Too many people think antisemitism is a kind of social illness. In reality, both today and historically, it's an instrument of power — and Diaspora Jewry’s only real response is to reclaim it.
I’m sorry. I was too distressed to read your piece on vigilant Judaism. You are, as always, right. Now, how do we enact these actions in Australia? Happy to help if you have any specific suggestions
Teach everyone including kids proper self-defense, more Jewish community coordination, private Jewish security perhaps in coordination with Israeli security companies who bring decades of expertise, get Israeli citizenship just in case, start making your life more agile in case you need/want to move in the future — just a few thought-starters. :)
Once again Joshua Hoffman has his fingers on the pulse. Kol Hakovod.
And no Joshua, being clear-eyed and realistic is not pessimism, it's vigilance. Your proposed remedy is correct as well, we must take responsibility for our security much like Israel does for itself.
One thing that stood out to me in the Bondi pogrom was that Australia's strict gun control meant no attendee was able to shoot back. In places where gun laws are more sensible, Jews who are willing and able should be trained and armed. But there's a host of other non-physical, strategic training programs that Jews must take seriously. I am still astounded by how hundreds will attend a memorial service or a march, while barely a minyan will attend a workshop on active shooter or situational awareness training. Time to wake up folks. "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?!!! If not now, when!
I loathe what so much of our mainstream media has become, and it is nearly all complicit in the antisemitic fantasies it broadcasts - the BBC and Gaza are a case in point and that glaring example where Jeremy Bowen wrongly reported a Hamas missile in a car park as being the IAF completely 'flattening' a hospital. Even after being proven wrong, he continued to say he had no regrets over his reporting.
So what is to be done?
I suggest we need more and more of the excellent journalism by Joshua and his cohorts. We need to raise our profile. Somehow, we have to take the facts to the fanatics and more importantly, take those facts to what passess for our Leaders. We need more examples like Trump suing the BBC to absolutely rub their noses in public in the lies, the fake news, the misrepresentations, the bias, the editing that they put out there.
And, as per your article, we need Vigilant Judaism, preferably of the Maccabean variety.
"But people naturally care most about those they know. That instinct is universal everywhere except — when Jews express it." I love that you wrote about this. Here's why.
I often hear people on podcasts state, "Of course I care about the innocent Gazans who suffer," as if this is a moral requirement. I have to confess that I do not actually "feel" for these "innocent Gazans."
I do, however, feel for every Jew whose life is ended or ruined in the name of Allah by an obscene death / rape cult; I do feel for every Jewish college student harassed on campus by usefully idiotic and self-hating westerners (many of whom I'm sure are paid); and I do feel for every Jewish business owner whose establishment is vandalized. Even if I don't know them personally. I still feel it.
Often I have commented in response to others who bemoan the suffering of "innocent Gazans" -- "Well then, don't start a war with Israel." Hamas knows exactly what the response will be. The suffering that ensues is not Israel's fault. It is the fault of Hamas -- who, as we all know -- purposefully dooms its own people for PR purposes. It's good for the donations.
Second, Gazan suffering is in part their own fault -- they voted for Hamas, they celebrated the taking and the killing of hostages, they willingly kept hostages in their homes, they remain silent unless it's in front of a camera to denigrate Israel. All of these actions make them partially responsible -- much more so than Israel.
(Funny how the "modest" Arab women turn into raving shrews in front of a camera, readily spewing hate and lies, while western women become tongue-tied and hide because they literally don't know what to say).
The only true innocents are actual young children. I intellectually acknowledge that and yet . . .
Bottomline, my heart does not have a large enough bandwidth to feel for those who want my civilization destroyed and my people dead, and who are actively working toward these goals. My psyche entered war mode on Oct. 7. When in war mode, empathy for the enemy is a liability.
Only roughly 44% of Gazans voted for HAMAS in 2006. And if A.I. is correct, roughly 8% of current Gazans were alive or were of voting age in the election of 2006.
Gazan's didn't "start a war with Israel". Radicalized Hamas members did. And by the way, didn't Bibi and certain members of the Israeli Knesset actually fund HAMAS at one point as a way to counter the P.L.O.?
None of this matters. The government of Gaza is Hamas. Just as the Nazis were the government of Germany, whether everyone voted for them or even supported them. The devastation Germany paid was the price they paid for having such a government. It's a collective situation. You can't parse out individuals. You don't feed your enemy and yet Israel did; you don't warn your enemy before every attack and yet Israel did. If Bibi paid off Hamas he thought it was advantageous to Israel. I don't agree with it, but so what? There is no paying them off. Let's be clear: Islamism (whether it's 1% or 10% it's enough of a real threat) want Israel gone and after that they want the west gone. So supporting them in any way is literally suicidal.
