The Truth of Anti-Semitism

I’ll demonstrate that the charge of anti-Semitism is not only false, but it’s a coward’s way of avoiding a real, principled discussion; and that’s what is needed—a real, principled discussion. That’s not to say there aren’t anti-Semites; there are. Anti-Semitism is a form of ignorance and racism. But those who are opposing Israel’s post-October 7th response in Gaza, who are being labeled pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist anti-Semites—for the most part that’s false; they’re being called violent, when the violence has been perpetrated by police called in by college administrators, to dismantle the encampments set up by protesters. And Congress has adopted a new bill defining being anti-Israel as the equivalent of anti-Semitic.

This is what we’re hearing from all sides of the political spectrum—Biden and Trump are essentially identical on this. Trump’s a little bit more extreme in his condemnation, but they’re both saying that anti-Semitism is the leading factor behind the protests, and it’s unacceptable. House Speaker Mike Johnson and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the current Republican Speaker and the former Democratic Speaker, have the same line. Texas Senator Ted Cruz and New York Senator Chuck Schumer, the same line. They’re using the argument that the demonstrations must be shut down, students arrested, kicked out of school, because they’re “anti-Semitic.” And now there’s a bill being presented to Congress which would establish monitors, anti-Semite monitors on campuses. It’s called the COLUMBIA Act.

Now, here’s something interesting for you. Long before October 7th, there was concern that something like this would be legislated. In fact, there was a move to set up monitoring. Here is a quote from a March 26, 2006 article titled, “The Israel Lobby,” in the London Review of Books, written by John Mearsheimer and Steven Walt. Many people now know Mearsheimer, because he’s emerged as a prominent critic on the internet of the endless U.S. wars. But here’s what he wrote in March 2006: “Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all this is the efforts Jewish groups have made to push Congress into establishing mechanisms to monitor what professors say. If they manage to get this passed, universities judged to have an anti-Israel bias would be denied federal funding.” That’s in fact what’s in this new bill. “Their efforts have not yet succeeded, but they are an indication of the importance placed on controlling debate.”

This, as I said, was written long before October 7, 2023. This has been a part of the effort of the so-called Zionist lobby in the United States to control the debate. But it’s not just about Israel. We just saw the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) spy-court re-authorized by a bipartisan majority. The point is, we’re all being monitored; we’re all being spied on. That’s what Ed Snowden warned us was the result of the post-9/11 operation, which increased the power of the “national security state.”