Ask the Rabbi

  • Family and Society
  • The State and Government of Israel

The Current PM and Antisemitism

undefined

Rabbi Ari Shvat

Elul 6, 5779
Question
Does Prime Minister Netanyahu (with all due respect) cause Antisemitism? Why or why not?
Answer
Historically, we find that anti-semites don't need a reason for their hate. The communists hated us saying we're capatalists, while in the US some hated us accusing us to be communists. If in the 20th century Jews were still being arrested for blood-libels, even though those same Jews wouldn't even eat an egg which has even one drop of blood, to say we use blood in our matza is as illogical as saying the world is flat. Even in Nazi Germany, many blamed the Jews for their own torture, so how can we take them seriously. I'm not the biggest fan of Prime Minister Netanyahu, but any time Israel or our leadership stands up to defend ourselves from our enemies, there are those that see this as a justification for their anti-Semitism. Netanyahu's eloquent expression of Israel's problems, just like Israel's success in high-tech, brings both supporters to applaud and those who oppose to hate. More importantly, Ben-Gurion said that Zionism and Israeli Independence is to stop fearing and worrying so much what the gentiles say about us, and first think and do what's really good for the Jews!
את המידע הדפסתי באמצעות אתר yeshiva.org.il