I want to add that given the absurdly small degree of separation within Israel, I do not mean that my pain is equal to yours. The list you give here of those you knew who were harmed is almost beyond comprehension.
"You do not stop arsonists with workshops on fire safety." Great line! Yet, if we go back to 9/11, what did most of the terrorism experts recommend? De-radicalization, talking to the terrorists. Education and understanding, as in empathy, not intelligence, so that they can be defeated. I know because I was once one of the "experts" appointed to NATO to understand the psychological, organizational, and cultural aspects of terrorism.
Your post is resonant with a paper I have under review now titled, "The Second Surprise Attack of October 2023: Antizionism as Strategic Antisemitism" (with emphasis on the word strategic). The useful idiots may not be strategic; this is true, but the architects of all anti-Jewish hate movements throughout history have been strategic. We must differentiate the architects (what I call instigators in that and earlier papers) from the perpetrators; otherwise, we can confuse strategy with insanity. Strategic antisemitism is anything but insane. It is logical, calculated warfare, and yes, it has everything to do with power consolidation, so thank you for naming it for a large audience. This is a point that deserves much repetition until it is ingrained in our minds.
I am not a supporter or defender of PM Anthony Albanese, and I believe him and his government to be responsible for the shocking rise in antisemitism, through lack of leadership in regard to countering that antisemitism - indeed shelving it offside for 2 years as if it were not a problem and by his decisions showing his dislike of Israel. He has been warned time and again by Jewish community leaders and others of where hate speech, graffiti on buildings, burning of synagogues and alienating of Jewish businesses, Jewish students and artists, would lead: to violence and killing. And so it has now at Bondi Beach on 14th December. We are angry. We are grieving. HOWEVER, I must correct you regarding his response verbally to the aftermath of the massacre. He did speak of antisemitism, what he called the distortion of Islam to radical Islam, and he spoke of Jews and the Jewish community. Time and again, in fact. These are still only words and he is currently being pressured to back them up by action. And, incidentally, for me as an Australian Jew, his words meant nothing, but he did say them. I only write this with the truth in mind.
Thank you, Joshua. I choose to stay and fight while actively supporting, even encouraging, others to leave the West and support Israel from within. Yes, your posts are usually negative but necessarily so.
Joshua, I refer you to a book written in 2002 that I came upon after reading a review of it in The NY Times of all places—they’d likely intentionally pass over it today. It’s called “Civilization and It’s Enemies, the Next Stage of History”, by a guy named Lee Harris. It grabbed me by both shoulders and shook me into reality, and I’ve recognized my responsibility to my family, my friends, and my heritage (Jewish) since. Thank you for your writing, and for Future of Jewish.
Thank you so much for your brilliant article..... After the horror of Bondi Beach, Australia, the hypocrisy of Albanese was not a surprise!!!!!......and now, in a few weeks we'll have a new mayor in New York, who is OK with "Globalize the Intifada " and openly anti Israel !!!!!!!!!!.....
Actually, Jews in the diaspora do not have the luxury of thinking it happened to someone else, somewhere else. I live not far from where Hersch grew up in Berkeley. My niece went to school with an idea of soldier who was kidnapped - alone soldier from the United States. My friend is friends with the uncle of a woman who was kidnapped.
Thanks Joshua. I really appreciate this substack and read most of what is put forward. Of course it's all about power! But the average Jo or Jill doesn't read it that way. They don't realize that they are being played by a power much greater than they are. Just look at the idiots on the campuses. They may think they have the power over but history will not, is not, on their side. I saw a video on Facebook today. The fellow was putting on Teffilin and when he was all wrapped up he grabbed his baseball bat with a smile on his face. That's vigilant Judaism!
I've written this before I intend to keep repeating it. Here's an idea: getting a license to carry is nice; learning self-defense is also nice. BUT, this is like spraying a virus AFTER it has already flared up. What we need, and what we should fund, is a Diaspora version of the Mossad. These people have to speak Arabic, and understand the mentality. Then, they can infiltrate mosques and social media and hopefully learn about what is being planned. Then you do whatever is required to thwart the plans. Money should go to paying these people, NOT TO ANY OTHER CHARITIES (there are plenty of other people in the world to take care of the animals and the veterans and the sick). This also means not funding Jewish federations and other organizations that don't really do anything (I'm exempting planting a tree in Israel, supporting Birthright or the Weizmann Institute, or your local Hillel). We need to get our own Mossad up and running, and fast. Then, and only then, can we truly sleep peacefully.
