It’s been over seventy years since the Holocaust, the awful attempt by the Nazis to kill every living Jew.
Most people know something about the horrors of that time. The event has been taught, studied, debated,
analyzed and examined. Most people know
that hatred of Jews is irrational and dangerous.
Yet, today, in the year 2018, antisemitism and hatred of
Jews has not disappeared. It may not be
something you personally experience from day to day, but it is real, and it is
not going away.
And I ask myself, why?
Some will say the problem is the State of Israel. The conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians may be the reason. But, think
about this: if tomorrow morning Israel were to disappear, would that stop some
people from hating Jews? Others say the
problem is the long history of anti-Judaism inside Christianity and Christian
scripture. But, If, tomorrow we could excise all the anti-Jewish texts in the Christian
scriptures would that stop the hating? Some
say there is a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world by controlling the
world economy, the banks and the media.
If, I could show you how untrue and ridiculous this conspiracy theory
is, would that stop the hating?
I remember hearing Elie Wiesel speaking at Augustana, saying
how in the 1950’s, just ten years after Auschwitz, he was convinced the Holocaust
would be the end of people hating Jews. A
few years later he said, “Can you imagine how naïve we were to think such
things?”
So, why does it go on from generation to generation to
generation? I suspect the answer is
fear and ignorance. Some people are frightened
and come to believe there are unseen forces controlling what happens in the
world. And “the Jews” are the
traditional group waiting to be accused.
Though the fear of Jews is rooted in ignorance, it is fueled by an
irrational anxiety satisfied with conspiratorial theories. It’s a matter of faith. Some people believe what they want to believe.
What can we do? We
must keep on and keep on educating and hoping we can get through the perceptual
screen which does not allow facts to enter.
There is no easy remedy. People
remain people and on and on it goes.
As for me, I am sad and astounded at the persistence and resilience
of this hatred.
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