by Justine Hemmestad
12-28-2023
My friend, Captain Itamar Ben David of Jerusalem says that it’s not easy, but they are moving forward. Tourism is of course nonexistent, and as a result Christ- mas displays in Jerusalem are markedly subdued. There hasn’t been time, safety, or will to host guests in this time of turmoil. “This year Christ- mas is almost unnoticeable,” Ben David says. “The celebrations in Bethlehem were canceled including the deco- rations. In Jerusalem - almost nothing, beside the tree of the YMCA.” His heart is clearly with the people around the world who find spiritual meaning in Israel. Heartbreakingly though, the world’s receptiveness hasn’t been as unconditional concerning Israel. Israel is not only at war with Hamas, but also with antisemitism, the Jerusalem Post asserts. Even though the “Swor
ds of Iron” operation began with the Hamas terror attack on October 7, antisemitism is running rampant the world over. Major cities around the world have played host to anti-Israel demonstrations, and some of the world’s major collegiate institutions, notably some of the best known colleges in America, have seen a frightening increase in harassment of Jewish students. The Jerusalem Post defines antisemitism clearly, saying that it “can be understood as presenting a physical threat to the lives of Jews wherever they may live. It can also have a substantial psychological, emotional, and financial ef- fect on the lives of individual Jews and communities.” For Jews, “Never again” ex- presses their trauma after the horrors of the Holocaust. Is- raeli President Isaac Herzog says, “Corrupt ideologies of- ten begin with the Jews [as targets] but rarely ends with the Jews. Antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem. It is a human problem, and this ageold curse is hitting humanity again.” Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Min- ister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, has said that antisemitism in today’s world has increased 500%, and he says that an- tisemitism “is the worst since the 1930s.” Online antisemitism alone has surged by 86%, with one of the worst platforms being Facebook (which has had an increase of 193% antisemitic content). This extends to calls for violence against Jews. Presenting facts has arguably been the best way to fight an- tisemitism. Yet some of the most well-known institutions of higher learning in Ameri- ca promote anti-Zionism as a pseudo-academic intellectual justification for eliminating the State of Israel as we know it.” Michal Cotler-Wunsch, Is- rael’s official special envoy for combating antisemitism, said that October 7 changed the world much in the same way as September 11 did. “10/7 is a moment in time just like Kristallnacht - this moment that gives it not only a huge responsibility but the prospect of commitment and shared responsibility for ‘Never again.’” There is no better person to confront the antisemitism of the UN after October 7 than ex-ambassador Nikki Haley, whose open letter asserting that UN antisemitism led to October 7, was printed in the Jerusalem Post on December 22. She saw antisemitism every day at the United Nations, she says. “The worst-kept secret at the UN is that antisemitism is operating just beneath the surface.” Haley says, “No other coun- try is treated like Israel. The UN Security Council had a monthly meeting on ‘the sit- uation in the Middle East,’ which was clearly designed to attack Israel.” She says, “Only Israel is de- nounced for choosing its capi- tal. Only Israel is censured for defending itself from rocket attacks and suicide bombers. Apparently, it would be bet- ter if Jews let themselves be killed. The double standard clearly indicates something deeper at work - something far more hateful.” Haley continues to say, “We withdrew the US from the Council because it tolerates and even celebrates antisemitism and blatant human rights abusers. We also pulled out of UNESCO, which denies Jewish heritage…And then there’s UNRWA…UNRWA teaches Palestinian children to despise the Jews. Now we know exactly where that leads - October 7.” She says that antisemitism tries to justify Hamas’s killing spree, which was the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. She says antisemitism is “far more widespread than most people realized. It’s on college campuses. It’s in major cities across the West. It’s even in parts of the US Congress.” “Israel exists to protect the Jews,” Haley says. “That’s why its enemies call for Israel’s destruction.” She says that now is the time to confront antisemitism. “The Jewish people - and the Jewish state - are at greater risk today than at any point in the past 75 years.” Haley calls for an end to tax support for universities who allow antisemitism to run amok on their campuses. “There should be no doubt that America stands with Israel,” Haley writes in her letter to the Jerusalem Post. “We should give Israel everything it needs to defeat those who would destroy it. There should be no doubt that America stands with Israel.” “The stakes are clear. The Jewish state needs to exist be- cause the Jewish people have a right to survive.”
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