Yes and it is being driven by three sources - The Far Left, the Far Right and various promoters in the Islamic world.
However and perhaps more worrisome, is how it has been mainstreamed by Media sources such as the New York Times, who time and time again cross the line from legitimate criticism of Israel to downright anti-Semitism.
The Infamous NY Times Cartoon - Pretty much hit most anti-Semitic tropes other than the Jewish money theme.New York Times Antisemitic Cartoon Shocker
Now the US is not an intrinsically anti-Semitic country. In 2015 the ADL published https://global100.adl.org. The document extensively details antisemitic rates across the globe. Based on the sampling it appears that 9% of Americans have Anti-Semitic attitudes compared to 26% worldwide. However in a population of just over 237 million adults, this does translate into a value of 21 million, which in absolute terms is extremely high.
The ADL also carries out a yearly review of Antisemitic Incidents. Here are two findings from their report.
Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents: Year in Review 2018 (Both points taken directly from the source).
- In 2018 ADL recorded 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents in the United States.
- 2018 included the deadliest attack on Jews in the history of the U.S.: The massacre of 11 Jewish worshipers, and an additional two more injured, at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh by a white supremacist in October. The Pittsburgh attack was one of 39 reported physical assaults on Jewish individuals in 2018, a 105% increase over 2017. A total of 59 individuals were victims of assault, not including the police officers injured at the Tree of Life Synagogue.
Memorial outside the Tree of Life Source: Time Magazine
This increase in violent antisemitism seems consistent with a worldwide report on Antisemitism released on May 1st 2019 by the Kantor Center. Antisemitism Worldwide 2018 Report is Released. Its chief finding is described below
The number of the major violent cases monitored by the Kantor Center team has increased by 13%, from 342 to 387. The countries with the highest number of cases are the US (over 100 cases); the UK (68); France and Germany (35 each); Canada (20); Belgium (19) the Netherlands (15); and Argentina (11). It should be noted that the numbers of reported cases in Eastern Europe have been much lower in comparison to Western Europe, going down from 12 cases in the Ukraine in 2018 to a few in each of the other countries.
So how then do each of the sources contribute to this loathsome trend?
Far Left
The Far Left had always had a Jewish problem - Karl Marx's Radical Antisemitism. The Soviets carried on this legacy with action. The Status of the Jews in the Soviet Union and After Lenin, Soviet Anti-Semitism Grew.
The sentiment persists in the West - MPs have shone a light on the tide of anti-Semitism engulfing the Labour party. Jeremy Corbyn in the British Labour Party has been deservedly taken to task for this - J. A. Hobson, Jeremy Corbyn and the history of left-wing anti-Semitism.
Jeremy Corbyn - Source: Financial Times
The same is true in the other parts of Europe - Anti-Semitism in Europe Today Comes Mostly from the Left | Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs .
In a global world that knows no borders to information, anti-Semitic venom can spread quickly and it has. It is endemic in the Far Left of the US and appears to be moving into the mainstream.
We have already seen how Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have stoked the fire here with remarks about Jewish money and dual loyalty. However the problem runs deeper. Some call it the ‘New Anti-Semtism’ as it all too often uses the vector of anti-Zionism to carry its message.
While legitimate criticism of Israel is necessary.How does one criticize the actions of Israel without being labeled an anti-Semite? The Far Left all too often goes beyond this - holding the Jewish State to a ridiculous standard (that it would not use for any other country), relentlessly denying Israel’s rights to defend itself and ultimately calling for the destruction of the Nation. We see this with Marc Lamont’s “From the River to the Sea.” - which any observer on the Middle East will tell you is code for the destruction of Israel.
The problem on the Left is well documented. Read Antisemitism and the American Far Left and Jews and the Left | YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
For those interested in the way those on the far left rationalize their antisemitism here is a quick six pointer of common phrases used. 6 Things Left-Wing Anti-Semites Say
- “I’m not anti-Semitic, I’m just anti-Zionist!”
- “Jews are a historically privileged group!”
- “Jews are white”/“Jews have white privilege.”
- “Jewish people are good with money.”
- “It’s not terrorism, it’s activism!”
- Comparing anything happening in the Occupied Territories to the Holocaust.
Far Left wing antisemitism has been very vocal in the US especially on University campuses. Campus Anti-Semitism Archives - Tablet Magazine and Anti-Semitism on Campus: Overview,
There are however writers on the left who are concerned about antisemitism on their side of the political aisle. Paul Berman is one such person The Left and the Jews: A Tale of Three Countries - Tablet Magazine. Oliver Kamm is willing to speak out on this in the UK.
