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This is a guest essay written by David Swindle, a Zionist activist and a journalist primarily writing about antisemitism.
You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.
Some people argue that the term “antisemitism” is becoming meaningless.
Writing about antisemitism on an almost-daily basis at Jewish News Syndicate, I’ve seen this argument before. It’s a worthwhile point to discuss (as opposed to debate), and it goes something like this:
The word “antisemite” has just accumulated too much cultural baggage. It’s like “racist,” a term that some argue gets thrown around too widely, often hitting those who may or may not actually qualify. And what does the word even mean? It seems there is an endless debate about what qualifies as antisemitic today.
So how about we just eschew these problems and say “Jew-hate” instead? After all, it means the same thing as “antisemitism,” but it makes the point more clearly than this more esoteric, debatable term.
My editors at Jewish News Syndicate tend to take this position, using the terms largely interchangeably. In particular, they’ll often go for “Jew-hate” in headlines since it’s a shorter word — punchier and easier to split by its hyphen. This makes sense to me, and it's not something I argue about; after all, who am I — one of the few non-Jews on staff — to tell Jews how they should describe all the evil bastards who hate them?
So by all means, if you want to use “antisemite” and “Jew-hater” synonymously, then go ahead. However, I think there is an important distinction to consider in order to fully grasp this perpetually strange phenomenon of intense animosity against the Children of Israel:
Jew-hate is a feeling. Antisemitism is an ideology.
Let's break this down.
A feeling is one of those creatures in your head depicted in Pixar’s greatest films, “Inside Out” and “Inside Out 2.” There isn’t a “Hate” emotion yet in the series, thankfully. But one could suggest that such an emotion could come from a team effort joining together some collaboration between Envy, Fear, Anger, Anxiety, and Disgust.
Or maybe Yoda’s formulation in “The Phantom Menace” makes the most sense:
That is “Jew-hate” — an abstract feeling inside someone’s head.
What, then, is antisemitism? What is the distinction? And who gets to decide what it means?
Well, as a Zionist activist, I am a partisan of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which I will reprint in its entirety. This is the definition adopted by the most governments and non-government organizations around the world.
I write about it multiple times a week — practically every day as entities embrace it, as legislation moves through the process to make it the law for governments to use when evaluating potential hate crimes. It is deeply important for fighting hate, and every time a new bill passes, it’s cause for Zionist activists to celebrate:
“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.”
Okay, now focus on the second half of the very first sentence of the definition: “which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” That’s the key distinction here: When Jew-hate pops out of someone’s head and manifests in some tangible way in the real world, either targeting Jews or even us non-Jews — non-Jews get swastikas painted on their cars by neo-Nazis, too — that’s antisemitism.
To guide the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in its work, the following examples may serve as illustrations: First, 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
The belief that the Jewish People are collectively responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is an idea, not a feeling. The belief that the State of Israel is morally equivalent to the Third Reich — that’s an idea. Holocaust denial? That isn’t an abstract feeling; it’s a conspiracist ideological system that evil people have cobbled together for generations now.
Does this make sense? Jew-hate is the gasoline; antisemitism is the oven burning the corpses of murdered Jews.
So I think it’s much more worthwhile to focus on antisemitism — the ideology — as the big problem to identify and fight, not abstract Jew-hate (the feeling). Because Jew-hate on its own doesn’t actually harm Jews or anybody else apart from the person holding it in their head, who is made miserable by dwelling on such darkness for so long.
Someone may well have hate in their heart for Jews, Black people, LGBTQ individuals, or even liberals or conservatives. But if that hate does not actually manifest in the individual’s words, actions, and political advocacy, then what does it matter?
So it’s the ideology, the movement, the actions that we must collectively join together to defeat. And that means calling out and condemning the fucking godless antisemites poisoning the world with their hate in action.
Some people have expressed the concern that calling people antisemites may not actually harm the people accurately labeled as such. For example, the horrible human being Candace Owens, who recently received StopAntisemitism’s annual “Antisemite of the Year” award.
Owens would go on to claim that the award should go to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, since he was supposedly responsible for so many Palestinian deaths, and Palestinians are “semites” too. Antisemites just love to say this kind of sh*t, and it just demonstrates how f*cking ignorant they are — and how ignorant they know their fans are, too.
But the historical reality demonstrates that this work to publicize the dangerous antisemites of the world actually does work, and furthermore, it really does harm their efforts to promote their hate.
Consider Owens’ predecessor for the title of most famous antisemite of their generation: Richard B. Spencer. Everyone remember him? Mr. “Heil Trump”? Mr. Creator of the Alt-Right?
Okay, just checking, because you don’t hear that much about him anymore. And the reason for that is because his antisemitism was so loudly, broadly, widely exposed.
Did you know that in the years after his exposure, it became very difficult for Spencer to rent venues for his conferences? At one point, he had to rent a barn on some guy’s property to bring together his bigoted followers. And they got kicked out of there, too!
And now you hear next to nothing from him. He is irrelevant and no longer has any meaningful influence within the far-Right or anywhere else.
