What exactly is "Anti-semitism"

...and why has there been a substantial uptick to counter it in the US, prior to the recent incident in Israel?

Friends,

I realize I am diving into the deep end here — and I feel compelled to include a disclaimer:

Nothing in this article or companion video is intended to incite anger, hatred or violence against any people group.

My presentation is intended as a factual look at the term “anti-semitism” and how it is interpreted by the US government… and how there has been a recent uptick in strategies and laws to prevent antisemitism.

This term is cropping up frequently given the conflict in Israel, so I’m using this as an opportunity to develop our skills of critical thinking.

Note: My heart and prayers are with anyone who has been affected and afflicted by what we are seeing coming out of Israel and Gaza. My goal is to remain sober-minded and rational in discerning truth from deception, and I’m glad you are willing to dig into this as well.

Too many words and phrases are tossed about in the media and social media and it’s essential we correctly understand the terms.

If you’d like to view the video version of my presentation, please click below:

What is a SEMITE?

To understand the concept of “anti-semitism,” we need to first define the word semite.

(Remember, good critical thinking skills include always first defining your terms. Otherwise, words can mean different things to different people.)

Going back to the Bible, the word “Semitic” comes from the word “Shem” which refers to a group of people that includes Jews and Arabs.

Many people may be surprised by this because the original meaning has become obscured and is now generally recognized to relate to Jews exclusively.

US Government Definition of Anti-Semitism

Reference is here

“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.”

To guide IHRA in its work, the following examples may serve as illustrations:

Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic. Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for “why things go wrong.” It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.

Contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to:

• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.

• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.

• Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.

• Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust

• Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.

• Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.

• Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.

• Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.

• Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.

• Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

• Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.

That definition, including examples for Anti-semitism adopted by governments around the world, stems from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition.

It’s interesting that other semitic groups aren’t talked about within the context of all of these contemporary examples. Most notably, there is no mention of the Semitic group Arabs. And certainly Arabs have experienced a great deal of anti-semitism in the pure sense of the definition. A more common expression is “islamophobia” — but that would mean a fear of Muslims. Yet, not all Arabs are muslim; some are Christian and some are Jewish; and not all muslims are Arab; some are Asian for example.

I’ve read comments that said that it would be far simpler to just call this perception described above as “anti-Jew” instead of “anti-semitic” as it would be more accurate.

Others have questioned the need for a “category for hate speech” at all. This is quite contentious as we’ve seen over the last few years of ramped up censorship of words, opinions — and even facts. “Speech” itself is protected by the Constitution, and as abhorrent as racial, religious and ethnic slurs are, it’s curious to consider that someone’s speech — which is an extension of their thoughts — can be policed. (Remember, there is no law against yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. That was a statement made by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes… but it is not a law. And if there were a fire in a crowded theater, you certainly would want someone to yell “fire!”)

Of course, inciting someone to violence is a crime and should never be condoned, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, age…

And criminal acts of violence are against the law, regardless of the motivation of the perpetrator, and should be dealt with accordingly. Aren’t all crimes “hate crimes?” I can’t think of any crimes that are done out of care and concern for the victim. I remember when California adopted harsher penalties for “hate crimes” some years ago, and it got me thinking that every crime is in essence a hate crime. Why should some criminals be let off easier just because it couldn’t be proven that a motivating factor was hate? Is it to be a deterrent for certain “types” of crimes? Do those deterrents work? There is a lot to consider here.

Over the last year or so, prior to the current events in Israel, I noticed a trend of the US government's enhanced response to anti-semitism, which was sparked at the end of 2022 and ramped up dramatically this year with the establishment of the Federal government’s first ever “U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.”

Take a look here for some of the recent anti-semitism strategies and laws put into place:

2022

• 125 lawmakers call for national antisemitism strategy, propose interagency task force December 6, 2022

“A bipartisan group of 125 lawmakers urged President Joe Biden on Monday to establish a  “whole-of-government” approach to antisemitism, the broadest call yet for such a unified plan to combat spiking antisemitism across the country. 

In a letter to Biden, the lawmakers call on the administration to develop a “National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism” and suggest that the administration establish an interagency task force to combat antisemitism, led by an official with the rank of assistant secretary or higher to help the administration work more closely to tackle the problem. “Antisemitic voices, inciting hateful and violent action, are finding new audiences, with anti-Jewish conspiracies gaining traction across the globe and through social media.”

• Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Inter-Agency Group to Counter Antisemitism December 12, 2022

“The President is establishing an inter-agency group led by Domestic Policy Council staff and National Security Council staff to increase and better coordinate U.S. Government efforts to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination within the United States. The President has tasked the inter-agency group, as its first order of business, to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism.”

2023

• Biden-⁠Harris Administration Releases First-Ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism May 25, 2023

“This national strategy sets forth a whole-of-society plan that both meets this moment of escalating hatred and lays the foundation for reducing antisemitism over time. Informed by input from over 1,000 stakeholders from every sector of American society, it outlines over 100 new actions that Executive Branch agencies have committed to take in order to counter antisemitism—all of which will be completed within a year. The strategy also calls on Congress to enact legislation that would help counter antisemitism and urges every sector of society to mobilize against this age-old hatred, including state and local governments, civil society, schools and academic institutions, the tech sector, businesses, and diverse religious communities.”

• ADL warns ‘antisemitism in its classical fascist form’ reemerging in US

  January 12, 2023

“A new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) highlights widespread antisemitic beliefs among the American public. The new results suggest “antisemitism in that classic, conspiratorial sense is far more widespread than anti-Israel sentiment,” Williams told The Washington Post. 

The vast majority of Americans (90 percent) believe Israel has a right to “defend itself against those who want to destroy it,” while 79 percent consider Israel a strong U.S. ally. 