The Far Right
The Far Right is a cesspool of anti-Semitic activity. Websites such as Stormfront and the Daily Stormer promote this bile, however it is given further airing by online message boards such as 8chan and 4chan. Some have proposed banning these sites but this will likely make the situation even worse. Why Blocking Hate Sites Like 8chan May Only Make Them Stronger. I tend to agree with the latter opinion.
In the world of the Alt Right there is a definite anti-Semitic component and a fixation with the so-called Jewish Question. The leading proponent of this view is Kevin MacDonald, an American psychologist, who sees Judaism as a ‘group evolutionary strategy’. MacDonald believes that Jewish survival action has been directly (and indirectly) responsible for the growth of ‘liberalism’ in the US and the ‘Immigration crisis’ on hand.
His views (expressed in a trilogy - The Culture of Critique series), have been resoundingly criticized by Steve Pinker, Sander Gilman and John Tooby (all three have solid credentials in the social science fields that MacDonald draws from). As it stands, the overwhelming academic position with regard to MacDonald is that he exists within a nexus fusing pseudoscience with anti-Semitism. He is not the first to trod down this path. and will likely not be the last. However in the Alt Right world he does enjoys a celebrity status. The Culture of Critique series - Wikipedia
Kevin MacDonald Source: Mercury News
From the manifesto of the Tree of Life shooter it is clear that the ‘Jewish Question’ figured prominently in his thinking. The same is true of the Poway Shooter. This is extremely disturbing. Anti-Semitism Is Thriving in America
Of further concern is how Far Right Anti-Semites make common cause with those on the Left. Why is a known racist backing Somalian-born Ilhan Omar?
Islamic Angle
Anti-Semitism in the Islamic world is well documented. Like other hot spots for this hatred it has spread globally and the US has not been immune to its growth.Anti-Semitism in the Arab/Muslim World. A look at the ADL report, posted earlier indicates that anti-Semitic opinions are extremely common in Muslim majority countries. Here is another version from Pew.
A great deal of this is driven by conspiracy mongering such as the suggestion by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that there were no Jews in the Twin Towers on September 11th, 2001. Anti-Semitic cartoons, Holocaust denial are a regular feature of the media in Middle Eastern countries. Calls to annihilate Israel are not uncommon. The Middle East Media Research Institution (MEMRI) provides a regular glimpse into this world to reveal this type of hatred. Gaza Activist Maryam Abu Moussa: We Will Throw Jews Into Ditches Like Hitler; Trump's End Will Come At The Hand Of A Palestinian Boy. I wish I could say that it is rare but it isn’t.
Do the rants against Jews happen in the US? Definitely. Imam Who Called for Annihilation of All Jews Is in Fact Routine and North Philadelphia mosque officials apologize for anti-Semitic statements delivered in sermons by guest imam.
Now there are Muslim voices taking a stand against anti-Semitism who should be applauded. Muslims & Arabs against Antisemitism. What is needed is for such positive sentiment to gain momentum.
Is Donald Trump the Problem?
I have written at length on this topic in an earlier answer. Gavin Kanowitz's answer to Why do people call Donald Trump antisemitic when his policies have been decidedly pro-Israel?
Donald Trump may be a lot of things but he is not an anti-Semite. His response to both the Tree of Life and Poway were first rate and indeed he may be one of the most philosemitic presidents in recent history.
His support for Israel and his pro-Jewish position have placed him in the cross-hairs of a great deal of the Alt-Right who see him as a traitor. Both synagogue shooters expressed great negativity toward Trump in this regard and he is regularly vilified on Alt Right message boards.
Poway Rabbi called Trump a ‘mensch per excellence’ Source: Times of Israel
What is disturbing though is the fact that Congress refuses to deal with the anti-Semitic issue specifically and when it had the opportunity to do just that, it dropped the ball. Democrats Put Off Anti-Semitism Resolution After Fierce Backlash.
There are many Democrats who are as strongly opposed to anti-Semitism as are their Republican colleagues. While they may take issue with Trump on a myriad of other topics, this should not come at the expense of allowing the Corbynesque elements of their party to dictate the discourse here with respect to Jew hatred.
Fortunately there is some positive movement in this regard gaining traction. Bipartisan slate of senators introduce resolution condemning anti-Semitsm - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Additional Sources
- The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Anti‑Semitism – review
- https://www.thejc.com/news/world...
- Quick Reads Archive - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- Paul Berman on New Left & antisemitism
- Alarm Grows In France Over Anti-Semitic Violence
- Anti-Semitic incidents dramatically rose in Washington over 2018
- https://www.thejc.com/comment/co...
- When the Anti-Racists are the Racists: The Case of British Left-Wing Anti-Semitism
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