“There is something about defining a problem as you see it, and thinking that you’ve defined it accurately, that leads you to expect that perhaps that is the solution to the problem,” author and scholar Ruth Wisse said this morning on the Commentary podcast.
Wisse was discussing the re-release of her 1992 book, “If I Am Not for Myself: The Liberal Betrayal of the Jews,” noting the “special pain of knowing that you diagnose something accurately” and then realizing “you do not have the means of correcting it.”
The dilemma, she notes, is that “if you don’t diagnose a problem accurately you have no hope of correcting it,” and yet, problems have a way of “taking their course” regardless of how well we diagnose them.
What a chilling thought.
It’s chilling because it feels so true.
Here we are with brilliant commentators producing brilliant commentary on, say, the roots of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism– complete with books, summits and white papers– and it barely makes a dent.
If anything, the disease only seems to get worse.
For a people obsessed with fixing problems, it’s disheartening to think that our tireless efforts at diagnosing and understanding anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are not making a difference.
How does one explain such a sobering reality?
Has Jew-hatred and Israel-hatred in the age of social media become immune to truth and understanding?
I got an inkling of an answer while watching the World Cup.
Each of the 48 countries who entered the tournament share the exact same feature: rabid fans.
Whether rooting for Canada, Japan, Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Ecuador, Mexico, Croatia, France, Germany, Norway, Turkey or the United States, the fans are delirious.
It’s not just patriotism. It’s tribal.
Their frenzy reminded of me of the delirium of Jew-haters. Have you seen their body language? Whether on city streets or college campuses, these are not activists. They’re rabid haters.
Just as World Cup fans are delirious in favor of their teams, Jew-haters are delirious against who they hate the most: Jews.
I can give you smart analyses to diagnose this phenomenon, but there’s an enormous disconnect between sophisticated analysis and barbaric hatred.
The desire to eradicate Jews and Israel is barbaric. Any instinct to eradicate a people or nation is barbaric, oblivious to reason.
Wisse makes the wise observation that the real disease behind anti-Semitism is “anti-Ism.”
World Cup fans are pro. Jew-haters are anti.
If they were pro-Palestinian, they wouldn’t have remained silent for decades while millions of Palestinians have been brutalized and oppressed in places like Lebanon and Jordan, places that have nothing to do with Jews.
Jew-haters are not pro-anything.
They’re anti– anti everything the Jews represent.
Just as it takes a word or two to light up a World Cup fan— like the name of their country— it only takes a few words like “genocide,” “apartheid,” or “colonialism” to light up Jew-haters.
Just as a World Cup fan is locked in, Jew-haters are locked in.
I’m a rabid fan of the U.S. team. I’m locked in with “pro.”
Anti-Semites are rabid haters of Jews. They’re locked in with “anti.”
No brilliant analysis can contradict those who are locked in.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that we should stop writing our brilliant analyses. That’d be like asking Jews to stop breathing.
But given the radical hostility we’re facing that is immune to rational thought, can anything make a difference?
I see three things.
One, treat this like a war. Don’t waste time with surveys and condemnations. That makes us look weak. Use the law to protect Jews and punish haters.
Two, fight the haters with attitude, not arguments. Emulate their radical enthusiasm. When I confronted a mob of Israel-haters last month in Montreal, I showed them something they rarely see: someone who really loves Israel. For good measure, I added some tribal bluster that “we’re winning and you’re losing.” It wasn’t refined or sophisticated or even necessarily accurate. It was attitude.
Finally, be happy. Don’t just be proud Jews, be happy Jews.
Nothing drives haters nuts more than the realization that the more they hate us, the happier we are, and the more we win.
I know—with Jew-hatred at record levels, words like “happiness” and “winning” don’t roll off the tongue.
But as a rabid Jew immersed in the World Cup, it’s the only diagnosis I can think of.
Go team!
