The classic response to antisemitism has always been education. Given widespread ignorance, the conventional wisdom is that education is the best remedy for the world’s oldest hatred.
That makes sense, until it doesn’t.
The thing about education is that we can control what we teach but we can’t control how people will react to what we teach.
If, for example, people today see Jews as beneficiaries of “white privilege,” will it make much difference to learn that Jews have been persecuted throughout history? When we teach people about the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, might they be quietly thinking, “Aren’t you people grateful that you’re much safer and so successful now?”
We believe in teaching the evil of antisemitism and its uniqueness, but how do we know this won’t reinforce a nefarious stereotype?
“To antisemites of every variety — be they left-wing, right-wing, Islamists, and yes, blacks — Jews aren’t merely the ‘other,’” Jonathan Tobin writes in JNS. “They are in the crosshairs to be despised and subjected to singular prejudice and discrimination, no matter their age, background, what they do or where they reside.”
Those are painful truths Jews know all too well, but for the average person who thinks innocently, “People don’t just hate for no reason,” how do we know these truths won’t backfire and trigger more animosity?
We naturally assume that the truth always wins out, but not all truths are created equal. In the fight against Jew-hatred, some truths are more powerful than others.
In recent years, we’ve done a great job exposing the truth of the rise in antisemitism. We’ve told America, in so many words, that more and more Americans hate Jews. How are people supposed to react to that? What have you guys been doing to deserve all this? If we hate you so much, does that mean you hate us back?
The point is: It’s not what we say that counts, it’s what people take away.
For all we know, when we teach people that Jew-hatred is so ancient and pervasive, some may wonder if being hated is what makes Jews special. Indeed, our intense efforts to expose Jew-hatred may have unwittingly rebranded and reduced the Jewish people to merely a target — worthy only of hate.
This violates the crucial truth that most Americans are especially fond of Jews. According to the latest Pew research, more Americans hold favorable views of Jews than any other religious group. When did that truth ever make it into our education?
The focus on hate also ignores the crucial truth that Jews love America. In the heat of partisan battles, it’s easy to overlook that independent of politics, Jews have a long and rich history of engaging with and giving back to this country.
Why is this Jewish love for America such an effective weapon in the fight against antisemitism? Because, for starters, love itself is a winning idea.
Here’s a thought experiment: If you know that someone loves you and wants what’s best for you, what is the likelihood that you will hate that person? Similarly, if people know that the great majority of Jews love America and want what’s best for the country, and feel a sense of shared values, isn’t it more likely that this will attract more support?
The more that Americans see Jews as proud Americans, and not just proud Jews, the more they will defend us against Jew-haters. The more they see us as helping revive America and the American Dream, the more they will rally to our side.
Helping America helps Jews. Instead of looking like victims, we look like patriots. Instead of looking like complainers, we look like helpers. Yes, we must seek legal protection against haters, but we’re not here only to take. We’re also here to help. That is our tradition. That is who we are.
Of course, the usual ways that we fight antisemitism— exposing the hate, fighting the haters, correcting the lies and teaching about antisemitism — are ingrained in our activist culture and are here to stay. But after so many years of doing the same thing and investing so much in the same tools, it’s fair to ask why things seem to only get worse.
Maybe it’s time to add a bigger idea to our activism that promotes the special Jewish bond with America. Being lovers of this great nation as a people that continues to give back is a powerful truth – one that can isolate Jew-haters while also maximizing our supporters.
If we’re going to talk education, that is one hell of a takeaway.
