The western world made the decision to import millions of Muslims from vehemently antisemitic countries. Not surprisingly, these newcomers brought their hatred and intolerance with them. For political reasons, they are now being catered to and that isn’t going to stop anytime soon. To put it bluntly, the atmosphere of simmering Jew hatred that manifests, in part, as hatred of Israel is the new normal. Jewish people throughout the western world are now going to have to reevaluate their options in light of this (and many likely are already doing so). The choice is very personal. How much are you willing to accept before some line is crossed and you realize that it’s time to go. Grim stuff.
It's like the statement "where ever you go there you are." People bring their hate with them...it's too bad that don't leave it at the door. They left something but bring it with them. You'd think they would want to learn what makes the America & Canada thrive, or did thrive. I'm naive.
The antisemitism is just the most visible part of what they brought here because it is directed at someone other than themselves. They are also brutally homophobic and misogynistic. Those two delightful characteristics are currently directed inwardly at their own gays and women which is why no one really cares. Eventually though, it will be directed outwardly towards new targets. That will be a bad day for many people who don’t see it coming.
Pat, what we're seeing increasingly resembles a cult-like mindset. Once people have accepted that Jews are the oppressors, Israel is the colonizer, and Gaza is a genocide, many stop examining evidence altogether. The conclusion comes first, and the facts are forced to fit afterward.
What makes it so effective is that it operates through slogans rather than critical thinking. Complex history is reduced to a few emotionally powerful phrases that are repeated over and over until they become accepted as truth. Anyone who challenges the narrative is dismissed before the conversation even begins. There is no real debate because debate requires a willingness to consider that you might be wrong.
What concerns me most is how successful this strategy has been. A great deal of effort has gone into shaping these narratives in universities, media, activism, and social media, and it has produced an army of people who repeat the talking points without ever questioning where they came from. Meanwhile, those of us who challenge the narrative are often left reacting rather than responding with the same level of organization and persistence.
The irony is that the people who pride themselves on being open-minded are often the least willing to engage with opposing facts or arguments. Once a belief system becomes immune to evidence, it starts looking less like activism and more like dogma.
My new strategy is to stop arguing with them and just laugh derisively as I would if someone told that if I eat pink salt every morning I will live to be 150 in good health. Fools believe all sorts of nonsense. If they persist in trying to engage me in an argument, I just tell them I don't argue with genocide supporters and since they back Hamas and Hezbollah that is exactly what they are. I think we need to do this because arguing with them just makes it seem as if this could be rationally defended and it can't. But Hilary Rich is right to say that it's different when we have to deal with politicians who spread absurd lies. Sadly, because I shall never vote Republican, I also will not vote for a Democrat or Socialist who makes dishonest antisemitic claims. Here's a tip I learned from a political campaign worker: if you want to make an impact on your elected supposed representatives in government, write your angry letter by hand and send it in an envelope, do not print it out and never send it as an email. This way they know the issue is meaningful to you not just something you clicked on at a social media website and that they are losing your support.
People believe it when their own Government (UK) speak of Israel committing genocide and starving Gazans. It makes me so angry that our left Labour Government are so obviously antisemitic
Functional societies have way too much going on to drift into anti-Jewish rot.
Scapegoating and attacking Jewish people, by contrast, is a sign of severe rot in society.
It thrives where political energy detaches itself from reality, where people lose the habit of explaining events in sober and proportionate terms. Jews become a target for anger. They are assigned powers they do not possess, intentions they do not hold, and become obsessed over in the minds of cranks and zealots. That pattern is old. It goes way back, to the mediaeval period and earlier. Its persistence tells you something bleak about the people who reach for it.
The accusation of genocide started many years before October, 2023. I have found references from 2010,2019, and 2021, though these accusations were mostly circulated among limited circles. It is ironic that since 2010 when these first genocide accusations (as far as I know) were made that the population of Gaza has increased 50%. The word has become a political slogan rather than a serious description of events. The term has become for me to a way identify those who use it as antisemites, idiots or both.
One of the troubling manifestations of Holocaust distortion occurs when people claim to have empathy for the inter-generational trauma of the Holocaust but then also make the false claim that this trauma has caused Jews to be "like Nazis."
There’s a whole curriculum developed around that. The curriculum (in America) teaches The Holocaust, then the Nakba/Fakeba to show exactly, that phenomenon, even though it’s all lies, the organization pushing it is called “Rethinking Education” and is loosely connected to the CodePink psychos through staff and also to the various orgs pushing the Howard Zinn-ification of schools.
