A Q&A With Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and a Former Member of the Knesset

The following is an interview that I conducted with Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel’s Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and a former Member of the Knesset, which appeared in the February 1, 2024, edition of the Washington Jewish Week:

Courtesy of Michal Cotler-Wunsh

There are still currently 136 hostages being held by Hamas. There’s no question that the families of the hostages desperately want their loved ones to return home. How do you assess the current situation and how can Israel ensure that the hostages are returned safely to their families?

 

In the language of international law, it’s a standing violation of international law, meaning every second of every minute of every hour of every week of every month that has passed by is an additional affront to international law and an additional violation of international law … The very institutions, whether it be the Red Cross, whether it be the UN, that are mandated to condemn, to ensure, to act for the immediate and unconditional return of those who were stolen literally from their homes by a genocidal terror organization … in an affront to international law, have failed to do so … This is an international issue. There should be Western countries and all those organizations and all those institutions and all those mechanisms created to ensure that international law is upheld equally and consistently, including when there are Jews that have been the ones that have been abducted or Jewish women who are the ones that have been raped.

We know that Hamas, just like it uses its own people as human shields, sacrifices and weapons … abducted 240, and now 136 civilians, holding them in the underground terror dungeon city that they have built with international humanitarian aid. So here we have this continued theme of a violation of international law, even while receiving support from the international, legal infrastructure in the form of, for example, humanitarian aid.

When you ask me, how will Israel secure the return of these hostages, you have to know that in [the pocket of] every one of the IDF soldiers that are defending Israel and Israelis, there is a picture of one of the hostages. That is the commitment to … do what we must, which is ensure that Hamas, that actually declared the intent to commit 10/7, not once and not three times, but a million times again and again [is held responsible for its actions]. And simultaneously, that commitment that drives those soldiers is finding and returning the hostages stolen from their homes, from their families, from their communities.

 

South Africa, brought a case in the International Court of Justice against Israel, accusing it of genocide. Israel has vigorously defended itself against those charges. How do you see that ICJ situation playing out?

In many ways, it is the ICJ that is currently on trial. And in many ways the ICJ will decide … if it is in fact a court of justice, as in the case of the Eichmann trial, or a court of injustice, as in the case of the Dreyfus affair. And what I mean by that, is that the very Orwellian inversion, in fact and in law, that has enabled South Africa, not only with a corrupt and inept government, but South Africa, that housed the Hamas genocidal terrorists, welcomed them just days after 10/7, and who meets regularly with leaders that perpetrate genocide as we speak … of all countries would co-opt and weaponize the international law mechanisms created … the Convention for the Prevention and the Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which was written in the blood and the ash of six million Jews … The preposterous, usurping, co-opting and weaponization of that convention to accuse the state of Israel, even as war crimes and crimes against humanity and the intent to commit genocide were perpetrated against Israelis on 10/7, is … an Orwellian inversion, in fact and in law, that we could not have imagined … And here we are, we’ve come full circle, and what we will see at the ICJ devastatingly may very well be the final nail in the coffin of that infrastructure that was created in order to ensure that ‘never again’ is to anybody, and so it is part of this never again is right now moment that I believe that we’re living in.

 

We just talked about the International Court of Justice. I want to turn a little bit to the court of public opinion. As you’ve alluded to, Israel is taking a beating, so to speak, on the global stage and in the court of public opinion from people who say that Israel’s response to the atrocities that took place on Oct. 7, is excessive, and they’re calling for a cease-fire. Israel has attempted to justify its efforts as a way of eliminating Hamas, which it considers to be an existential threat. What do you think Israel can do to address this issue and to try and improve it standing in the court of public opinion and on the global stage?

 

After a series of conventional wars actually failed to annihilate the state of Israel between 1948 and 1973, after the return of Jews, a prototypical indigenous people, to our ancestral homeland after millennia of exile and of persecution, we understand that there is another kind of war that could be waged, and it is precisely what you’ve just noted, the unconventional war for public opinion and it has been raging for decades … We would have to understand that what has happened actually, over time, is not only the co-opting and the weaponization of that infrastructure that I described before, to demonize to delegitimize and apply double standards, but in the aftermath of 10/7, when the worst atrocities perpetrated against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, when entire families were burned, and women were raped so badly that their legs couldn’t be straightened for burial, and people who were dancing at a peace festival were hunted down and mutilated and murdered and massacred, and when hundreds of others were abducted, as we discussed before, if that cannot be unequivocally condemned, having been perpetrated by a genocidal terror organization that declares its intent for ‘the final solution.’

