The joke is as old as the hills.
A Chinese man and his Jewish friend were walking along one day when the Jewish man whirled and slugged the Chinese man and knocked him down. “What was that for?” the Chinese man asked. “That was for Pearl Harbor!” the Jewish man said. “Pearl Harbor? That was the Japanese. I’m Chinese.” “Chinese, Japanese, you are all the same!” “Oh!” They continued walking and after a while the Chinese man whirled and knocked the Jewish man to the ground. “What was that for?” the Jewish man asked. “That was for the Titanic!” “The Titanic? That was an iceberg.” “Iceberg, Goldberg, you are all the same.”
Like Haman, Hitler, Hamas, and Ahmadinejad would certainly agree. It made no difference what kind of Jew they wanted to kill. Old, young, male, female, straight, gay, Haredi, Hassidic, Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Humanistic, Reconstructionist, Ortho-form, Re-conservadox–you name it. Our enemies really don’t care what we call ourselves.
Whenever I read about religious politics of “Who is a Jew?” in Israel, I often think about anti-Semites impassioned hatred for all Jews–regardless whether their names are “Iceberg,” or “Goldberg.” However, today it is no longer fashionable to be “anti-Jewish,” it is much more avant garde to be “anti-Zionist.”
How quaint.
Whenever you think of the 100,000 missiles in Lebanon aimed at Israel, know that Hezbollah really wants to destroy “Zionists,” and not “Jews” who live in Israel.
Whenever you hear how Iranian mullahs want to “nuke” Israel, they really want to just get at the “Zionists,” and not hurt the Jews, right?
When a terrorist attack strikes a kindergarten in Israel, the terrorists are only trying to kill “Zionists,” and not Jews, right?
Isn’t funny that in any future Palestinian State, Jews will not be allowed to live within its borders–but only Israel practices “apartheid,” right?
Nazi-war criminals lived a celebrity style of life in Egypt, like the world’s most-wanted Nazi war criminal, concentration camp doctor Aribert Heim. He died in Cairo in 1992. The report said Heim was living under a pseudonym and had converted to Islam by the time of his death from intestinal cancer.
Countless Nazi war-criminals went to the Arab countries because they were anti-Zionist, right?
As one friend of mine explained the problem:
We refuse to acknowledge the Jews as a people, and think they are only a religion. We do not have an answer to how people who do NOT practice the Jewish religion can still be regarded as Jews. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.
We think that all peoples have the right to self-determination, except Jews, and including even the make-pretend Palestinian “people”. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.
We hate it when people blame the victims, except of course when people blame the Jews for the jihads and terrorist campaigns against them. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.
We think the only country in the Middle East that is a fascist anti-democratic one is the one that has free elections. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.
We demand that the only country in the Middle East with free speech, free press, or free courts be destroyed. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.
We oppose military aggression, except when it is directed at Israel. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.
We really understand suicide bombers who murder bus loads of Jewish children and we insist that their demands be met in full. But that does not mean we have anything against Jews as such.
The moral of our story can best be summed up in the words of Shakespeare:
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet . . .
Next time you read or hear about someone being “anti-Zionist,” remember that what the anti-Semites choose to call themselves really doesn’t alter their ontological hatred of the Jewish people. It is unfortunate that the Hamans of the world continue to live because they are in a sense, archetypes of the darkest regions of the human soul. They will continue to create havoc and mayhem unto an apathetic world because that is what they do best. For such souls of chaos, the Jew will remain their eternal foe.
But surely it’s possible to criticise Israel without being anti-Semitic? Surely it’s possible to argue for a Palestinian state without being anti-Semitic? When Israel was first founded, plenty of Orthodox Jews opposed the Zionist movement and the idea of a nation state for Israel – were they anti-Semitic? I agree that there’s a real risk of smuggling in anti-Semitism under the guise of anti-Zionism, but isn’t there also a risk of shutting down important political debates by accusing anyone who is critical of of Israel of anti-Semitism?
Of course! Israel is not beyond criticism–but that applies especially to the Palestinians. Israelis always engage in self-critiquing and introspective debates. The Palestinians seldom ever look at themselves with any kind introspective reflection–and the Western world completely enables this kind of cynical behavior, giving them a free-pass.
Personally, I think the easing of checkpoints in the West Bank has contributed greatly to the Palestinian economic revival. The rhetoric that is still heard is as Nazi-esque as it has ever been, but things are improving.
Hamastan? Oy … Blame Iran their tragedy.