I don’t know how many schools have adopted this curriculum, which also pushes pairing “Hind Rajab” with Anne Frank, but I’ve seen some real horror stories coming out of Palestine teach-in days, where children as young as five were given dolls in keffiyahs and told that Zionism means “Jews or Christians who think it’s ok to colonize Palestinian land and steal it from them.”
British author Howard Jacobson contends that Europeans are angry at the Jews because the Jews, by surviving, remind Europeans of their role in carrying out the Holocaust. Modern Europeans would like to think of themselves as enlightened and morally upstanding, but the continued existence of Jews shows them that they can't relax into a sense of superiority. So, the theory goes, Europeans project their sins onto Israel, holding it to an exacting standard applied to no other country, and disproportionately blaming it for real or imagined misdeeds, hoping thereby to convey that the Jews are as bad or worse than Europeans have been. The more Europeans want to see themselves as moral, the more the memory of the Holocaust casts its shadow over them, hence the more they have to blame the Jews for everything. In a perverse sense, the Europeans are therefore blaming the Jews for the Holocaust. And that's where we get the outrageous claims of Israel deliberately killing children, Israel selling the organs of dead Palestinians, Israel being irredeemably racist, Israel committing apartheid, and now, worst of all, Israel committing genocide.
This is an extraordinary, urgently needed piece of writing. As always, Pat manages to diagnose the current moral contagion with both wit and precision: "Bad actors invent a genocide that doesn’t exist, then slander those who refuse to drink the Kool-Aid with the most contemptible smear." The deliberate inversion -- perversion -- of Holocaust memory is not "just bad people using inappropriate language," as Pat says -- it is the strategic, cynical distortion and ultimately erasure of Jewish experience.
As long as in the heart within, The Jewish soul yearns, and to the east, onward
An eye looks toward Zion
Our hope is not yet lost, The hope of two-thousand years, To be a free nation in our land, The Land of Zion, Jerusalem.
These deeply beautiful sentiments are calming, quietly moving, and inspiring, like Naomi Shemer’s “Jerusalem of Gold”
ירושלים של זהב
(Shuly Nathan’s and Margaret Ankery and Feenjon’s versions)
And my singing is transformative. She relaxes and falls asleep, and my voice deepens and gains resonance.
“Michelle,” by Noam Bettan, Israel’s 2026 entry to Eurovision, like other Israeli entries to Eurovision, inspired millions globally, perhaps 10’s of millions, Leonard Cohen, no less than Bob Dylan, inspired generations. But while Dylan was ethnically Jewish, his only Jewish song was “Neighborhood Bully,” in 1983. Cohen’s work, like Dylan’s, was informed by Jewish civilization, themes, and culture, but he never stepped back from Judaism and Klal Yisroael.
We need more Jewish artists, comedians, singers, songwriter, thinkers, and writers to stand up, like Gal Godot, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, etc.
And good non-Jews like you who open their eyes, listen, and think.
And maybe someone should buy 51% of the NY Times, today worth less than $12 Billion so for less money than $6.1 Billion, fire Nick (the humanitarian who hates Jews and looks away from Arab slaveholders) Kristof, and change the rag’s editorial direction.
You have to remember the source of this libel is the cause of Arab Colonialism. An unashamedly genocidal ideology that is enraged when indigenous people are no longer under the Arab heel, as this is a blow to their ego. So yes, theyre lying, but they quickly come to believe their own lies.
Trumpenstein jus' told the whirled that Bibi has been bombin' Lebanon "for no reason" (no REASON?!?!?! Hezbollah's no reason?!) an' that he's been killin' "way too many Lebanese" an' is dumb/stoopid, attackin' irrationally & ranDUMBly an he's "so bad" that Al Jolani (THE TERRORIST) would do a bettah job. So... yep the whirld has gone mad--our American PotAss FIRST in line.... He jus' goosed that genocidal blood libel big time with this noo accusation. I do believe the train WRECK is already here.... I don't imagine steerin' that crushed Caboose outta the rubble now...
The western world made the decision to import millions of Muslims from vehemently antisemitic countries. Not surprisingly, these newcomers brought their hatred and intolerance with them. For political reasons, they are now being catered to and that isn’t going to stop anytime soon. To put it bluntly, the atmosphere of simmering Jew hatred that manifests, in part, as hatred of Israel is the new normal. Jewish people throughout the western world are now going to have to reevaluate their options in light of this (and many likely are already doing so). The choice is very personal. How much are you willing to accept before some line is crossed and you realize that it’s time to go. Grim stuff.