We would be remiss if we did not understand that at this moment in time, if we fail to condemn 10/7 and what it showed us in that barbaric, savage perpetration of those atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity, if that can become flipped onto Israel in its self-defense ‘perpetrating genocide,’ then this is a wake-up call or a rude awakening for all democracies, in this moment, as we prosecute the wars of this genocidal intent not just to annihilate the state of Israel, but to actually destroy civilization as we have built it and build on the rubble of our civilization and alternative reality in which none of us wants to live.

It is not just about Israel … I often think about what we understand about all other forms of hatred. We would never tell anybody who is experiencing any form of bigotry or racism that they have to fight that racism or bigotry alone. They can’t … We know that what is required is that everybody fights against that form of hate. Only when it comes to antisemitism, including in its modern mutated strain that is anti-Zionism or the targeting or the barring of the very existence of a state of Israel, or of its right to exist … do we ask ourselves, how is Israel going to be able to combat antisemitism? And my answer is, there is no way Jews or Israel or Zionists … will be able to combat this scourge, this hate, alone, just like in the case of any other form of bigotry and racism.

This will require a concerted, united commitment to identify and combat all strains of an ever-mutating virus. Jew hatred is ever-mutating – it has come in all kinds of shapes and forms over the thousands of years of its mutation. And this strain of antisemitism that presented itself not only in the atrocities of 10/7, but in the responses to the atrocities of 10/7 that have been silent, that have denied, that have justified, that have supported and that have attacked Jews, for the perpetuation of these atrocities against Israel and Jews on 10/7 … If we do not acknowledge that this is not just about the nation-state of the Jewish people, or about Jews around the world that are being attacked in its wake, but in fact is an attack on our shared humanity and on our shared civilization, that Israel will not be able to tackle it alone.

Prominent DC Rabbi Is Assaulted by Lyft Driver

The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the February 1, 2024, edition of the Washington Jewish Week:

A prominent Orthodox rabbi was physically and verbally assaulted by a Lyft driver in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Jan. 28. After the incident, the driver fled the scene.

Rabbi Menachem Shemtov, director of Chabad Georgetown and rabbi at the Pentagon, ordered a ride through the Lyft app on Sunday morning. Shortly after Shemtov entered the car, the driver told Shemtov that he didn’t like his “energy” and demanded that he exit the vehicle. After Shemtov got out of the car, the driver also got out and “struck V-1 [Shemtov] about the face multiple times with his hands,” according to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Incident Report.

The incident, which took place on Connecticut Avenue NW, was witnessed by several passerby. Videos from the scene that were taken by Shemtov and at least one witness show the driver striking Shemtov in the face multiple times while holding his car key and seemingly using it as a weapon.

“Maybe like 30 seconds after I get in the car, he tells me that he doesn’t like my ‘energy’ and he wants me to exit the vehicle … I asked him ‘I didn’t say anything, I didn’t do anything, why are you telling me to exit the vehicle?’ … and he was like ‘from the moment you got into the car, I didn’t like your energy,’ … he was just saying ridiculous stuff as an excuse or reason to get me out of the vehicle,” Shemtov told the Washington Jewish Week.

Shemtov said the driver chased him up the street, began swearing at him and then hit Shemtov across the face, knocking his yarmulke off. After Shemtov walked back to the car to try and keep the driver from leaving the scene until the police arrived, Shemtov said the driver hit him in the face “multiple times again.”

It was “nothing I said, nothing I did – he was just kind of offended by my ‘energy’ … I’m not really sure what energy he’d be referring to,” Shemtov said.

As a result of the assault, Shemtov sustained several cuts on his face. “He slashed me with his keys about an inch below my eyeball,” Shemtov said.

“Lyft unequivocally condemns this behavior. Upon learning of this incident, we deactivated the driver and we’ve been in touch with the rider,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a written statement sent to the Washington Jewish Week. “We encourage riders and drivers to report harassment, discrimination, or safety concerns in the Lyft app.”

The company also stated that it stands ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation.

In addition, the company noted that its “community guidelines and terms of service prohibit harassment or discrimination on the basis of religion, national origin, race, gender, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age or sexual orientation.”

