The hate is on

Anti-Semitism is very much alive in this, our 21st century. Nazism is far from dead in both Europe and America, a fact that recent newspaper accounts have confirmed. The wild-eyed Fred Phelps family of Topeka, Kan., has organized the Westboro Church, whose chief “religious” drive was to demonize both Jews and Judaism. This was in 1955. The church membership consists largely of family members, whose current oracle is Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of the fearful Fred.

This Phelps-gang has been pouring its vitriol from New York to California. They place themselves in front of synagogues, carrying colorful sings that read “God hates Jews,” “God hates Israel,” “The Jews killed Jesus,” among other such morsels of theological certitude. A recent article in the Jewish weekly, Forward, describes the differences among Jewish leadership groups on the question of how to deal with the poisonous activities of Phelps-type mobs. One view is not to react to them at all inasmuch as that would play into the hands of their passionate quest for attention and publicity. The other view is completely opposite. Mordechai Levy, director of the Jewish Defense Organization, is quoted as saying, “The price of silence 60 years ago was 6 million murdered Jews.”

From the perspective of a lifelong student of Jewish history, I believe that silence is not golden when it comes to Judeo-phobia. Many were the Jews of Germany who, after Hitler came to power, were dispensing assurances that “this too shall pass,” that the Nazi rise  to leadership was bound to be shortlived and that the patriotic Jews of Germany should be careful not to offend their legally elected government. Throughout the history of our people we find similar opinions as to how Jews should behave even under the evil yoke of Jew-hating political leadership. “Pray for the welfare of royalty,” said a Talmudic rabbi, “for if not for the fear it imposes, each man would just as soon swallow another’s life.”

When I considered a possible theme for a series of three lectures, I concluded that a deeper look into the modern history of anti-Semitism would serve an important purpose to the audience. The first lecture was on “The Dreyfus Affair.” It was delivered on Sept. 30 at the Lamar location of Beth Shalom. I will be offering the second talk on the nerve-rattling spectacle of anti-Semitism during the so-called “Damascus Affair” in the year 1840. The date is 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. In so many ways Santayana was so right in saying: “They who will not learn from history are bound to repeat it.” You are cordially invited to learn from history.

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