It's like the statement "where ever you go there you are." People bring their hate with them...it's too bad that don't leave it at the door. They left something but bring it with them. You'd think they would want to learn what makes the America & Canada thrive, or did thrive. I'm naive.
The antisemitism is just the most visible part of what they brought here because it is directed at someone other than themselves. They are also brutally homophobic and misogynistic. Those two delightful characteristics are currently directed inwardly at their own gays and women which is why no one really cares. Eventually though, it will be directed outwardly towards new targets. That will be a bad day for many people who don’t see it coming.
It's hard to be hopeful at the moment.
Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱
From a proud Irish Zionist
Pat, what we're seeing increasingly resembles a cult-like mindset. Once people have accepted that Jews are the oppressors, Israel is the colonizer, and Gaza is a genocide, many stop examining evidence altogether. The conclusion comes first, and the facts are forced to fit afterward.
What makes it so effective is that it operates through slogans rather than critical thinking. Complex history is reduced to a few emotionally powerful phrases that are repeated over and over until they become accepted as truth. Anyone who challenges the narrative is dismissed before the conversation even begins. There is no real debate because debate requires a willingness to consider that you might be wrong.
What concerns me most is how successful this strategy has been. A great deal of effort has gone into shaping these narratives in universities, media, activism, and social media, and it has produced an army of people who repeat the talking points without ever questioning where they came from. Meanwhile, those of us who challenge the narrative are often left reacting rather than responding with the same level of organization and persistence.
The irony is that the people who pride themselves on being open-minded are often the least willing to engage with opposing facts or arguments. Once a belief system becomes immune to evidence, it starts looking less like activism and more like dogma.
Pro-Jew and proudly Zionist.
My new strategy is to stop arguing with them and just laugh derisively as I would if someone told that if I eat pink salt every morning I will live to be 150 in good health. Fools believe all sorts of nonsense. If they persist in trying to engage me in an argument, I just tell them I don't argue with genocide supporters and since they back Hamas and Hezbollah that is exactly what they are. I think we need to do this because arguing with them just makes it seem as if this could be rationally defended and it can't. But Hilary Rich is right to say that it's different when we have to deal with politicians who spread absurd lies. Sadly, because I shall never vote Republican, I also will not vote for a Democrat or Socialist who makes dishonest antisemitic claims. Here's a tip I learned from a political campaign worker: if you want to make an impact on your elected supposed representatives in government, write your angry letter by hand and send it in an envelope, do not print it out and never send it as an email. This way they know the issue is meaningful to you not just something you clicked on at a social media website and that they are losing your support.
People believe it when their own Government (UK) speak of Israel committing genocide and starving Gazans. It makes me so angry that our left Labour Government are so obviously antisemitic
Functional societies have way too much going on to drift into anti-Jewish rot.
Scapegoating and attacking Jewish people, by contrast, is a sign of severe rot in society.
It thrives where political energy detaches itself from reality, where people lose the habit of explaining events in sober and proportionate terms. Jews become a target for anger. They are assigned powers they do not possess, intentions they do not hold, and become obsessed over in the minds of cranks and zealots. That pattern is old. It goes way back, to the mediaeval period and earlier. Its persistence tells you something bleak about the people who reach for it.
Credit to: https://johnaziz.substack.com/p/the-intifada-arrives-in-london
The accusation of genocide started many years before October, 2023. I have found references from 2010,2019, and 2021, though these accusations were mostly circulated among limited circles. It is ironic that since 2010 when these first genocide accusations (as far as I know) were made that the population of Gaza has increased 50%. The word has become a political slogan rather than a serious description of events. The term has become for me to a way identify those who use it as antisemites, idiots or both.
One of the troubling manifestations of Holocaust distortion occurs when people claim to have empathy for the inter-generational trauma of the Holocaust but then also make the false claim that this trauma has caused Jews to be "like Nazis."
There’s a whole curriculum developed around that. The curriculum (in America) teaches The Holocaust, then the Nakba/Fakeba to show exactly, that phenomenon, even though it’s all lies, the organization pushing it is called “Rethinking Education” and is loosely connected to the CodePink psychos through staff and also to the various orgs pushing the Howard Zinn-ification of schools.
