Every other form of bigotry
follows a recognizable logic: the majority fears or despises a minority that is
different, foreign, threatening. Racism, xenophobia, sectarianism -- they're
ugly, but they're legible. They target the stranger, the outsider, the group
that doesn't fit.
Antisemitism operates on
entirely different rules. Jews get blamed for contradictory things
simultaneously, in every era, in every country, across the full spectrum of
politics. In pre-war Europe, the left called Jews capitalists. The right called
them communists. Today in America, the far right blames Jews for opening the
borders. The far left says Jews invented apartheid policing. When Jews were
poor, their poverty was a crime. When they became wealthy, their wealth was a
conspiracy. When they had no homeland, they were rootless parasites. Now that
they have one, they're colonialists.
The foregoing extract is from an article on aish. The article explores antisemitism in very thorough way, perhaps addressing area scholars often avoid. Read the full article at the link below.
