Infocus Winter 2017
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VOLUME 14 ISSUE 2 | SPRING 2020 inFOCUSQUARTERLY Anti-Semitism: The Oldest Hate Renewed Adam Milstein on Eradicating BDS | Sarah N. Stern on Targeting Jews on Campus | Sean Durns on Bias in the Media | Philip Carl Salzman on Intersectionality |Harold Rhode on How Arabs View Israel | David Hirsh on Anti-Semitism in the UK | Rabbi Daniel Korn on Progress and Peril in Sweden | Rabbi Abraham Cooper on Recent Anti-Semitic and Anti-Israel Incidents | Michael Davis, Ze’ev B. Begin, and Yigal Carmon on White Supremacy | Jonathan S. Tobin on African American-Jewish Relations | Shoshana Bryen reviews Jews and Power Featuring an Interview with the Honorable Elan Carr LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER nti-Semitism is called “the world’s case of African American anti-Semitism inFOCUS oldest hatred.” It could equally be is handled by Jonathan Tobin. Sean Durns VOLUME 14 | ISSUE 2 called the world’s most malleable takes on the role of the media in amplifying hatred, endlessly shapeshifting and spreading the vile disease. Publisher A Matthew Brooks to meet the needs of new generations of Adam Milstein writes about Boy- anti-Semites. In her valuable book, Jews cott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Editor and Power (reviewed by inFOCUS Editor Movement as the precursor of much Shoshana Bryen Shoshana Bryen), Ruth Wisse posits that of the anti-Israel rhetoric and protest Associate Editors the evolution of the Jewish people with- on college campuses, and Sarah Stern Michael Johnson out land, government or a writes about how Presi- Eric Rozenman means of self-defense made dent Trump’s executive Copy Editor them uniquely vulnerable order on Title VI can help Shari Hillman to shifting tides. I would turn the tide there. Harold Published by: add that the restoration of Rhode asks whether Pal- Jewish Policy Center those attributes in Israel estinians and Israelis – or 50 F Street NW, Suite 100 “regularized” Jews in Is- Muslims and Jews – can Washington, DC 20001. rael, but left Jews outside the country still ever reach what we, in the West, call (202) 638-2411 vulnerable in ways they always have been – “peace” and the legitimization of Jewish Follow us on but with an overlay of responsibility for Is- sovereignty in the Middle East. JewishPolicyCenter @theJPC rael’s failings, real, perceived, or invented. Elan Carr, the State Department En- How the problem unfolds and how voy for Monitoring and Combating Anti- The opinions expressed in inFOCUS do not Jews and their allies – particularly the Semitism provides this month’s wide- necessarily reflect those of the Jewish Policy American government – are responding ranging interview. Center, its board, or its officers. is the theme of this issue of inFOCUS. If you appreciate what you’ve read, To begin or renew your subscription, please contact us: [email protected] Rabbi Abraham Cooper describes the I encourage you to make a contribution breadth of the problem and offers specific to the Jewish Policy Center. As always, suggestions for marshaling our forces. Da- you can use our secure site: http://www. © 2020 Jewish Policy Center vid Hirsh and Rabbi Daniel Korn look at the jewishpolicycenter.org/donate. United Kingdom and Sweden; intersection- Sincerely, www.JewishPolicyCenter.org ality on the left is the purview of Philip Carl Salzman; and his counterparts considering the far right are Michael Davis, Ze’ev B. Matthew Brooks, Begin, and Yigal Carmon; and the specific Publisher ADAM MILSTEIN is a businessman, philanthropist, and DAVID HIRSH is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Goldsmiths, co-founder of the Israeli-American Council. (3) University of London. (27) SARAH N. STERN is founder and president of the Endow- Rabbi DANIEL KORN has written twenty books in Swedish Featuring ment for Middle East Truth (EMET). (7) on culture, history and politics. (30) SEAN DURNS is a Senior Research Analyst for the Wash- Rabbi ABRAHAM COOPER is associate dean, director Global Social Action Agenda, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. (33) ington D.C. office of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA). (10) MICHAEL DAVIS heads the White Supremacist Online Incitement project for the Middle East Media Research PHILIP CARL SALZMAN, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of anthropology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. (14) Institute, ZE’EV B. BEGIN is a senior researcher for MEMRI and YIGAL CARMON the president and founder. (36) HAROLD RHODE, Ph.D., worked as a Defense Department JONATHAN S. TOBIN is editor in chief of Jewish News (18) Middle East analyst and studied Ottoman history. Syndicate (JNS). (40) ELAN CARR is the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy SHOSHANA BRYEN is the editor of inFOCUS and the Senior for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism. (22) Director of the Jewish Policy Center. (41) Eradicating the Anti-Semitic BDS Movement by ADAM MILSTEIN Defeating the boycott, divestment