. I strongly stand by that position. It shouldn’t have a home in any political party – though it has firmly had a home in the Democrat Party.