One of the best articles I’ve read in a while. We differ only on one point - I will not be forced out of another country. I intend to stay and fight
💪
We don’t differ. I wrote about “Vigilant Judaism” a few days ago:
https://www.futureofjewish.com/p/forget-never-again-we-need-vigilant
I’m sorry. I was too distressed to read your piece on vigilant Judaism. You are, as always, right. Now, how do we enact these actions in Australia? Happy to help if you have any specific suggestions
Teach everyone including kids proper self-defense, more Jewish community coordination, private Jewish security perhaps in coordination with Israeli security companies who bring decades of expertise, get Israeli citizenship just in case, start making your life more agile in case you need/want to move in the future — just a few thought-starters. :)
Toda rabah Josh
Once again Joshua Hoffman has his fingers on the pulse. Kol Hakovod.
And no Joshua, being clear-eyed and realistic is not pessimism, it's vigilance. Your proposed remedy is correct as well, we must take responsibility for our security much like Israel does for itself.
One thing that stood out to me in the Bondi pogrom was that Australia's strict gun control meant no attendee was able to shoot back. In places where gun laws are more sensible, Jews who are willing and able should be trained and armed. But there's a host of other non-physical, strategic training programs that Jews must take seriously. I am still astounded by how hundreds will attend a memorial service or a march, while barely a minyan will attend a workshop on active shooter or situational awareness training. Time to wake up folks. "If I am not for myself, who will be for me?!!! If not now, when!
I loathe what so much of our mainstream media has become, and it is nearly all complicit in the antisemitic fantasies it broadcasts - the BBC and Gaza are a case in point and that glaring example where Jeremy Bowen wrongly reported a Hamas missile in a car park as being the IAF completely 'flattening' a hospital. Even after being proven wrong, he continued to say he had no regrets over his reporting.
So what is to be done?
I suggest we need more and more of the excellent journalism by Joshua and his cohorts. We need to raise our profile. Somehow, we have to take the facts to the fanatics and more importantly, take those facts to what passess for our Leaders. We need more examples like Trump suing the BBC to absolutely rub their noses in public in the lies, the fake news, the misrepresentations, the bias, the editing that they put out there.
And, as per your article, we need Vigilant Judaism, preferably of the Maccabean variety.
Excellent post Joshua ! All true.
"But people naturally care most about those they know. That instinct is universal everywhere except — when Jews express it." I love that you wrote about this. Here's why.
I often hear people on podcasts state, "Of course I care about the innocent Gazans who suffer," as if this is a moral requirement. I have to confess that I do not actually "feel" for these "innocent Gazans."
I do, however, feel for every Jew whose life is ended or ruined in the name of Allah by an obscene death / rape cult; I do feel for every Jewish college student harassed on campus by usefully idiotic and self-hating westerners (many of whom I'm sure are paid); and I do feel for every Jewish business owner whose establishment is vandalized. Even if I don't know them personally. I still feel it.
Often I have commented in response to others who bemoan the suffering of "innocent Gazans" -- "Well then, don't start a war with Israel." Hamas knows exactly what the response will be. The suffering that ensues is not Israel's fault. It is the fault of Hamas -- who, as we all know -- purposefully dooms its own people for PR purposes. It's good for the donations.
Second, Gazan suffering is in part their own fault -- they voted for Hamas, they celebrated the taking and the killing of hostages, they willingly kept hostages in their homes, they remain silent unless it's in front of a camera to denigrate Israel. All of these actions make them partially responsible -- much more so than Israel.
(Funny how the "modest" Arab women turn into raving shrews in front of a camera, readily spewing hate and lies, while western women become tongue-tied and hide because they literally don't know what to say).
The only true innocents are actual young children. I intellectually acknowledge that and yet . . .
Bottomline, my heart does not have a large enough bandwidth to feel for those who want my civilization destroyed and my people dead, and who are actively working toward these goals. My psyche entered war mode on Oct. 7. When in war mode, empathy for the enemy is a liability.
This is my truth.
Only roughly 44% of Gazans voted for HAMAS in 2006. And if A.I. is correct, roughly 8% of current Gazans were alive or were of voting age in the election of 2006.
Gazan's didn't "start a war with Israel". Radicalized Hamas members did. And by the way, didn't Bibi and certain members of the Israeli Knesset actually fund HAMAS at one point as a way to counter the P.L.O.?
None of this matters. The government of Gaza is Hamas. Just as the Nazis were the government of Germany, whether everyone voted for them or even supported them. The devastation Germany paid was the price they paid for having such a government. It's a collective situation. You can't parse out individuals. You don't feed your enemy and yet Israel did; you don't warn your enemy before every attack and yet Israel did. If Bibi paid off Hamas he thought it was advantageous to Israel. I don't agree with it, but so what? There is no paying them off. Let's be clear: Islamism (whether it's 1% or 10% it's enough of a real threat) want Israel gone and after that they want the west gone. So supporting them in any way is literally suicidal.