In a written statement sent to the Washington Jewish Week on Jan. 30, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department noted that “This offense is actively being investigated by detectives,” adding that they have no further updates at this time.

‘Terrorism draws strength from world’s apathy’

The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the January 11, 2024, edition of the Washington Jewish Week:

“To be a Jew is to know that over and above history is the task of memory.” Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote those words to stress the importance of remembering our past and conveying the lessons of yesterday to the next generation so that the “great chain of learning and wisdom” remains intact tomorrow.

Having been the Jewish newspaper of record in the nation’s capital since 1930, the Washington Jewish Week has reported on countless stories about our local and global Jewish community, and our pages have been filled with essential information about an array of thought-provoking topics. We are therefore pleased to launch a new monthly feature, “Remember When,” in which we look back at some of our coverage from previous years so that we can remember the past and learn from it as we look ahead to the future.

In January 1975, we published an opinion piece by Rabbi Israel Miller titled, “Terrorism draws strength from world’s apathy.”

“Arab terror breeds from the climate of support it receives in Arab capitals, just as it draws from the ambivalence, double-standards and apathy that the international community has displayed toward it for so long … Their energies are spent in distributing hate material preaching not only Israel’s sovereign destruction but outright antisemitism as Jewish organizations the world over have appealed and protested against their presence with few results … The terrorists may now and then succeed in their murderous enterprise, but they will never win.”

Miller’s words that were written 49 years ago are eerily reminiscent of the current situation. In the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 and as we witness a significant increase in global antisemitism, we once again are faced with a situation in which too many in the international community have chosen to vilify Israel and failed to take adequate steps to combat antisemitism. Yet, as Miller wrote, the terrorists may occasionally succeed, but in the long run, the state of Israel and the Jewish community will prevail.

Ubiquitous Signs of Unity

The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the January 11, 2024, edition of the Washington Jewish Week, about my recent trip to Israel:

Ubiquitous Signs of Unity

It was by no means a normal trip. Despite having been to Israel many times before, my recent journey was uniquely impactful and inspiring.

I felt the difference even before arriving in Israel. After the pilot reviewed the standard safety instructions on the public address system prior to takeoff, he referenced the current situation, stating that “We stand in solidarity with the citizens of Israel and the security and rescue forces … wishing all of us better and more safe and peaceful days ahead.” The words resonated with me, and I contemplated them during the lengthy flight.

As I walked down the long corridor in Ben Gurion Airport that is familiar to many of us because of the large “Welcome” sign that adorns the wall on the far side, I noticed a new addition – there were posters of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas lining both sides of the large hall that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a jarring reminder of today’s challenging times.

There were signs of unity everywhere. Israeli flags and signs expressing solidarity were ubiquitous – they were hanging on light posts, highway overpasses, large office buildings and residential homes. The country was a veritable sea of blue and white as Israelis of all backgrounds joined together to proudly and publicly convey their support for their Jewish homeland in the aftermath of Hamas’ heinous attacks.

A personal highlight of my trip was celebrating the engagement of my son, who moved to Israel just days after Oct. 7. After he proposed to his now-fiancée, we gathered in Herzliya to celebrate with family and friends. Several of my son’s friends were there in their army uniforms, one of whom had come straight from his army base to take part in the celebration. It was yet another reminder of the fact that our young men and women are putting their lives on the line to keep our Israeli brethren safe.

The conversations I had with friends were very telling in terms of comprehending the mood of Israelis three months after the Oct. 7 attacks. One friend, who has a son in the army, only wanted to talk about “regular stuff” as opposed to the war and its impact on their lives.

As another friend spoke about how many young men from her son’s high school were killed over the past few months, she asked “When will things be normal again?”

Israelis yearn for a return to some semblance of normalcy, but the reality is that the world changed on Oct. 7 and it’s unclear if and when things will be “normal” again.

There is a new normal in Israel. An Israeli friend of mine who had been in the U.S. and returned to Israel immediately after Oct. 7 to join his IDF unit as a reservist, told me that he spends his days off from the army going to the funerals of soldiers who were killed in the current conflict and making shiva visits to families who lost loved ones. His breaks from the army consist not of rest and relaxation, but rather grieving together with the families of fallen soldiers.

One of the most poignant moments of my trip was when I traveled to the city of Ra’anana to visit the family of an IDF soldier who was killed in Gaza.