I don’t know how many schools have adopted this curriculum, which also pushes pairing “Hind Rajab” with Anne Frank, but I’ve seen some real horror stories coming out of Palestine teach-in days, where children as young as five were given dolls in keffiyahs and told that Zionism means “Jews or Christians who think it’s ok to colonize Palestinian land and steal it from them.”
British author Howard Jacobson contends that Europeans are angry at the Jews because the Jews, by surviving, remind Europeans of their role in carrying out the Holocaust. Modern Europeans would like to think of themselves as enlightened and morally upstanding, but the continued existence of Jews shows them that they can't relax into a sense of superiority. So, the theory goes, Europeans project their sins onto Israel, holding it to an exacting standard applied to no other country, and disproportionately blaming it for real or imagined misdeeds, hoping thereby to convey that the Jews are as bad or worse than Europeans have been. The more Europeans want to see themselves as moral, the more the memory of the Holocaust casts its shadow over them, hence the more they have to blame the Jews for everything. In a perverse sense, the Europeans are therefore blaming the Jews for the Holocaust. And that's where we get the outrageous claims of Israel deliberately killing children, Israel selling the organs of dead Palestinians, Israel being irredeemably racist, Israel committing apartheid, and now, worst of all, Israel committing genocide.
This is an extraordinary, urgently needed piece of writing. As always, Pat manages to diagnose the current moral contagion with both wit and precision: "Bad actors invent a genocide that doesn’t exist, then slander those who refuse to drink the Kool-Aid with the most contemptible smear." The deliberate inversion -- perversion -- of Holocaust memory is not "just bad people using inappropriate language," as Pat says -- it is the strategic, cynical distortion and ultimately erasure of Jewish experience.
It is no coincidence that documented evidence by the perpetrators of both the Shoah and October 7 are dismissed as Jewish propaganda by Jew haters.
Thanks, Pat.
My parents, grandparents would also thank you.
And my granddaughter, less than a year old, I sing her to sleep with Hatikvah.
כֹּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה,
וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח, קָדִימָה, עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה,
עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ, הַתִּקְוָה בַּת שְׁנוֹת אַלְפַּיִם, לִהְיוֹת עַם חָפְשִׁי בְּאַרְצֵנוּ, אֶרֶץ צִיּוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַיִם.
As long as in the heart within, The Jewish soul yearns, and to the east, onward
An eye looks toward Zion
Our hope is not yet lost, The hope of two-thousand years, To be a free nation in our land, The Land of Zion, Jerusalem.
These deeply beautiful sentiments are calming, quietly moving, and inspiring, like Naomi Shemer’s “Jerusalem of Gold”
ירושלים של זהב
(Shuly Nathan’s and Margaret Ankery and Feenjon’s versions)
And my singing is transformative. She relaxes and falls asleep, and my voice deepens and gains resonance.
“Michelle,” by Noam Bettan, Israel’s 2026 entry to Eurovision, like other Israeli entries to Eurovision, inspired millions globally, perhaps 10’s of millions, Leonard Cohen, no less than Bob Dylan, inspired generations. But while Dylan was ethnically Jewish, his only Jewish song was “Neighborhood Bully,” in 1983. Cohen’s work, like Dylan’s, was informed by Jewish civilization, themes, and culture, but he never stepped back from Judaism and Klal Yisroael.
We need more Jewish artists, comedians, singers, songwriter, thinkers, and writers to stand up, like Gal Godot, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, etc.
And good non-Jews like you who open their eyes, listen, and think.
And maybe someone should buy 51% of the NY Times, today worth less than $12 Billion so for less money than $6.1 Billion, fire Nick (the humanitarian who hates Jews and looks away from Arab slaveholders) Kristof, and change the rag’s editorial direction.
You have to remember the source of this libel is the cause of Arab Colonialism. An unashamedly genocidal ideology that is enraged when indigenous people are no longer under the Arab heel, as this is a blow to their ego. So yes, theyre lying, but they quickly come to believe their own lies.
Trumpenstein jus' told the whirled that Bibi has been bombin' Lebanon "for no reason" (no REASON?!?!?! Hezbollah's no reason?!) an' that he's been killin' "way too many Lebanese" an' is dumb/stoopid, attackin' irrationally & ranDUMBly an he's "so bad" that Al Jolani (THE TERRORIST) would do a bettah job. So... yep the whirld has gone mad--our American PotAss FIRST in line.... He jus' goosed that genocidal blood libel big time with this noo accusation. I do believe the train WRECK is already here.... I don't imagine steerin' that crushed Caboose outta the rubble now...