How could this be happening again, in 2023? This quote from a story by Yair Rosenberg, whose excellent “Deep Shtetl” column appears in the Atlantic, is one of many such expressions of horror and shock.
“I’m a child of Holocaust survivors,” one Israeli woman told reporters. “I grew up hearing stories of the camps. I thought those were the worst stories. These stories are worse. And I think that’s the hardest thing for me. I never thought I would live to see something worse than the stories I grew up with.
I didn’t grow up with the stories. I grew up with the lack of them, with silence, and only began learning about the worst of the horrors on my own, later in life. Now, unfolding events are being documented in real time, in living—or should I say dying—color and the commentariat is very loud.
I am not going to compare atrocities on a case-by-case basis; while the Nazis were known for their routinized mass murder machine, there are many, many individual examples of sadism and cruelty. But what happened in Israel on 10/7—and, even more, the antisemitic responses that followed immediately afterwards, before there were any reprisals from Israel—are a direct gut punch since they are happening in real time.
To clarify: Criticizing the Israeli government and its actions is not antisemitic; many American analysts sympathetic to Israel, as well as most Israelis, blame Netanyahu and his right-wing government for leaving the country open to attack and for its harsh policies towards the Palestinians. But calling for the only Jewish state in the world to be destroyed (what, precisely, do people think the cries of “From the River to the Sea” mean?) far more often crosses the line because of both the hypocrisy and the blatant double standard. Where are the campus protests against Syria for its murderous regime? Against China for the plight of the Uighurs?
And the mask really drops when Nazi symbols and shouts of “gas the Jews” show up at “Free Palestine” gatherings; when an ancient synagogue in Tunisia (a country that expelled most of its Jews; talk about ethnic cleansing) is burned to the ground; and when a politician puts up a post observing the 5th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life massacre in America and gets pilloried for it because he didn’t mention Gaza?
That’s not anti-Zionism. It’s Jew hatred.
The Sounds of Silence
Since no one sentient currently has the excuse that they didn’t know what was going on, the fallback for the Nazi era, the resounding silence from my non-Jewish friends is doubly painful. Didn’t know what to say? A quick “are you okay?” check-in would have sufficed.
As a progressive Jew, I have felt completely betrayed—though hardly surprised—by the public stance of most organizations that claim to want equal rights for all people, but exclude one group. So I can’t help but wonder which petitions that suggested Israel deserved to be attacked by Hamas—or neglected to mention the initial attack on Israel in their statements of calls for peace—did those silent friends sign? Did they unquestioningly take the word of the BBC or the New York Times, respected news outlets that immediately and erroneously blamed Israel for a hospital bombing in Gaza which used the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry as its sole source?
An article that has made the rounds of several Jewish groups distilled these concerns to a single question: Would I trust these silent friends to hide me if it came down to that?
Call me paranoid. But that’s what they said to the Jews of Austria, too.
Memoir Without an Ending
These recent events not only shook my sense of safety in the world but also dislodged what I saw as the forward momentum of my life, forcing me to rewrite the past in light of the present. Literally.
I have been working on a memoir—well, okay, not exactly “working on” but I have had half a manuscript on my computer for several years now. The book started out by reconstructing my parents’ pasts, especially my mother’s side of the family, based on the findings I’ve posted on this blog. It slowly shifted emphasis, gradually morphing into the story of my life, starting with childhood—as impacted by my parents’ experiences—and moving into my genealogical journey to reconstruct my family history. Because all stories need resolutions, or at least narrative arcs, I planned to use my decision to get Austrian citizenship, and my accomplishment of that goal, as an end point of the book.
No longer.
How will this current conflict end? I have no idea, and it’s terrifying to contemplate. When the dust clears, maybe there’ll be a brief period where antisemitism takes a break again, as it did post-Holocaust, when the horror of what happened sinks in and a sense of shame emerges. With the tenacity of antisemitism throughout the ages being amplified by the echo chamber of social media and even of mainstream news outlets, I pretty much doubt that.
I had been contemplating taking a trip to Europe to visit the ancestral homes of my mother’s side of the family in Poland, my father’s side in the Czech Republic. But I already know how that story ends.
So now I wonder: Why revisit the past and relive the pain of my parents when there are so many fresh wounds to tend to?
Am Yisrael Chai.
Recommended reading:
I won’t even try to go into the complexities of the Middle East situation or of what is and is not antisemitism but here are three books that contextualize/explain it in a very accessible way.
Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, by Noah Tishby.
The War of Return: by Adi Schwartz and Ainat Wilf
Antisemitism: Here and Now by Deborah E. Lipstadt.
I am so saddened by the reaction to the attack on Israel, and also by the assumption that all Jews (and all Palestinians) want war.
There is absolutely no excuse for the expressions of antisemitism that were unleashed by this new/old conflict. I am so sorry for the way this affects you and all my Jewish friends.
To make it worse, the blatantly false “information” being spread by social media and even established media encourages sloppy thinking about a very complex situation and play into the hands of haters looking for someone to hate.
Thank you for continuing to bring factual information to counter ignorance. Thank you for the book list. While we may never understand entirely, we can try.
Thank you, in turn, for your sympathy and comradeship in a difficult time, as well as your willingness to be open to information.
Thank you, Edie, for speaking truth to this pain that should affect us all. And thank you for the reading recommendations. I don’t need to ask you if you’re okay because I hear your hurt, and I am heartsick for you and for all of us.
Thank you, Anna. Much appreciated.
