What strikes me most is how so much of the modern narrative is an inversion of reality. The accusations thrown at Israel—colonialism, genocide, apartheid—are often the very charges that fit the movements accusing Israel far more closely than they fit Israel itself. It's the inversion that is so remarkable.
The great tragedy is that many people no longer seem interested in facts. Once a slogan takes hold, history becomes secondary. We have to recognize that we're not simply debating evidence anymore; we're competing against narratives that many people accept without ever examining.
I do have one point where I see things differently. You describe the traditional Jewish practice of initially turning away someone who wants to convert. I understand the historical and religious reasons for that tradition, but personally, I think this is one area that deserves rethinking. Anyone who sincerely wants to join the Jewish people should be welcomed warmly, not discouraged. We are a small people facing enormous challenges, and if someone genuinely wishes to become part of our community, I think our instinct should be to open the door rather than ask them to walk away.
Excellent article. It raises important questions and reminds us how important it is to challenge slogans with history and facts.
Great article. Vast misinformation has become "the truth" for much of the world. Part of the problem is the ignorance of how many Jews there are in the world. I love asking people, "How many Jews are there in the entire world?" I have asked people all ages, college graduates, non-college graduates, Jew haters, Jew lovers--and the answers I get back almost ALWAYS range from 100 million to a billion. When I tell them, "only 15 million Jews," they almost always shake their heads and say, "that can't be right," and then they take out their phones and Google it. Then they stare at their phones and murmur again, "that can't be right." (Even Joe Rogan had that reaction live on his show after he "guessed" 500 million Jews in the world and was told the truth). Oh, and show them a map of the Middle East with all the land violently colonized by what is now two BILLION Muslims and the teensy strip of land that is Israel, and you get the same reaction because it doesn't fit with the narrative of Israel being the "colonizing land-grabbers."
If colonialism is one of the few sins the modern conscience treats as close to absolute. To name a people colonial is to place them outside the circle of legitimate existence. Then we ought to demand that all those living in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand should pack up and move back to Eurabia.
This is the very essence of blaming Jews. Those who accuse Jews of what they themselves are guilty of hope that these accusations will erase their (real or imagined) guilt.
Like a child who breaks a crystal vase trying to blame a kitten. He doesn't fear punishment. He fears the guilt he feels for what he's done.
Thank you to Matt Field for exposing the profound mechanics behind the accusation of 'colonialism' leveled against the Jews. His analysis strikes at the heart of the matter: the incomprehensibility of a people who reject the logic of both proselytism and assimilation.
However, I would like to take this further. The hostility we see today, masquerading as 'anti-Zionism' to gain a veneer of moral legitimacy, is not merely a historical error or a psychological projection. It is a visceral reaction from a West that has built its own identity around the myth of total fluidity and the transcendence of all contingency.
We live in a time that has declared war on stable ontology. Contemporary modernity aspires to an individual detached from bonds of blood, land, and tradition—constantly 'becoming,' stripped of any 'roots' that might limit abstract self-determination. In this context, Judaism—and its state form, Israel—represents an unacceptable anomaly: it is the 'solid body' that refuses to dissolve into the universal liquid.
The Jew, by their very existence, is a living refutation of the 'end of history.' Their fidelity to a millenary memory and their indissoluble bond to a specific land are not merely 'political choices'; they are acts of ontological resistance. This is what, ultimately, is unforgivable: the Jew does not seek to be 'integrated' (at the cost of disappearing), nor do they accept being 'absorbed' (to become something else).
Israel is hated today because it is tangible proof that sovereignty, the defense of identity, and rooting oneself in a place are not outdated concepts. By its very existence, it exposes the limits and contradictions of a West that has confused freedom with dissolution. It is no coincidence that the attack is so visceral: this is no longer just political polemic; it is the denial of the right of a specific 'historical identity' to occupy physical space in the world.
There is no dialectical escape from this trap: the world needs the Jew as a scapegoat, yet it cannot tolerate them as a sovereign subject. Recognizing this dynamic is the first step toward unmasking not only modern antisemitism, but also the identity crisis of a West that has lost the capacity to tolerate what it cannot transform into its own image.
Grossman’s Law applies here, as it does to virtually every accusation against the Jews. But in this case, the accusation of Jews as colonists is a specifically Islamist claim (though western useful idiots parrot it often). And anyone who cannot see that Islam is the most pervasive, violent, cancerous, and culture destroying colonial force the world has ever seen is simply ignorant of history.
The writer presents Judaism's reticence towards converts as a virtue, in my view it is a flaw and finds no basis in the Torah. Hashem's words are not exclusive towards Jews, as if only Jews are worthy enough or disciplined enough to embrace it. Had our faith been more expansive we would probably not be faced with generations of attempted genocide and extermination because our numbers would be many, as are the numbers of the faiths that fully embrace converts, even seek them out, such as Christianity and Islam.
in Genesis 15:5-6, God brought Abraham outside and said, “Look toward heaven and number the stars… so shall your offspring be,” emphasizing the vastness of his descendants.
In Genesis 17:4-6, God reaffirmed the covenant, saying, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; nations and kings shall come from you.” Judaism has strayed from these clear indications of expansion and sharing the faith with the world, rather than the self defeating notions of not accepting converts readily and with open non judgmental arms.
Would Hitler have attempted to exterminate us if we numbered in the billions? Much of the suffering our people have endured through the ages owe, in part, to our seeming vulnerability based on numbers, which G-d intended our numbers to be as countless as the stars.
Matt, another excellent article.
What strikes me most is how so much of the modern narrative is an inversion of reality. The accusations thrown at Israel—colonialism, genocide, apartheid—are often the very charges that fit the movements accusing Israel far more closely than they fit Israel itself. It's the inversion that is so remarkable.