and created the BDS movement in 2001, declining. Conspiracy theories and use sanctions (BDS) movement is the best and documented the current ties of of social media to target Jews and Israel way for Americans to fight rising anti- these terror organizations to at least 13 are spreading at lightning speed and Semitism and the hate groups that radi- anti-Israel NGOs, who have managed to with lethal effect. Assault-style semi- calize and polarize our country today. place more than 30 of their members – automatic weapons are readily available including individuals previously jailed, for anyone who seeks to commit deadly n September, the United Nations – a some for murder – in senior positions in violence against Jews. And Jewish orga- body with a well-documented his- BDS organizations. nizations have not been able to curb the tory of bias against the Jewish state Now, StopAntisemitism.org and rising tide of hate and violence to date. I– released an unprecedented report Zachor Legal Institute have released While this hatred has long existed, on the worldwide spread of Jew-hatred. a groundbreaking report. “The New the incidence of violent acts against Jews The world body acknowledged that anti- Anti-Semites,” not only connects the has been increasing for the first time in Semitism is growing around the world, dots between the UN and Israeli gov- decades. The most recent hate crime sta- stemming from three primary sources: ernment reports, but also provides evi- tistics conclusively show that Jews are the far left, the far right, and radical Is- lam. In the report, the UN recognized for the first time that “the objectives, ac- tivities and effects of the BDS movement Growing social divisions in the United States have are fundamentally anti-Semitic.” given oxygen to fringe, radical movements that The next day, the Israeli government released a landmark report, “Behind promote anti-Semitism. the Mask: The Anti-Semitic Nature of BDS Exposed.” The document revealed rampant anti-Semitism within the BDS movement, including its calls for vio- dence of the far right’s embrace of BDS the target of most religious-based hate lence against Jews and the dismantling ideologies and tactics and recommends crimes. This fringe hatred is moving into of Israel. Promoted by an Islamo-leftist concrete solutions for lawmakers to the mainstream, enabled and promoted alliance, the BDS movement has inten- eradicate anti-Semitism before it spirals by the BDS movement. sified hatred and violence against Jews out of control. “The New Anti-Semites” report around the world. The report provided And make no mistake: this hatred has exposed the true face of the Islamo- 80 examples of anti-Semitism commit- is now manifesting across America, leftist BDS Movement as a 19-year-old ted by key BDS activists. spreading from Islamo-leftist to other campaign that promotes demonization This followed another bombshell hate groups and increasing violence and deligitimization of Israel and has Israeli government report, “Terrorists against Jews and other minorities. For- effectively mainstreamed anti-Semitism in Suits,” which exposed more than 100 tunately, with the assistance of federal worldwide. different connections linking Palestin- and state governments we have the pow- ian terrorist groups to BDS organiza- er to annihilate it. ❚ Ties Between Radicalization tions. The report substantiated how and Anti-Semitism Hamas (Palestinian Islamic Resistance ❚ Rising Jew-hatred in America The Islamo-leftist BDS movement Movement), Fatah, Palestinian Islam- American Jews face the perfect has been instrumental in spreading ic Jihad (PIJ) and the Popular Front storm of anti-Semitism. Memory of the violence against Jews. Permitting the for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Holocaust and historic anti-Semitism is BDS movement to present Jews living Anti-Semitism: The Oldest Hate Renewed | inFOCUS 3 in Israel as human rights violators, open debate. So, it repurposes Soviet pro- radical left should be appalled by theo- war criminals, and occupiers makes it paganda to blame Jewish Zionists for so- cratic Islamist ideology, but instead its open season to depict nearly all Jews as cial and financial troubles while shutting adherents often unite based on common villains who deserve harassment and down campus dialogue on Israel. hatred for Western power in the world physical harm. This is the main reason The radical right seeks to destroy and Jewish influence. The BDS move- why physical attacks on Jews worldwide democracy by promoting fascism and ment empowers that connection. are increasing exponentially. neo-Nazism, and it blames Jews for just Growing social divisions in the United about any problem in the world. ❚ BDS’s Special Anti-Semitic Role States have given oxygen to fringe, radical Radical Muslims want to end the Ju- The BDS movement is one of the key movements that promote anti-Semitism. deo-Christian ethical base of American drivers spreading anti-Semitism in the This has enabled hate groups like the BDS civil society through both violent acts modern world.