Thank you for sharing and expressing your thoughts and deeply personal and important perspective. I am also very scared of what will happen next and how much worse it could all get before this part of the story ends. We never learn, and the hate seemingly has not gone anywhere at all.
Thank you for the book recommendations and again for your words.
Thank you, Kristine, for your support. Yes, hate seems to go undercover and emerge whenever it seems “safe.”
Fresh wounds indeed. The pain is overwhelming and I too fear the future. Thank you for this Edie.
Thank you for reading with an open heart, Marilyn.
Edie, your piece is beautiful and strong and heartbreaking and true. May your powerful writing open the eyes – and hearts – of all who read this.
Thank you, Gale.
Hi Edie,
Thank you for this interesting article. I agree it is antisemitism at large, a pogrom took place. I think there is some sort of relationship between Nazism and the Arab world regarding anti-Jewish language (rhetoric) and ways of murdering them etc… I don’t have details to hand, but for instance, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during the Shoah was a pal of Hitler. he wanted the Jews out, of course (for his own / Islamic ideals) and was in league with Hitler. See, for instance: https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-official-record-what-the-mufti-said-to-hitler/ Around the world now, especially where there are a lot of brainwashed Muslims…the new pogroms and antisemitism often lies with them. It is convenient to blame ‘the Jews’ to further their own goals of creating the world as an Islamic world (fundamentalism that is has the 5th ‘Pillar of Islam’ as Jihad, ‘Holy War’!!?). This is also interesting:
A call to the civilized world
Ladies and gentlemen, believers in democracy and modernity,
My name is Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a researcher of the Middle East and Islam.
Israel is at war.
A war between the Jewish state and Isis-like terrorists who believe that Jews should not have a state at all, should be subjugated to Islam, should be humiliated as it says in the Koran and should pay the jizia (head tax). According to their belief, if Jews dare to establish a state, even on their fore-fathers’ land, they should be exterminated.
On October 7th, in the early morning, Hamas attacked thousands of Israelis, for no reason. They murdered, raped, tortured and mutilated children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children and then shot them. It wasn’t enough to kill them however, and they desecrated the bodies, cutting of heads and burning them so that in some cases it is almost impossible to identify them.
Many of the terrorists filmed their barbaric acts and uploaded them to their social media.
Many Gazans followed the armed terrorists into Israeli territory in order to gloat, kill and loot. Others in Gaza went out to the streets and distributed sweets in celebration of this grand victory over the Jews.
Some 15 hundred Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered that day in cold blood. Entire families were wiped out and people who came to enjoy themselves at a music festival fell victim to hatred towards anything western. Statistically, 1500 Israelis can be compared in number to 45,000 Americans. 15 times the amount that were murdered on September 11th 2001.
Over 200 people were kidnapped and are held as hostages in Ghaza.
Hamas is the Palestinian tentacle of the Iranian octopus which has reached also into Lebanon, Hezbollah, militias in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, who are all preparing to wipe out Israel as per the orders of the Ayatollahs regime in Iran.
Israel’s struggle for survival is not only for Israel. If the jihadists succeed to destroy Israel, Europe will be the next and the Atlantic Ocean is not wide enough to keep America safe from this evil.
This is a war between good against evil, civilization against savagery, normalcy against barbarism. It is the struggle between western culture and the jihadists lead by Iran, who want to destroy it. Just imagine how the world will look like if Iran succeeds to acquire the doomsday weapon.
Your support of Israel will save you from this jihadist campaign against western values and culture.
Don’t stand idly by.
Thank you so much
Dr. Mordechai Kedar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvCbLtgUHDA
Kedar@newsrael.com
It seems we have to STAND FIRM, PRAY TO GOD…ASK GOD TO SUPPORT US / FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD / ISRAEL AND US…KEEP THE ‘FLAME/TORCH’ OF GOODNESS ALIVE. We seem to have a hard task…but worthwhile in the end. Shema: To LOVE our Lord God with all our heart, soul and might….and be WITH God. To know that life is ‘continuity’ and ‘the world to come’ (Heaven)…is true. As per our prayers and Holy Torah (‘word of God’). The ‘bigger picture’. When we are close to a picture we see a chaos of pixels..dots..stand back and a picture emerges….order out of chaos. Love Miriamxx
Thank you for this well written and heartfelt piece that is clear enough to forward to others that sorely need some education. I am reeling from the repercussions on what is an extremely painful response of so many. Thanks again, I look forward to your next articles!
Thank you! I’m exhausted from writing this article — and from living with the reactions of the world these last few weeks. So not sure about any new articles soon, but it helps to vent a little!
Finally! An intelligent retort – with real facts – to the progressives that have abandoned us!
Dear Edie,
Just wanted to say how well written this is. So much has been written. This has great clarity. Thank you.
Thank you, Diane. That means a lot.
Your writing really resonated with me.
I will never forget a WhatsApp message from Haifa in June 2016, (the family of a long-deceased ex boyfriend) letting me know that they shared the grief of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre and that they wanted to make sure I knew they were thinking of me during such a horrific act of violence towards our community. I was so moved by their thoughtfulness and empathy.
I’ve reached out to all my Jewish/Israeli friends since 10/7 and it’s been heartbreaking to hear the disappointment in their voices regarding the silence from so-called friends/allies.
My life has been made infinitely richer & deeper by the privilege of being in the company of so many wonderful people from a plethora of different Jewish backgrounds.
Never again is now and I’m never letting go or giving up.
I stand with the people of Israel and Jews all around the world.
Thank you so much for your allyship, expressed so eloquently. It moved me to tears.