Antisemitism is just like any virus; you can never eradicate it, the best one can hope for that it goes dormant for as long as your lifetime. We all know that hope is never final.
Ms Berg, you wrote a most poignant piece! It lays out antisemitism to perfection! As the daughter of Holocaust survivors I applaud you with a standing ovation. No one has ever stated this horrific hate mongering more clearly!!! I for one see this hatred as a mental illness, a deep seated jealousy towards us, a terrible sickness akin to cancer. The only cure is education; otherwise the cancer spreads exponentially!!!
Sadly some of the most staunch Jew haters are highly educated. El-Sayed received more votes percentage wise in districts with higher levels of education, and did more poorly in working class districts where the folk were less educated.
I believe the Nazis were at first most popular on college campuses and the same for the Bolsheviks, not to mention how college/HS kids were most enthusiastic to join Mao's Red Guard and attack their parents and teachers in the name of the Revolution.
College kids are always the easiest marks for aspiring tyrants, because the tyrant knows they just have to claim that they're killing and destroying in the name of making a "better world" and people high on zeal and low on wisdom will join up. There is something about the enthusiasm of youth that believes in its blood and bones that they are the incarnation of a new world and that they could remake society and erase all its inequalities and hypocrisies just by applying passion and idealism.
In our current case, most college kids seem to still be college kids into their 30s (and 40s if you're getting a PhD at Columbia ;))—and university now baptizes almost all its children in the Social Justice faith, which has adopted the Palestinians as its proxy Jesus/proletariat and considers them sacred victims who deserve total support, no matter how many massacres they commit.
America allowed a toxic and brazenly dishonest Jew-hating ideology to brew at its most famous and well-funded universities and this is the inevitable result. Once again a mass of angry children and their amoral and power-hungry leaders/teachers have convinced them that the road to Utopia needs to be paved over Jewish skulls.
It takes a lot of education to be convinced that Hamas deserves your support! ;)
I think Dr. Goldsmith was referring to the quality of education, the kind of education, rather than the level of education. There are many professors and other people with advanced degrees who have little critical thinking skills and analytical ability. It is questionable how they attained their terminal degrees unless the educational standards have sunk so low that the intellectually challenged are in good academic standing.
Now imagine virulent and Vicious re-emergent Antisemitism without us having the Ultimate place of safety and refuge of Israel. There is a very substantial cohort of people here in The West who fully understand and appreciate and support the Jewish position, and support Israel because of this. They know as we do that Gaza was started and planned by Hamas and the International Antisemite. So there is hope. Start with the many folks who now support us. For they are actually the majority.
Good analysis but maybe the title needs to be changed. In 2026 the list of cowardly or scared Jewish democrat politicians is a long and sad one ranging from Schumer to the attorney General and senator in Michigan. An outgoing attorney general and a Senator w a 6 year term cant comment on the issue in their state? An outgoing 75 yo US senate minority leader can't comment about Mandami or Abdul? Grow a pair already.
And Adam Smith in Washington outright volunteering he allowed the "Palestine" mob intimidate him into voting the way they wanted him to. Not Jewish (I don't think) but another example of ridiculous cowardice.
As for AG Nessel in Michigan I somewhat can't blame her but it's insane that the state AG "can't" or won't attend a political convention of her own party out of the threat of harassment.
Vanessa you stated, “Take complicated problems and give them a Jewish explanation. That is the genius — and horror — of antisemitism as a political instrument.” Thank you for your startling clarity.
Hitler got the German people to blame less than 1% of the German Jews for all Germany’s ills, and unleashed the Holocaust.
This recycled hatred is used today to blame Jews for having a country. Israel, a tiny democratic country is surrounded by 57 Muslim countries, all Islamic theocracies, dictatorships, absolute monarchies. And just as in Nazi Germany this lunacy is embraced by gullible Democrats and RINOS.
This is a world wide Muslim religious war. Muslims have killed 100000 Christians in Nigeria and are killing Christians all over the planet every day .Muslims have killed over 2.6 million blacks in Africa in the last 20 years. Muslims just invaded Spain with 60000 crossing Spain border last week and Spain said welcome
Bernie, are you saying that instead of the AIPAC path, American Jews should get out the info on what is happening to Christians and Muslims around the world? Let the progressives chew on that for awhile.