Cpt. (res.) Shaul Greenglick, of the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion, was just 26 years old. Several weeks before his tragic death, Greenglick appeared on HaKokhav Haba (The Next Star), a popular Israeli television program. The winner of the competition will represent Israel in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Greenglick, who auditioned for the program wearing his army uniform and dedicated his song to his fellow IDF soldiers, wowed the audience with his melodic voice and earned high praise for his performance. No one could have imagined that that would have been his final song.

The shiva house was packed. Greenglick’s aunt, who I know, introduced me to Shaul’s parents, Ruti and Zvika. Despite their grief, they welcomed me, my wife and my children with open arms and big smiles. Ruti was so appreciative that we made the effort to come to the shiva house all the way from the U.S. Zvika, who wore the shirt from his son’s army uniform at Shaul’s funeral, gave me a big hug, thanked us for coming and made sure to wish us “mazal tov” on my son’s engagement, which he had heard about from his sister, our friend.

The love and warmth that I felt during that shiva visit, despite the underlying pain that was palpable, was a testament to the incredible resilience that we possess as Jews, which has defined our people for millennia.

The unity that I witnessed in Israel was heartwarming, especially considering the discord that pervaded Israel during the months prior to Oct. 7, when mass protests enveloped the country and strife trumped solidarity. While there are fissures in that national unity beginning to emerge as the conflict drags on, I left feeling optimistic that Israel will ultimately prevail and persevere so long as the spirit of unity remains relatively intact.

Dan Helmer: Fighting for Democracy and Fighting Antisemitism

The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the December 21, 2023, edition of the Washington Jewish Week, about Virginia Del. Dan Helmer:

Dan Helmer: Fighting for Democracy and Fighting Antisemitism

Public service is in Dan Helmer’s blood. The Fairfax County resident and member of Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax Station has represented HD-40 in the Virginia House of Delegates since his election in 2019.

In addition, the Rhodes Scholar and small business owner served in the U.S. military from 2003-2014, including tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea, and still serves as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. Helmer recently announced his candidacy for the U.S. Congress and is hoping to succeed Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), who announced that she is not seeking reelection in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

The grandson of Holocaust survivors and son of an Israeli father who fought the British as a member of the Palmach and the Haganah under Moshe Dayan in 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence, Helmer said his family and upbringing helped shape the person he has become.

For Helmer, the most formative experience of his youth was the annual Passover Seder, which took on added significance because his great grandfather, great-grandmother, grandmother and great aunt were all Holocaust survivors. For them, recounting the story of the Exodus was particularly poignant.

“The United States had been our promised land – the Exodus had happened in the lifetimes of those around the table, and the Seder ended with two songs. One was God Bless America, and the other was Hatikvah. We very much knew where our promised lands were,” he said.

“I grew up knowing what this country had given to our family, the protection that it afforded us as Jews, and grew up wanting to pay that back. And that has set me on a lifetime of service, whether that was going to West Point and serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, whether that’s my continued service in the Virginia House of Delegates where I’ve been leading the fight to combat hate crimes, most recently with a new bill that we just proposed, and whether it’s serving to looking to serve on a new level as a candidate for U.S. Congress.”

Helmer’s military service, both past and present, is a particular point of pride, which is driven by his Jewish identity, his family’s history and his desire to spread the light of democracy around the globe.

“My Jewishness is deeply tied to service. I often think of Tikkun Olam, and I think of it oftentimes in terms of America’s role in the world too as a Jew who serves in a couple of the instruments of American power. I believe deeply in the force of our country for good and prosperity and peace in the world … And I think about … our small family story as part of a larger world story of what America’s promise is, not just for Americans, but for all people, when we assume the mantle of leadership in the world. And I see military service as part of ensuring that mantle of leadership continues well into the 21st century.”

Helmer’s pursuit of elected office originated with Donald Trump’s election to the White House, when he felt that the constitution was under attack “because we had too few politicians willing to stand up and fight for our democracy.”

“Just as I had served to protect our country overseas, I felt I needed to serve protect it here at home. And that launched my career in public service, and I’m proud to have been able to stand up for democracy … And I have felt that idea of service that I experienced as an active-duty military officer … is something that I’m able to continue in a different way through my service in the General Assembly in Virginia,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Dan Helmer

Helmer recently introduced legislation to combat antisemitism by amending Virginia’s hate crimes and anti-discrimination law to protect individuals targeted for crimes and discrimination based on ethnicity. With the current rise of antisemitism, Helmer said that “we need to take meaningful, active measures to combat antisemitism and that rhetoric alone will not do the trick.”

