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October 7, 2023 forever changed Jewish history. The cataclysm is so profound that it will take years to fully understand. Time froze on that day. It is still October 7. We have not yet moved on. Our anguish is too raw, our fear and uncertainty too pervasive. We are still traumatized, unable to truly begin the healing process until the most intense fighting ceases and the danger is lifted.
For American Jews, the past year exposed the persistence of Jew-hatred constantly bubbling under the surface of Western societies that we thought was mostly suppressed. It is not that we were oblivious to the still-existing hostility. We remember the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre well. We vividly recall the "Jews will not replace us" chants from Charlottesville. But in terms of our daily routines, most of us related to Jew-hatred as we relate to our own mortality: We know it is inevitable, but we convince ourselves that, somehow, it will not happen to me.
One of the saddest developments since October 7 is the shock experienced by American Jews, who, for the first time in their lives, are encountering pervasive antisemitism. The realization that age-old hatreds are still alive and kicking, even in America, thrust American Jews into a crisis of confidence. We are beginning to hear eerie echoes of Europe, the haunting howls of hatred that brought our ancestors to these shores in the first place.
The nexus between anti-Zionism and antisemitism is now much clearer. Leaving aside the philosophical discussion of whether anti-Zionism, by definition, constitutes antisemitism, the effect if not the intent of anti-Zionism is to generate intense hostility to Judaism and Jews themselves. How trippingly on the tongue do the words "From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free" transform into "gas the Jews," "kill the Jews," "cleanse the world of Jews." How naturally does hatred of Israel mutate into hatred of Jews. How easily do anti-Israel passions lead to violence against Jews and Jewish institutions.
Israel's enemies have made the obscenity of anti-Zionism into a virtue: Israel stands in the way of human progress. To struggle against it is to struggle for freedom, goodness, justice and righteousness. This is classic antisemitism. Its roots run very deep. Antisemitism always centers on the collective Jew. That is why atheist, secular, religious, ultra-liberal and ultra-conservative Jews from every part of Europe all met at Auschwitz. That is why atheist, secular, religious, ultra-liberal, ultra-conservative, advocates of two states and opponents of two states were all slaughtered and kidnapped on October 7. Israelis who devoted their lives to coexistence with Palestinians, who advocated and acted on their behalf, were also brutally murdered. It didn't matter what they actually believed. No one asked. They were viewed in terms of their proximity to the Jewish collective.
Israel's enemies have tried to portray her as genocidal for decades, since genocide is the ultimate evil of our times. To accuse the Jews—the victims of genocide—is to justify genocide against them. It is Holocaust denial in its sickest form. It empties the word "genocide" of meaning.
Antisemites always accused the Jews of the very acts they intended for us. The Nazis accused the Jews of wanting to destroy German civilization—hence the Jewish people needed to be destroyed first, as an act of self-preservation.
Criticizing Jewish organizations, opposing Israeli policies, advocating for Palestinians, protesting the carnage of war—these are all legitimate. But American Jews will not debate whether the Jewish state, of all the countries of the world, has a right to exist. We will not debate whether we have a right to national dignity and self-determination. If we cannot persuade you to leave us alone, we will defend ourselves. What other choice is there? We have already tried everything else. The days of prostrating before marauding murderers are over.
Wherever individual Jews decide to live, Israel is the last stop for the Jewish people. There is nowhere else to go. We are open to all discussions related to coexistence. We will not debate with you national suicide.
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is the senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
