Review: The New Anti-Semitism

Now, now I find myself championing a book written by a feminist. This is a strange turn, indeed. Not that I don't have a firm belief that women deserve equal rights with men. I certainly do. My problem with feminists is the same problem that I have with all the other ethnic or racial or homosexual lobbies, they want special rights for their own specific group.

Part of the reason that Jews, Hillbillies and now a feminist all seem to be in agreement is the new paradigm brought about by 9/11. I am certain everyone is sick of all the analysis that has come out of this huge event. However, it certainly was an eye-opener. People began to see the world just a bit more clearly as the stark black and white of good and evil became a little more obvious.

To give our feminist, Phyllis Chesler, her due, she was pro-Israel before 9/11. As she points out in her book, "The New Anti-Semitism" she saw some of this Islamic Terror directed against both Jews and America coming down the road. I am struck by the clarity of her vision regarding what has happened. Judaism is under attack for many reasons, not the least of which is that the dictators of the middle-east need someone to demonise in order to keep their populations under control. But it is more subtle than this. The Jews are the chosen target because they are a clear target, because they have embraced western ideas and because of their role in history.

The Anti-Semitism of Al-Qaeda is an old fashioned kind of Anti-Semitism. It runs close to the lines of the evil that afflicted Europe in the early 20th Century. It is close to the fascism of Nazism. (I find it interesting that the left often sees Nazism as right wing extremism - in effect it was a modified form of socialism - a leftist idea. No one from the right would ever advocate the type of social and economic policies espoused by Hitler, Mussolini or even Franco. This type of behavior is closer to the heart of leftists and Stalinists.)

Ms. Chesler correctly points out that the new anti-semitism is aided, abetted and propounded by the left. She seems surprised that this should be so. Even though the left has for years attempted to destroy universal freedoms of speech, property, association, religion and action at every opportunity. It should not surprise her that they would side with the Palestinians in their Intifada. The PLO is a totalitarian organization that is attacking a liberal democracy that has a successful capitalist system. It hardly matters whether capitalism and republican freedom tends to make the lives of people better wherever it is tried. The left will fight it. Their emphasis is on elites, class struggles and divisive group politics. They think in stereotypes even as they accuse the world of doing the same thing.

Although she mentions these ideas, Ms. Chesler has a little trouble seeing past the film of her innate feminism, and firmly placing the blame where it is surely due. Yet there is no denying that she is passionate about the subject of Israel. She forcefully submits that anti-Zionism is in fact anti-Semitism. She makes a strong point. The Jewish people are fully justified in wanting their own state in a location that is historically significant to them. The development of the state of Israel may have been violent, but it was also brought on by necessity. Imagine having suffered persecution for thousands of years, culminating in the Holocaust. Imagine not ever having been allowed the weapons and freedom to defend yourself. Suddenly, you are given the opportunity to have your own nation! By God, I would take it, and woe to anyone who wished to take it away. For it is only in Israel that Jews can be absolutely assured of escaping persecution.

"The New Anti Semitism" dispels the left's arguments that Israel is an "apartheid" state. Ms Chesler points out that the Palestinians have been offered their own state any number of times - and refused because they believed they could take the whole country. She illustrates how the war against Israel is one of indiscriminate slaughter, while Israel's army at least tries to contain its violence to the enemy's combatants. (Dare we call suicide bombers soldiers? - No.)

There is not doubt of Israel's right to exist, no doubt of its right to defend itself.

Now America and Great Britain find themselves the object of Islamic Terror. We find ourselves the object of bitter hatred. The left opines that had we only not supported Israel, then 9/11 would never have happened. Not only is this notion incorrect, it is foolish. America and Great Britain must support Israel because it represents freedom and republicanism. Had we not helped Israel and they had been destroyed, then their destruction would be on our conscience and the Muslims would be coming after us anyway. Because we are anathema to their beliefs, because we stand in the way of the expansion of their power, we must be fought.

The leftists align themselves with the Muslims. As Ms. Chesler illustrates, it is rather a marriage of convenience. Should the forces of freedom be overcome, there would certainly be a struggle between leftism (read socialism and elitism) and Islam. As Ms. Chesler paints the picture, the whole situation has "Apocalyptic" overtones. There is no doubt that should we fail in our war against terrorism that massive destruction of our way of life would be the result.

There is no clearer or more vibrant account of events leading to the current war on terror than the one Ms. Chesler has compiled in "The New Anti-Semitism". There is no clearer picture of the danger. The book rivets the attention of the reader from cover to cover.

Writers seldom give a solution to the dilemmas that they pose. Ms. Chesler seems to have done much thinking on the subject. She sees the problems and vividly portrays them, but unfortunately, her work falls short when advocating a solution. She seems to think that buying goods from Israel, educating the Palestinians as to their best interest and their actual common interests with Jews and other such measures will ameliorate the situation.

She sees we are at war. But she fails to see that there is no substitute for victory. Not that we must annihilate our enemies. But if we choose to negotiate, it must be from a position of strength. We are at war with terrorists. Israel is at war with terrorists. The solution is to make our enemy realize that his best interest is in peace. Make all his other choices unpalatable, then perhaps he will see reason.

In the process of this war, we must export the two fundamental ideas of Western Civilization. These are capitalism and republicanism. If we can do these things we will not only make the world a safer, more prosperous place, but we will also destroy prejudice, and with it Anti-Semitism. For the tenets of these two philosophies are that you judge others by their actions, not their color, their ethnicity, their gender or their religion.

Ms. Chesler's book points back to the beginning of this review. There is a coming together of Jewish and "hillbilly" interests. Or really we could call it cosmopolitan and independent minded interests. Perhaps we will see this manifested in future elections. I'm not sure how it will all turn out. But I will say this. If I have to fight in the trenches, I will be happy to have a Jew on one hand and a Hillbilly on the other, and even a feminist, if it comes to that.

This book is highly recommended, and available at Amazon.com.