The most coherent, insightful analysis of how and why the demonic forces of Jew hatred are being harnessed today by anarchistic forces in their attempt to overthrow Western Civilization itself. Jews/Israel, the Little Satan, are the Saturday people. Next target, the Great Satan, are the Sunday people.
Two comments regarding dichotomizing Jews, Zionism, and Israel:
"Today the same strange flexibility increasingly attaches itself to Zionism."
Because Zionism is a euphemism for Jew.
"attacking Jews (or Zionists, or Israel)"
That is like saying attacking Catholics, Catholicism, the Vatican, as if the three were not inextricably intertwined.
Carney, our PM, the biggest inciter of hate including Israel demonization and Jew hatred, who is head of the Hamas atrocity loving Liberal Party is doing that exactly. By unifying various ethnic groups traditionally Jew haters like the Ukrainians, British and Irish people as well as the near two million Muslims, over half brought in by the Liberal government in the last decade from the most radical areas of the ME, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, he hopes they will vote Liberal in elections, rather than the further Left NDP party, which supports the eradication of Israel and the seven million and half million Israeli Jews.
Here is a thought experiment. As early as the 1920s Polish and German Jews were acutely aware of rising antisemitism and danger to themselves and their family. When the Nazi's came to power in 1933, 5 years before Kristallnacht, their platform was clearly antisemitic. Aside from fleeing, what could European Jews have done to mitigate the impending disaster? This is an incredibly hard question to answer. Ultimately, there was a deep cultural hate of Jews, and political and economic solutions to this would have been challenging. Its like bringing a knife to a gun-fight - it is hard to counteract a cultural problem with political solutions.
In this vein, current efforts to mobilize Jewish political and economic force may be off the mark. This is a cultural phenomena. In 1930s Europe it was cultural phenomena. Publications such as the Elders of Zion fueled mistrust into hate, dehumanization, and ultimately violence. Mind you, the Elders of Zion was created by a Russian writer copying heavily from a French satire. The right approach is to focus on the cultural elements propelling antisemitism. In my mind a catchy musical traveling show (of which there was a lot) making fun of the idiotic Russian writers of the Elders might have done more to calm down the cultural heat than anything else.
When it comes to politics, given the narrative is (as it always is) about Jewish control, it would make more sense to dial it back. AIPAC should get out of the Michigan race - the best outcome for that race isn't for Rogers to win because of Israel. The best outcome is for Rogers to win because the people of Michigan reject the far left.
AIPAC won't disengage. Because its human nature that when you consider yourself the source of power to try and preserve that, and AIPAC has been a power broker for over a century. This is analogous to what happened with Biden and Harris; Their political leadership teams were not willing to relinquish power, even though it was time.
If antisemitism is an instrument of political power, the right approach might be to dull the blade rather than try and have the people wielding it relent. AIPACs engagement keeps the blade nice and sharp.
I don't understand. I see a few sketchy ideas, but actually, what do you recommend that Jews do today? The Democratic mind has turned to mush. Young people are frustrated and that's all we need to know?
As referenced in the top this is not an easy task and not apt for a chat board solution.
1. Move away from AIPAC but donate money to other groups or directly to candidates
2. Stop the frontal assault - shouting about antisemitism (even though its present) doesn't change peoples minds.
3. Its all about culture; media, memes, songs, etc.. Polyculturalism, the idea that individuals can have many identities, is critical to long term stability.
The UK Spain Portugal Belgium France Netherlands Norway Finland Sweden Australia and Canada are Muslim controlled countries.thr US is currently under invasion by Muslims. Wake up to reality
Antisemitism is just like any virus; you can never eradicate it, the best one can hope for that it goes dormant for as long as your lifetime. We all know that hope is never final.
