Is the current climate of antisemitism the same as it was on the eve of the Holocaust?
Antisemitism is a movement against Jews, not against other people using semitic languages. It was founded by an anti-Jewish German journalist in the last century, and he coined the term, in order not to use “hatred of Jews”, which was used in Christian circles, and he was anti-Christian. The current wave of antisemitism is a cause for great concern. Hateful propaganda, replete with obscene stereotypical images of Jews and virulent anti-Zionism, are commonplace. In Europe, especially since the dawn of the 21st century, there have been many violent attacks on Jewish institutions, including the fire-bombing of synagogues, and assaults on individuals. Some people are reminded of the climate in much of Europe on the eve of the Holocaust, but there are vast differences: the Holocaust was initiated by a government – a government with a racist antisemitic ideology, a plan for the destruction of the Jews and the where-with-all to carry out their plan. No such government exists in Europe today.