I want to add that given the absurdly small degree of separation within Israel, I do not mean that my pain is equal to yours. The list you give here of those you knew who were harmed is almost beyond comprehension.
Yes
"You do not stop arsonists with workshops on fire safety." Great line! Yet, if we go back to 9/11, what did most of the terrorism experts recommend? De-radicalization, talking to the terrorists. Education and understanding, as in empathy, not intelligence, so that they can be defeated. I know because I was once one of the "experts" appointed to NATO to understand the psychological, organizational, and cultural aspects of terrorism.
Your post is resonant with a paper I have under review now titled, "The Second Surprise Attack of October 2023: Antizionism as Strategic Antisemitism" (with emphasis on the word strategic). The useful idiots may not be strategic; this is true, but the architects of all anti-Jewish hate movements throughout history have been strategic. We must differentiate the architects (what I call instigators in that and earlier papers) from the perpetrators; otherwise, we can confuse strategy with insanity. Strategic antisemitism is anything but insane. It is logical, calculated warfare, and yes, it has everything to do with power consolidation, so thank you for naming it for a large audience. This is a point that deserves much repetition until it is ingrained in our minds.
I am not a supporter or defender of PM Anthony Albanese, and I believe him and his government to be responsible for the shocking rise in antisemitism, through lack of leadership in regard to countering that antisemitism - indeed shelving it offside for 2 years as if it were not a problem and by his decisions showing his dislike of Israel. He has been warned time and again by Jewish community leaders and others of where hate speech, graffiti on buildings, burning of synagogues and alienating of Jewish businesses, Jewish students and artists, would lead: to violence and killing. And so it has now at Bondi Beach on 14th December. We are angry. We are grieving. HOWEVER, I must correct you regarding his response verbally to the aftermath of the massacre. He did speak of antisemitism, what he called the distortion of Islam to radical Islam, and he spoke of Jews and the Jewish community. Time and again, in fact. These are still only words and he is currently being pressured to back them up by action. And, incidentally, for me as an Australian Jew, his words meant nothing, but he did say them. I only write this with the truth in mind.
Thank you very much for your well-timed article.
Well said, Joshua. Todah!
Thank you, Joshua. I choose to stay and fight while actively supporting, even encouraging, others to leave the West and support Israel from within. Yes, your posts are usually negative but necessarily so.
Joshua, I refer you to a book written in 2002 that I came upon after reading a review of it in The NY Times of all places—they’d likely intentionally pass over it today. It’s called “Civilization and It’s Enemies, the Next Stage of History”, by a guy named Lee Harris. It grabbed me by both shoulders and shook me into reality, and I’ve recognized my responsibility to my family, my friends, and my heritage (Jewish) since. Thank you for your writing, and for Future of Jewish.
Brilliant insights.
Thank you so much for your brilliant article..... After the horror of Bondi Beach, Australia, the hypocrisy of Albanese was not a surprise!!!!!......and now, in a few weeks we'll have a new mayor in New York, who is OK with "Globalize the Intifada " and openly anti Israel !!!!!!!!!!.....
Actually, Jews in the diaspora do not have the luxury of thinking it happened to someone else, somewhere else. I live not far from where Hersch grew up in Berkeley. My niece went to school with an idea of soldier who was kidnapped - alone soldier from the United States. My friend is friends with the uncle of a woman who was kidnapped.
Thanks Joshua. I really appreciate this substack and read most of what is put forward. Of course it's all about power! But the average Jo or Jill doesn't read it that way. They don't realize that they are being played by a power much greater than they are. Just look at the idiots on the campuses. They may think they have the power over but history will not, is not, on their side. I saw a video on Facebook today. The fellow was putting on Teffilin and when he was all wrapped up he grabbed his baseball bat with a smile on his face. That's vigilant Judaism!
I've written this before I intend to keep repeating it. Here's an idea: getting a license to carry is nice; learning self-defense is also nice. BUT, this is like spraying a virus AFTER it has already flared up. What we need, and what we should fund, is a Diaspora version of the Mossad. These people have to speak Arabic, and understand the mentality. Then, they can infiltrate mosques and social media and hopefully learn about what is being planned. Then you do whatever is required to thwart the plans. Money should go to paying these people, NOT TO ANY OTHER CHARITIES (there are plenty of other people in the world to take care of the animals and the veterans and the sick). This also means not funding Jewish federations and other organizations that don't really do anything (I'm exempting planting a tree in Israel, supporting Birthright or the Weizmann Institute, or your local Hillel). We need to get our own Mossad up and running, and fast. Then, and only then, can we truly sleep peacefully.