“I was proud to sponsor this hate crimes legislation that ensures that if you attack somebody because they are a Jew, if you desecrate their home or their synagogue because they are a Jew, that you are committing a crime. If you deny them accommodation because they are a Jew, you are at odds with our law. And that ought to be the law of our land.”

In 2021, Helmer was the target of a campaign mailer that many deemed to be antisemitic, and he’s very mindful of the growing threat that antisemitism poses to the Jewish community and to the nation at large.

“I’m a big believer that political power matters and my response to an antisemitic mailer was to ensure we defeated the perpetrators of that antisemitic mailer at the ballot box,” he said. “My response to antisemitism writ large has been to put forward a bill to take on hate crimes because I think we need to take meaningful action. And I’m proud of the fact that the Jewish community is standing up to defend our democracy because in the system of government that has allowed us to thrive, allowed families like mine to thrive, we must protect that.”

Helmer hopes that his congressional campaign will enable him to make a meaningful difference in Washington, D.C., on the issues that he cares most about and that he believes are important for the welfare of the nation.

He intends to focus on gun violence prevention and making sure “that we are keeping the weapons like those I carried in places like Iraq and Afghanistan out of the hands of dangerous people.”

In addition, he said “we need to affirmatively, positively and forever protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions and we need to stand up and fight for working families.”

An avid reader who just finished reading Ron Chernow’s biography of Ulysses S. Grant, Helmer also enjoys attending his teenage sons’ various activities and playing board games with his family.

For Helmer, his commitment to fighting for democracy and fighting antisemitism centers on making sure “that every single American, including American Jewry, has a seat at the table and the ability to stand up for our communities, stand together, have our voices heard, and make sure that our policy reflects the America that we want to see here at home as well as abroad.”

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt: Confronting and Combating Global Antisemitism

The following is a feature story that I wrote, which appeared in the November 30, 2023, editions of the Washington Jewish Week, Philadelphia Jewish Exponent, and Baltimore Jewish Times, about Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. Department of State’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism:

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt: Confronting and Combating Global Antisemitism

A world-renowned expert on antisemitism and the grave danger it presents, Deborah Lipstadt has been on the front lines of the battle to combat bigotry toward Jews for decades. It was therefore no surprise when she was nominated to be the U.S. Department of State’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, and her 2022 confirmation by the U.S. Senate conferred upon her the title of “Ambassador.” A Holocaust scholar and award-winning author, Lipstadt was well-equipped to take on this new role, which thrust her into the spotlight at a time when antisemitism was rising both in the U.S. and internationally.

Lipstadt recently held a roundtable with several journalists from Jewish media outlets and the Washington Jewish Week was fortunate to be present at the discussion, which took place at the State Department. With anti-Israel views and antisemitism becoming prevalent on college campuses and in cities around the world, it was an opportune time to discuss these vital issues with a diplomat whose primary responsibility is countering the hate.

After having spent time in Europe over the past several months, including Rome, Paris and Germany, Lipstadt was struck by how much the local and state authorities were interested in meeting with her, which she said indicates “that they take this [antisemitism] very seriously.”

Referring to the current situation, particularly since Oct. 7, Lipstadt said, “It’s certainly a threat to the well-being of Jews … There are places where Jews are feeling increasingly uncomfortable, and often with good reason … But I also think it’s a real threat to democratic values, to national stability and potentially even national security … I’ve been working on this [the issue of antisemitism] for over 30 years and it feels different.”

“It’s quite clear that we’re seeing a rise of antisemitism worldwide, including in this country,” she said.

At several points during her career, Lipstadt stated that antisemitism at those particular moments was worse than she had ever seen before. As an example, she cited the 2018 massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, calling it “a shock of immense proportions,” and noting that the open use of violence was extremely striking. Regarding the extent of the antisemitism that we are currently seeing at some of the Israel-related protests in the U.S. and abroad, she said “there is a comfort in saying things that people might have thought before, but now feel free to say,” adding that there is “a vileness that we haven’t really seen before.” The feelings of distinctiveness pertaining to the current situation appears to be widespread, with Lipstadt saying that “every one of the countries I’ve visited, and the others that I’ve spoken with, with government officials, colleagues and embassies, acknowledged that it feels different.”

Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff at a meeting in Berlin of EU Special Envoys focused on antisemitism in January 2023. Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith.

The WJW asked Lipstadt about the need to view antisemitism not just as a Jewish problem, but as a global problem, and the importance of communicating that message to people.

“I think it’s important for policy makers, government officials, NGOs, leaders, communal leaders and all of society to recognize that this has broader and deeper implications than an attack on one group … I think that’s very important for governments to understand. And in my conversations with colleagues in the State Department and the White House and others, that’s the point I’ve been making. I think people are listening.”

Lipstadt, who in a recent CNN interview declared that antisemitism should be condemned on its own, addressed the concern some people have about lumping antisemitism with other forms of hate, such as Islamophobia.

“One of my messages has been that you can’t fight prejudice in silos, you can’t fight hate in silos. Some people like to say what begins with the Jews then ends with the Jews. And I think that’s often the case, that when there’s a toxic atmosphere in society it spreads toxicity and spreads like fumes in a storm.”

“When you see an act of discrimination and prejudice, call it out for what it is. Then you can place it in a broader context,” she added. “On some level, antisemitism is a prejudice like other prejudices … but it has certain unique elements.”

Lipstadt was asked about recent comments made by Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League, who said that current events “clarified and confirmed that fanatical anti-Zionism from the hard left is as dangerous to the Jewish community as rabid white supremacy from the extreme right. These are both radical movements. They don’t advocate for a two-state solution, or even a one-state solution. They want a final solution.” Her response to Greenblatt’s remarks focused not so much on Israel, but on antisemitism in a general sense.

“I have friends on the left who were very good at spotting antisemitism on the right. And legitimately so. What they saw was right and their analysis was right. And then I had friends on the right who were very good at spotting [antisemitism] on the left, and they were right, but they never saw it standing next to them. And that really bothered me because I felt that whether consciously or not, that’s a political weaponization of antisemitism. If you can’t see it in your proximity, coming from people with whom you might agree with on many other things, but you only see on the other side of the political spectrum, then I wonder if you’re really interested in fighting it, or are you only interested in using it as a political weapon.”

A question was posed to Lipstadt about Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), who recently posted an endorsement of the great replacement theory, which is widely viewed as a white supremacist conspiracy principle.

Lipstadt said Musk’s actions were “irresponsible.” After describing the replacement theory’s history and referring to it as “a very old theory,” Lipstadt said, “To see it go mainstream that way was really disturbing. It was retracted, but the damage was done.”

“When those kinds of things are repeated, it gives them an imprimatur of gravitas that they wouldn’t otherwise have. And people repeat them, even though many people were appalled by it.”

One of the topics of conversation was the issue of anti-Zionism and when that might cross the line and become antisemitism.

“I do think that one has to be careful about mixing up criticism of Israeli policy and antisemitism so you don’t give fodder to those who say, oh, anytime you criticize Israel, you call me an antisemite,” Lipstadt said.

Photo credit: @ShaharAzran at World Jewish Congress

Citing the protests in Israel pertaining to the judicial reform proposals that were taking place right up until the Oct. 7 attacks, Lipstadt noted that they “were highly critical, so I think it’s really important to make the separation.”

That being said, she pointed to some of what has been happening since Oct. 7, with people overlooking Hamas’ atrocities or denying that they happened. She also referenced the videos we have seen of people tearing down the kidnapped posters that have become a symbol of solidarity with the hostages taken by Hamas, questioning “the glee with which some people tear them down … it’s kind of shocking.”

Lipstadt said much of the distinction between anti-Zionism and antisemitism is dependent on a person’s motivation. When asked how one would know when an act is motivated by anti-Jewish hatred, Lipstadt acknowledged that sometimes you don’t. She went on to cite Jacobellis v. Ohio, a case that was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1964. At issue was whether the state of Ohio could prohibit a movie that featured an explicit love scene from being shown in light of the First Amendment. The court ruled that the movie was not deemed obscene. Lipstadt referred to Justice Potter Stewart’s famous statement about what is considered pornography: “I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.” Lipstadt said we can do better than that but conceded that there are times when it calls for the “I know it when I see it” approach.

The issue of antisemitism on college campuses was another big topic of conversation in light of the disturbing reports that we have seen emanating from universities across the U.S. following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.

