What All Anti-Semites Have In Common

In The Jewish Week.

On April 16, Alain Soral, a well-known French anti-Semite, was sentenced to one year in prison by a French court for “negationisme”, Holocaust denial. For those of us familiar with Soral’s eclectic political life, seeing him condemned is satisfying, and also instructive. Alain Soral’s career demonstrates how modern society—and even many Jews—misunderstand anti-Semitism.

Anti-Semitism used to be the big Jewish unifier. Jews were always fractious and quarrelsome, but when it came to anti-Semitism, everybody agreed. Anti-Semites hated us without distinction, so in the face of a common threat, we would recognize the danger and unite.

Today, many Jews are willing to overlook and even excuse anti-Semitism when the bigots hate a certain type of Jews. Folks on the right tend to overlook or minimize the threat of far-right anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Folks on the left tend to relativize the anti-Semitism of the far left and minimize the link between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

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