But 40 percent of respondents at least somewhat agreed “that Israel treats Palestinians like Nazis treated the Jews.” Nearly 20 percent at least slightly agreed with the statement “I am not comfortable spending time with people who openly support Israel.” 

• Attorney General Miyares Creates Antisemitism Task Force February 8, 2023

“While speaking to a group of Jewish leaders from across the state during Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day, Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the creation of a Task Force within the Office of Attorney General to monitor and combat acts of Antisemitism in Virginia. The Task Force is in response to the recommendation of the Governor's Commission to combat Antisemitism report issued in December.”

• Governors Stand Against Antisemitism March 27, 2023

“As the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism works to raise awareness of growing antisemitism threats, multiple Governors have worked with state legislatures to underline that hate has no place in their states.”

• Kansas: Johnson County Board of County Commissioners adopts formal definition of antisemitism April 27, 2023

“The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism while recognizing an increasing number of incidents in the region and the nation.”

• Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation in Israel Further Combatting Antisemitism April 28, 2023

“Governor Ron DeSantis visited Israel as part of his international trade mission where he signed House Bill 269 to provide law enforcement agencies with new enforcement mechanisms to punish perpetrators of antisemitic incidents and those who target religious communities.”

• U.S. Attorney Joins Law Enforcement, Stakeholders to Combat Antisemitism April 30, 2023

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, the FBI, the Columbus Police Department (CPD) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) joined with Temple Israel in Columbus to discuss the rise of antisemitism in the nation and ways for citizens to safely and effectively respond to and report antisemitic activity.

Citizens are urged to report antisemitic incidents to the local authorities first and then contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia at 478-752-3511.”

• Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, Signs Law Formally Defining Antisemitism May 8, 2023

“Governor Glenn Youngkin signed HB 1606, sponsored by Delegate Anne Ferrell Tata (R-Virginia Beach), which formally adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism. This definition will be used as a tool and guide to identify instances of antisemitism and train first responders, educators, and other public servants how to respond to antisemitism and prevent hate crimes from happening.”

• Responding to Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Bias in the UN, Palestinian Authority, and NGO Community June 22, 2023

• Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism Presses for Independent Review of Platforms Following European Parliament Hearings June 29, 2023

“The Brussels summit culminated with a nearly three-hour hearing in the European Parliament, where Task Force members from the European Union, United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel questioned representatives of Twitter, Meta and YouTube about the escalation of antisemitism on their platforms.

“It is unfortunate that we needed to get to this point,” said U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a co-chair of the Task Force. “Given the scope and urgency of this problem, and an apparent shared desire to curb it, I hope these platforms will cooperate on a global independent review, and agree to work with us on this transnational scourge that thrives online. Our global task force is laser-focused and will pursue the goal of ending the viral spread of antisemitism online. The social media companies need to make a decision on whether they are partners in this goal.”   

• U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Visits Queens for Event with Congresswoman Meng to Address the Rise of Antisemitism July 24, 2023

“U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) brought the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, to Queens to address increased attacks on the Jewish community around the world and in New York City, as well as to meet with local Jewish community leaders.”

• Top Jewish Advocacy Organizations in Seven Countries Form J7 Global Task Force on Fighting Antisemitism July 24, 2023

“In response to increasing rates of antisemitism around the world, major Jewish organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Argentina and Australia formed the J7, the Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism.

In addition to top-level consultations, the J7 will organize a number of working groups comprised of subject matter experts from each community to develop strategies and action plans within areas such as policy and advocacy, tech policy, security, extremism and education against antisemitism.”

• Congressman Dan Goldman Works to Combat Antisemitism On College Campuses August 23, 2023

“Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06) and a bipartisan coalition of 85 Members of Congress in writing a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona requesting information on how the Department plans to combat the increasing rate of antisemitic incidents on college campuses”

• Israel’s Netanyahu to meet Elon Musk amid accusations of antisemitism on X September 14, 2023

“Netanyahu’s office said their meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, will include discussions about artificial intelligence. It comes at a time when Musk is facing accusations of tolerating antisemitic messages on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish civil-rights organization, has accused Musk of allowing antisemitism and hate speech to spread on X.”

• Governor Hochul Announces Comprehensive State Action to Combat Antisemitism September 19, 2023

“Governor Kathy Hochul today announced comprehensive state action taken to fight antisemitism. Governor Hochul made the announcement at the Center for Jewish History, making New York State the first state to respond to President Biden’s national strategy to counter antisemitism. The Governor also announced the creation of the New York State Anti-Hate in Education Center and Annual Convening that will combat hate, create a safe and inclusive environment, and focus on eliminating antisemitism.”

• USDA, Other Agencies Clarify Protections in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to Better Protect Against Antisemitism, Islamophobia and Related Forms of Discrimination September 28, 2023

“As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, eight agencies—the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Treasury, and Transportation—are for the first time clarifying in writing that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics in federally funded programs and activities. This includes certain forms of antisemitic, Islamophobic, and related discrimination and bias.”

Did the US anticipate any escalating conflict regarding Israel — and any potential anti-semitism arising thereof?

I’m a person who likes to notice patterns and this is certainly one I will keep my eye on.

As always, I’m grateful to have you on board reading this Substack, and very warm thanks to those who have supported my work with a paid subscription. You are a partner in the work I’ve dedicated my life to. All financial supporters are invited to a private live monthly webinar where I answer your questions personally. The webinar is the last Saturday of every month at 4 pm pacific (recorded if you can’t make it live). If you are a paid Substack subscriber or have sent a donation and you’re not sure you’re on the invite list, please email support@thehealthyamerican.org for help.

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