The Antidote to Antisemitism

No one likes a Jew who stands up for himself—and sometimes it’s our own who feel this way. I even have rabbinic colleagues who are micro-analyzing Israel’s actions over the last two years, debating our “moral flaws.”

The main sticking point for those who see Israel as the aggressor in the recent Gaza war rests on statistics. It’s estimated that 70,000 Palestinians died as a result of Israel’s offensive. When viewed in isolation, the numbers are troubling; when compared to the losses Israel suffered on Oct 7, they are staggering in scale. However, military experts claim Israel redefined urban combat, keeping the civilian-to-combatant ratio lower than any previous conflict. No one celebrates these deaths, especially the collateral damage. But what the detractors forget is that this was war, and war is always tragic.

The conflict began when Hamas attacked on Black Sabbath; the weeks following, for those of us in Israel, were full of trepidation and concern for the future of the Zionist enterprise. The south of the country was not in our hands. The IDF had to reconquer many of the kibbutzim that were decimated and had become Hamas strongholds. There were terrorist infiltration warnings as far north as Beitar. Many feared that if any other Arab nation joined the effort, it might topple Israel.

The fallout of our defensive actions was always going to be grave, but we were left with no other path for survival. And with this war that Israel didn’t initiate and never wanted, we’ve been slandered as Nazis who carried out a genocide.

With this war that Israel didn’t initiate and never wanted, we’ve been slandered as Nazis who carried out a genocide.

Since the January 2026 ceasefire took effect, true mass murder did unfold in another part of the Middle East. It’s estimated that 36,000 Iranian protesters were slaughtered to quash their uprising for freedom. These deaths were not the tragic byproduct of protracted urban warfare against an entrenched terrorist entity, but rather a dictatorial regime mowing down unarmed citizens in a matter of days. However, there is no global moral outcry, no campus tent cities, no U.N. condemnation. The world’s silence proves that the reaction to Gaza was never about Israel’s moral failings but rather an attempt to make us return to the “weak Jew” we once were.

When one zooms out from the numbers, and focuses on what was at stake and what the war preserved, there is much to be proud of. The Israel Defense Forces saved our nation in one of its most perilous hours. This narrow strip of land that close to 10 million Jews call home, survived due to the heroic actions of our young men and women, many of whom paid the ultimate price for our safety. But the struggle for Jewish public perception is not only fought on the front lines; it’s also fought on the cultural realm.

The struggle for Jewish public perception is not only fought on the front lines; it’s also fought on the cultural realm.

This year’s Super Bowl featured a Robert Kraft advertisement aimed at fighting antisemitism. The ad features a young boy being bullied as a sticky note reading “Dirty Jew” is placed on his backpack. A fellow black student commiserates with the meek Jewish character, only to encourage him not to engage with the antagonists.

The online response to the advertisement has been scathing. An alternate version was produced of the same Jewish character achieving medical excellence and ultimately saving one of the antagonists. The video ends with the slogan, “We refuse to be victims. We are builders.” Although a vast improvement, this still falls short.

Some years back, two Jewish-themed films were released in close succession. The first was the Coen brothers’ “A Serious Man.” It’s based on the book of Job and is one of the worst depictions of a Jewish character. The protagonist is a nebuch, a weak Jew, who makes the Kraft ad look tame.

More recently, Bill Maher interviewed Quentin Tarantino, questioning him about his life in Israel. Maher was astounded that he could survive running to and from bomb shelters as rockets rained down around him. “Would you make a movie about… the revenge capital of the world?” Maher inquired. But Tarantino has already made a masterpiece about Jewish vengeance.

“Inglourious Basterds” details a band of Jewish soldiers hunting Nazis throughout World War II Germany. Although quite graphic, this is one of the clearest depictions of a strong Jew. Tarantino understood what both antisemitism PSAs missed.

Israel and the IDF are not in the business of revenge. The Jewish State has wanted nothing but peace with its neighbors since its inception. But the place that half of the world’s Jewish population calls home is the antidote to antisemitism. We are not pushovers. And we are not only builders. We are in command of our own destiny—and it’s not wrong to defend our sovereignty.

The writer is a rabbi, a wedding officiant, and a mohel who performs britot (ritual circumcisions) and conversions in Israel and worldwide. Based in Efrat, Israel, he is the founder of Magen HaBrit, an organization protecting the practice of brit milah and the children who undergo it.