Ms Berg, you wrote a most poignant piece! It lays out antisemitism to perfection! As the daughter of Holocaust survivors I applaud you with a standing ovation. No one has ever stated this horrific hate mongering more clearly!!! I for one see this hatred as a mental illness, a deep seated jealousy towards us, a terrible sickness akin to cancer. The only cure is education; otherwise the cancer spreads exponentially!!!
Sadly some of the most staunch Jew haters are highly educated. El-Sayed received more votes percentage wise in districts with higher levels of education, and did more poorly in working class districts where the folk were less educated.
I believe the Nazis were at first most popular on college campuses and the same for the Bolsheviks, not to mention how college/HS kids were most enthusiastic to join Mao's Red Guard and attack their parents and teachers in the name of the Revolution.
College kids are always the easiest marks for aspiring tyrants, because the tyrant knows they just have to claim that they're killing and destroying in the name of making a "better world" and people high on zeal and low on wisdom will join up. There is something about the enthusiasm of youth that believes in its blood and bones that they are the incarnation of a new world and that they could remake society and erase all its inequalities and hypocrisies just by applying passion and idealism.
In our current case, most college kids seem to still be college kids into their 30s (and 40s if you're getting a PhD at Columbia ;))—and university now baptizes almost all its children in the Social Justice faith, which has adopted the Palestinians as its proxy Jesus/proletariat and considers them sacred victims who deserve total support, no matter how many massacres they commit.
America allowed a toxic and brazenly dishonest Jew-hating ideology to brew at its most famous and well-funded universities and this is the inevitable result. Once again a mass of angry children and their amoral and power-hungry leaders/teachers have convinced them that the road to Utopia needs to be paved over Jewish skulls.
It takes a lot of education to be convinced that Hamas deserves your support! ;)
I think Dr. Goldsmith was referring to the quality of education, the kind of education, rather than the level of education. There are many professors and other people with advanced degrees who have little critical thinking skills and analytical ability. It is questionable how they attained their terminal degrees unless the educational standards have sunk so low that the intellectually challenged are in good academic standing.
Vanessa, your in-depth analysis is hugely worrying.
Most humans follow like sheep, fail to do their own thinking and enjoy the ability to hate.
Now imagine virulent and Vicious re-emergent Antisemitism without us having the Ultimate place of safety and refuge of Israel. There is a very substantial cohort of people here in The West who fully understand and appreciate and support the Jewish position, and support Israel because of this. They know as we do that Gaza was started and planned by Hamas and the International Antisemite. So there is hope. Start with the many folks who now support us. For they are actually the majority.
With Jews being a minute fraction of the world's population its critics seem to endow them with power unlike any other in history.
Good analysis but maybe the title needs to be changed. In 2026 the list of cowardly or scared Jewish democrat politicians is a long and sad one ranging from Schumer to the attorney General and senator in Michigan. An outgoing attorney general and a Senator w a 6 year term cant comment on the issue in their state? An outgoing 75 yo US senate minority leader can't comment about Mandami or Abdul? Grow a pair already.
And Adam Smith in Washington outright volunteering he allowed the "Palestine" mob intimidate him into voting the way they wanted him to. Not Jewish (I don't think) but another example of ridiculous cowardice.
As for AG Nessel in Michigan I somewhat can't blame her but it's insane that the state AG "can't" or won't attend a political convention of her own party out of the threat of harassment.
Vanessa you stated, “Take complicated problems and give them a Jewish explanation. That is the genius — and horror — of antisemitism as a political instrument.” Thank you for your startling clarity.
Hitler got the German people to blame less than 1% of the German Jews for all Germany’s ills, and unleashed the Holocaust.
This recycled hatred is used today to blame Jews for having a country. Israel, a tiny democratic country is surrounded by 57 Muslim countries, all Islamic theocracies, dictatorships, absolute monarchies. And just as in Nazi Germany this lunacy is embraced by gullible Democrats and RINOS.
This is a world wide Muslim religious war. Muslims have killed 100000 Christians in Nigeria and are killing Christians all over the planet every day .Muslims have killed over 2.6 million blacks in Africa in the last 20 years. Muslims just invaded Spain with 60000 crossing Spain border last week and Spain said welcome
Bernie, are you saying that instead of the AIPAC path, American Jews should get out the info on what is happening to Christians and Muslims around the world? Let the progressives chew on that for awhile.