The great tragedy is that many people no longer seem interested in facts. Once a slogan takes hold, history becomes secondary. We have to recognize that we're not simply debating evidence anymore; we're competing against narratives that many people accept without ever examining.
I do have one point where I see things differently. You describe the traditional Jewish practice of initially turning away someone who wants to convert. I understand the historical and religious reasons for that tradition, but personally, I think this is one area that deserves rethinking. Anyone who sincerely wants to join the Jewish people should be welcomed warmly, not discouraged. We are a small people facing enormous challenges, and if someone genuinely wishes to become part of our community, I think our instinct should be to open the door rather than ask them to walk away.
Excellent article. It raises important questions and reminds us how important it is to challenge slogans with history and facts.
Great article. Vast misinformation has become "the truth" for much of the world. Part of the problem is the ignorance of how many Jews there are in the world. I love asking people, "How many Jews are there in the entire world?" I have asked people all ages, college graduates, non-college graduates, Jew haters, Jew lovers--and the answers I get back almost ALWAYS range from 100 million to a billion. When I tell them, "only 15 million Jews," they almost always shake their heads and say, "that can't be right," and then they take out their phones and Google it. Then they stare at their phones and murmur again, "that can't be right." (Even Joe Rogan had that reaction live on his show after he "guessed" 500 million Jews in the world and was told the truth). Oh, and show them a map of the Middle East with all the land violently colonized by what is now two BILLION Muslims and the teensy strip of land that is Israel, and you get the same reaction because it doesn't fit with the narrative of Israel being the "colonizing land-grabbers."
Isn't it cute for any spaniard to accuse Israel or jews of colonialism? Talk about a reparations bill that has never been paid.
If colonialism is one of the few sins the modern conscience treats as close to absolute. To name a people colonial is to place them outside the circle of legitimate existence. Then we ought to demand that all those living in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand should pack up and move back to Eurabia.
This is the very essence of blaming Jews. Those who accuse Jews of what they themselves are guilty of hope that these accusations will erase their (real or imagined) guilt.
Like a child who breaks a crystal vase trying to blame a kitten. He doesn't fear punishment. He fears the guilt he feels for what he's done.
Exactly.
Well written article. The conclusion is really terrific. Well done. Kol Hakavod.
Thank you to Matt Field for exposing the profound mechanics behind the accusation of 'colonialism' leveled against the Jews. His analysis strikes at the heart of the matter: the incomprehensibility of a people who reject the logic of both proselytism and assimilation.
However, I would like to take this further. The hostility we see today, masquerading as 'anti-Zionism' to gain a veneer of moral legitimacy, is not merely a historical error or a psychological projection. It is a visceral reaction from a West that has built its own identity around the myth of total fluidity and the transcendence of all contingency.
We live in a time that has declared war on stable ontology. Contemporary modernity aspires to an individual detached from bonds of blood, land, and tradition—constantly 'becoming,' stripped of any 'roots' that might limit abstract self-determination. In this context, Judaism—and its state form, Israel—represents an unacceptable anomaly: it is the 'solid body' that refuses to dissolve into the universal liquid.
The Jew, by their very existence, is a living refutation of the 'end of history.' Their fidelity to a millenary memory and their indissoluble bond to a specific land are not merely 'political choices'; they are acts of ontological resistance. This is what, ultimately, is unforgivable: the Jew does not seek to be 'integrated' (at the cost of disappearing), nor do they accept being 'absorbed' (to become something else).
Israel is hated today because it is tangible proof that sovereignty, the defense of identity, and rooting oneself in a place are not outdated concepts. By its very existence, it exposes the limits and contradictions of a West that has confused freedom with dissolution. It is no coincidence that the attack is so visceral: this is no longer just political polemic; it is the denial of the right of a specific 'historical identity' to occupy physical space in the world.
There is no dialectical escape from this trap: the world needs the Jew as a scapegoat, yet it cannot tolerate them as a sovereign subject. Recognizing this dynamic is the first step toward unmasking not only modern antisemitism, but also the identity crisis of a West that has lost the capacity to tolerate what it cannot transform into its own image.
Grossman’s Law applies here, as it does to virtually every accusation against the Jews. But in this case, the accusation of Jews as colonists is a specifically Islamist claim (though western useful idiots parrot it often). And anyone who cannot see that Islam is the most pervasive, violent, cancerous, and culture destroying colonial force the world has ever seen is simply ignorant of history.
Ahh, "forgiveness". Preached by many, offered by few.
Is your AI, that you used to write most of this, Jewish?
And regards to colonialism is the map of the Greater Israel that Netanyahu wants and held up in the UN colonialist at all?
West Bank, Gaza, Southern Lebanon?
The writer presents Judaism's reticence towards converts as a virtue, in my view it is a flaw and finds no basis in the Torah. Hashem's words are not exclusive towards Jews, as if only Jews are worthy enough or disciplined enough to embrace it. Had our faith been more expansive we would probably not be faced with generations of attempted genocide and extermination because our numbers would be many, as are the numbers of the faiths that fully embrace converts, even seek them out, such as Christianity and Islam.
in Genesis 15:5-6, God brought Abraham outside and said, “Look toward heaven and number the stars… so shall your offspring be,” emphasizing the vastness of his descendants.
In Genesis 17:4-6, God reaffirmed the covenant, saying, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; nations and kings shall come from you.” Judaism has strayed from these clear indications of expansion and sharing the faith with the world, rather than the self defeating notions of not accepting converts readily and with open non judgmental arms.
Would Hitler have attempted to exterminate us if we numbered in the billions? Much of the suffering our people have endured through the ages owe, in part, to our seeming vulnerability based on numbers, which G-d intended our numbers to be as countless as the stars.