This process is still underway with Owens. But it’s already bearing fruit. Because of how widely her hate has been exposed, Australia refused to admit her to conduct a planned speaking tour. Even a Bitcoin conference had to kill its invitation to her once activists discovered that she was going to speak there.
This is a longstanding thing that Zionist activists have done for years, whether the antisemite is Islamist, far-Left, or far-Right. We learn where they are going to be speaking and then contact the venue hosting the event, and/or the organizers. Oftentimes, either or both won’t even know how terrible the antisemitic speaker is. And often the event will be canceled and have to be rescheduled, or the horrible speakers will just get the boot.
This even hit Kanye West when he was out with his new album and trying to promote it. Venues did not want to host him. And also it’s worth pointing out, too: Kanye is no longer a billionaire. Adidas killed his contract, even though it cost them $1.3 billion.
Friends, fighting antisemitism works. Exposing antisemites for the godless people they are works. Zionist activists’ track record of success is right here for anyone who wants to look at it.
So please, don’t fear that we need to cede the term “antisemite” because the antisemites want to redefine it to exclude them. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition has been tremendously successful in seeing wide adoption. And we need to keep pushing and fighting for as many organizations and governments to embrace it as possible.
Antisemitism isn’t going anywhere. In fact, with the internet, it’s an ideology that is spreading at a rate so alarming that it inspired me to redirect my whole career from advocating for conservatism to Zionism.
We need to fight this evil ideology and the movement it inspires with all our being. The battle our grandparents waged against the Nazis has not concluded. And we cannot wage a war within people's hearts. We cannot rationally persuade people to reject a fundamentally irrational feeling. As the saying goes: “What was not reasoned in cannot be reasoned out.”
So the fight must go on in the real world. Those promoting antisemitic ideology must be defeated on every battlefield: on the streets of Gaza, within the ranks of both liberal and conservative political parties, on the internet, in houses of worship, and when conspiracy theories burp out of your neighbor’s mouth between bites of cheeseburger at the weekend barbecue.
My new friend Gabriel Solomon recently published a piece putting antisemitism in the context of the Tower of Babel, an apt analogy. The difference today is that it’s not going to be God striking down the Ziggurat. We have to come together and do it ourselves, yanking out one brick at a time.
Who’s ready to join this demolition project?
Thank you for writing this. And thank you for supporting the Jews and the battle against antisemitism.
When thinking about what to write each day, if the world news does not provide any thoughts, I look at other articles and people’s thoughts for inspiration. Today I have read an essay from David Swindle, a non- Jewish Zionist activist who was involved in the IHRA definition of antisemitism. This is the definition widely adopted and one used by our group in our deputation to Leeds City Council.
The article discusses the difference in the terms antisemitism and Jew-hate. For many including me, the word antisemitism has lost some power. Many do not know what it is and many dispute there is any such thing. Fascists on both left and right are antisemitic whilst saying they are not racist. It has, as many words have in this last 15 months, been politicised and desensitised,
David argues that whilst Jew- hate is a feeling whilst antisemitism is an ideology. It is an interesting distinction.
Many people have feelings toward Jews. I saw a video of Norwegians being asked what they thought of when they heard the word Jew. It seems that amongst younger people it is an all encompassing word for all things bad. So is that a feeling and will it turn into an ideology. It was fairly bone- chilling.
When people think of Jews they may think the Nazis had a point, that’s a feeling. When they draw swastikas on Jewish homes it is an ideology.
When they think of Jews as killing Jesus it’s a feeling, when they scream it in the street it’s antisemitism . When they accuse Israel of genocide and apartheid because of their negative feelings towards Jews it is an ideology.
The IHRA definition of antisemitism is clear that holding Israel to a different standard that other countries is antisemitism. We have seen that antisemitism as an ideology has become rife again. We know the saying that it is a light sleeper. Is it a light sleeper because hatred of Jews is deeply woven into societies or is it because over that last 40 years there has been insidious demonisation of Israel, the Jewish nation state. Is it both?
I, along with David Swindle , use both terms on here depending on what I am saying. Antisemitism as a term dispensed with its hyphen as we were told that all Arabs are semites. So how could they be antisemitic. It was always a term for hatred of Jews not only Arab Jews. Gaslighting our experience is part of the antisemites job. We have all been told what is and is not antisemitic. In fact using the term Zionist instead of Jew is the definitive form of gaslighting.
But an interesting distinction and thought- proving ideas. A feeling versus an ideology.
It highlights how we must continue to challenge the feelings. How we must not let them turn from a feeling into an ideology. Challenge the prejudice. Hitler worked on the psyche of the German nation to turn a respected group into one that could be murdered with impunity. In many parts of Europe it needed very little to turn the feeling of Jew hate into a killing spree. Islamists are doing the same today, aided by the useful idiots running the west and their institutions. How many times have the police told us in Britain that things are not hate crimes as they scream for our death in front of the police. When the police fail to act, the feeling becomes the ideology.
So for never again to be true, we must challenge the feeling of Jew hate least it be allowed to morph into what we know it can .