“Most of the students on campus are just going to their classes and are not involved in the protests and not involved in the attacks. But we’ve seen enough examples on different campuses where pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas, pro-Gaza demonstrations impact Jews directly.”

Lipstadt spoke about stories she’s heard about Jewish students on campus who have taken the mezuzah off their door or cut back on the overtly Jewish activities they take part in on campus, which she called disturbing. She also talked about her recent trip to Berlin, where she met with Jewish students who described real concern and a sense of fear for their physical safety.

After Lipstadt discussed some of the antisemitic acts that are taking place in the Netherlands and Paris, WJW talked about some of the brazen antisemitic attacks that we’ve seen in New York City and elsewhere, where Jews were harassed in broad daylight and in public spaces, and asked her what has changed over the last several years to make those types of incidents more common than they may have been in the past.

“I think one of the things that changed is people feel freer to say these things,” she responded. “As I said, the lid is off – ‘it’s OK.’ ‘It’s OK’ to be walking down Madison Avenue and see a kid with a yarmulke and knock the yarmulke off, things like that. I think there’s a different atmosphere … I think that it doesn’t just go for antisemitism. I think that across the board there’s a feeling in the United States and worldwide that certain things can be said that couldn’t be said before.”

Lipstadt noted that when people try to justify the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks by pointing to the various challenges that the Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank face, it leaves her disquieted. She said that in many of these attempts at justification there’s a failure to recognize that there was a strong antisemitic theme expressed in the attacks. “Nothing justifies rape of young children. Nothing justifies killing parents in front of children, and children in front of parents. Nothing justifies taking civilians hostage,” she said.

Courtesy of U.S. Department of State

As someone who has a great deal of experience addressing Holocaust denial, Lipstadt was asked about those who deny the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

“I was struck by the speed and the intensity with which the denial of the atrocities [began], even when coming from Hamas itself. It makes as little sense as Holocaust denial and Holocaust denial makes no sense.”

Lipstadt said she has found that the most potent arguments against Holocaust denial is Nazi evidence, including German army reports, German government reports and statements by Germans. In terms of the Oct. 7 attacks, she said that using Hamas’ own footage makes it harder to deny that the atrocities took place.

“The speed of the rewriting of history or of current contemporary events is awesome in the worst kind of way and is worrisome in an even worse way. Because if history can be rewritten so quickly, nothing is really safe in that sense … qualitatively this feels different,” she added.

WJW asked Lipstadt about the videos of Hamas’ barbarism that the Israeli government has aired for journalists, which document some of the horrific acts that took place on Oct. 7.

“I haven’t seen it … I don’t think I could … The reports that I’ve read have been so devastating in their cruelty and so devastating in their utter lack of humanity, in their glee,” she responded. “I’m just suggesting that there was a glee here … the rapes, the torture of children, burning people alive.”

With antisemitism spiking across the globe, there is no question that Lipstadt has her work cut out for her. Nevertheless, by virtue of her extensive experience and willingness to confront antisemitism whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head, Lipstadt is the perfect person to tackle this vile hatred and act to quell the wave of antisemitism that has washed over the world.

My letter in The New York Times about antisemitism

The following is a letter to the editor that I wrote, which appeared in The New York Times, about Senator Chuck Schumer’s strong and public condemnation of antisemitism:

December 1, 2023

To the Editor:

Re “Schumer Chides Leftists Abetting Antisemitism” (news article, Nov. 30) and “What American Jews Fear Most,” by Chuck Schumer (Opinion guest essay, Nov. 30):

Senator Schumer’s resolve to take a strong public stand against antisemitism is laudable, particularly when the scourge of hatred toward Jews is reaching a fever pitch. The Senate majority leader’s felicitous and poignant plea, both on the floor of the Senate and in the Opinion section, was notable for its moral clarity and forceful denunciation of the wanton antisemitism pervading every segment of our society.

Furthermore, the urgency with which he conveyed how dangerous this conflagration of hate has become and how critical it is for all Americans — not just Jews — to condemn antisemitism is a clarion call that will hopefully resonate on all points of the political spectrum, on university campuses and throughout our nation.
 
Remaining silent in the face of blatant bigotry is indefensible, and Senator Schumer’s compelling words should serve as a wake-up call to everyone who has thus far failed to confront this growing crisis.
 
N. Aaron Troodler
Bala Cynwyd, Pa.