An Op-Ed by Michael Thomas
If one follows the logic of pure reason, then the term „anti-Semitism“ defines an inner pattern of conviction according to which Jews are generally despicable people – simply because they are Jews.
This trivial hatred is usually underpinned by fantastic as well as grotesque and bizarre webs of argumentation, which attests Jews „inferior genes“, which, so to speak, automatically lead to „malice, deviousness“ and the will to harm or take something away from people of other faiths in any case.
But if a person who is recognized as a Jew commits a monstrous brutality and perfidy and is accused of it, this accusation is of course not anti-Semitic. If we presuppose that the accusation can be supported by overwhelming evidence, this person may, can and must be called a criminal, perhaps an insane criminal. It does not matter at all whether he wears temple curls, a turban, a saffron robe or a golden cross.
Why is this important?
Because this is precisely the issue at hand at the moment. As can be read and seen in the linked photo and post, a man recognizable as a Jew by his kippah and temple curls is kicking at a woman who can be read as a Muslim and could be his mother by her age.
There is nothing anti-Semitic in stating that this man is to be despised and condemned beyond all measure. This man’s act is grotesque and repugnant; it marks him as a violent madman – but not as a Jew.
We also read in the commentary of a Jew on this act that, to put it mildly, there is nothing Jewish about it. The act recorded here cannot and must not be brushed aside as a „single act“. The net is virtually flooded with video and photo material showing brutal and violent attacks by Israelis gone mad on Palestinians or Arabs. In all of these cases, the perpetrators, with their temple curls and kippas, display a (at least claimed) affiliation with the Jewish faith.
At the recent „flag march“ in Jerusalem, about 5,000 people took part, chanting „Death to all Arabs!“, „May your villages burn!“ and similar cries of hate as they walked through neighborhoods inhabited mainly by Palestinians.
We have to put this number into a correct proportion: with a population of Israel of about 9.3 million people, this would correspond to a „demonstration“ of almost 50,000 extremists in Germany. What would be the verdict if 50,000 people in Germany ran through the streets shouting „Kill all Israelis!“?
Does one now hate Jews if one despises these lunatics?
Especially when you know at the same time that by far the majority of Jews in the world are disgusted by such aberrations of their co-religionists? To reject them brusquely and indignantly? These considerations do not prevent of course correspondingly interested politicians and blinded ones at all in the least from holding out to me now if necessary „You are an anti-Semite!“ if I express plainly and clearly that I consider perpetrators like this photographed man to be repulsive and disgusting.
They all usually never take a stand at all on the question of whether behavior like that captured can or could somehow be „Jewish“ at all. They reproach me with despising exclusively only the Jew in him instead of the insane madness of this man – what a terrible nonsense!
The dark figure of right-wing fanatical Israelis is not well known, a trend to it is in any case well documented (source). These crazies are by no means reduced to the 5,000 participants of this „flag march“, it extends to a very high number of „settlers“ in the West Bank, who without any exaggeration commit bloody and destructive attacks on Palestinian lives and property every day – and we are currently talking about about 600,000 „settlers“.
And that’s where some downright harrowing scenes take place.
I’m not going to answer the question of whether these people can even justifiably call themselves and consider themselves Jews. It is also completely irrelevant. Because these people are in any case mentally ill extremists and …. perpetrators.
Whether they are Jews is for the Jewish (world) community to decide. I have my doubts whether they can be called such, since violence, contempt, destruction, hatred and destruction are in no way demanded or tolerated by the Jewish faith.
But, again, this is completely irrelevant. If the German government, among others, is guilty by suppressing criticism of the Israeli state, which promotes, supports and itself participates in such attacks by madmen in the person of members of the government, this is a disgrace. By doing so, of course, it is not protecting Jews at all, but only the insane, vicious, insane hatred of extremists.
And there is nothing anti-Semitic about calling perpetrators like the one shown here „insane, vicious and insane“ and the Israeli government criminal.
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