Thank you so much Vanessa Berg, for your wonderful, brillant essay!!!!!!!!!! Am Israel Chai.......
Will CNN be called out for airing images of Gaza that are propaganda created by Hamas? PBS and NBC also do this.
The most coherent, insightful analysis of how and why the demonic forces of Jew hatred are being harnessed today by anarchistic forces in their attempt to overthrow Western Civilization itself. Jews/Israel, the Little Satan, are the Saturday people. Next target, the Great Satan, are the Sunday people.
Two comments regarding dichotomizing Jews, Zionism, and Israel:
"Today the same strange flexibility increasingly attaches itself to Zionism."
Because Zionism is a euphemism for Jew.
"attacking Jews (or Zionists, or Israel)"
That is like saying attacking Catholics, Catholicism, the Vatican, as if the three were not inextricably intertwined.
Excellent insightful essay. Antisemitism didn't become toxic after WWII, it just learned to speak a new language.
Carney, our PM, the biggest inciter of hate including Israel demonization and Jew hatred, who is head of the Hamas atrocity loving Liberal Party is doing that exactly. By unifying various ethnic groups traditionally Jew haters like the Ukrainians, British and Irish people as well as the near two million Muslims, over half brought in by the Liberal government in the last decade from the most radical areas of the ME, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, he hopes they will vote Liberal in elections, rather than the further Left NDP party, which supports the eradication of Israel and the seven million and half million Israeli Jews.
Here is a thought experiment. As early as the 1920s Polish and German Jews were acutely aware of rising antisemitism and danger to themselves and their family. When the Nazi's came to power in 1933, 5 years before Kristallnacht, their platform was clearly antisemitic. Aside from fleeing, what could European Jews have done to mitigate the impending disaster? This is an incredibly hard question to answer. Ultimately, there was a deep cultural hate of Jews, and political and economic solutions to this would have been challenging. Its like bringing a knife to a gun-fight - it is hard to counteract a cultural problem with political solutions.
In this vein, current efforts to mobilize Jewish political and economic force may be off the mark. This is a cultural phenomena. In 1930s Europe it was cultural phenomena. Publications such as the Elders of Zion fueled mistrust into hate, dehumanization, and ultimately violence. Mind you, the Elders of Zion was created by a Russian writer copying heavily from a French satire. The right approach is to focus on the cultural elements propelling antisemitism. In my mind a catchy musical traveling show (of which there was a lot) making fun of the idiotic Russian writers of the Elders might have done more to calm down the cultural heat than anything else.
When it comes to politics, given the narrative is (as it always is) about Jewish control, it would make more sense to dial it back. AIPAC should get out of the Michigan race - the best outcome for that race isn't for Rogers to win because of Israel. The best outcome is for Rogers to win because the people of Michigan reject the far left.
AIPAC won't disengage. Because its human nature that when you consider yourself the source of power to try and preserve that, and AIPAC has been a power broker for over a century. This is analogous to what happened with Biden and Harris; Their political leadership teams were not willing to relinquish power, even though it was time.
If antisemitism is an instrument of political power, the right approach might be to dull the blade rather than try and have the people wielding it relent. AIPACs engagement keeps the blade nice and sharp.
I don't understand. I see a few sketchy ideas, but actually, what do you recommend that Jews do today? The Democratic mind has turned to mush. Young people are frustrated and that's all we need to know?
As referenced in the top this is not an easy task and not apt for a chat board solution.
1. Move away from AIPAC but donate money to other groups or directly to candidates
2. Stop the frontal assault - shouting about antisemitism (even though its present) doesn't change peoples minds.
3. Its all about culture; media, memes, songs, etc.. Polyculturalism, the idea that individuals can have many identities, is critical to long term stability.
The UK Spain Portugal Belgium France Netherlands Norway Finland Sweden Australia and Canada are Muslim controlled countries.thr US is currently under invasion by Muslims. Wake up to reality