I can deal with antisemites. The Torah describes antisemitism in detail in the tochacha and reminds us what happens to us when we don’t behave ourselves. The Torah clearly defines good vs evil as we are introduced to Cain and Abel, and with them, the pattern is established. Yishmael hates Yitzchak. Esav hates Yaakov, while Amalek hates Bnei Yisroel. When I see lowlifes ripping down posters of abducted hostages, I remind myself that these losers are simply filling the evil role of Amalekites.
We know we are hated. We know that the news is skewed against us. We’ve come to accept that terrorists are routinely referred to as “freedom fighters” because of the blatant double standard against Israel. We understand that the days of Walter Cronkite delivering the news – as opposed to current newscasters commenting on it – are long gone. (There’s a good reason he was voted the most trusted man in America.)
What is harder for so many Jews to adequately come to terms with isn’t the bias. It’s the blatant misjustice, the flat out lying and false narrative pervading social media and beyond.
For instance, the BBC continued to run with the story that Israel bombed the Gaza hospital even after it was immediately confirmed that it was in fact due to a Hamas’s failed rocket launch. Not only do they not castigate Hamas, but worse, they accused Israel.
This is a blatant lie that gets perpetuated ad infinitum.
A Hamas spokesman denied that any civilians, only soldiers, were killed while the English broadcaster stood dumbfounded as he weaved his lies. Finally she retorted, “How can you say that? Look at the videos of those children!” His response? “Those are Palestinian children!” What a sad joke.
Today the press ran with a photo of a Palestinian man shot dead on the road. The caption reads “IDF kills innocent civilian.” The truth? The man simply asked the IDF soldier a question and was killed by Hamas terrorists. Another lie.
A large percentage of people who hate Israel (not your average antisemite) are ignorant and misinformed. Social media is replete with millions of Jew haters, not to mention Islamic-backed terror groups who spend millions releasing biased videos against Israel. Naturally, their target is the Jew but it’s much easier to hate when it’s cloaked in social justice.
So how are we to deal with the fact that no matter how hard we try, and no matter how much proof exists, nobody really cares. How do we, the people of the Book, who preach and search out truth, deal with blatant falsehood at practically every turn.
The French philosopher and novelist Jean-Paul Sarte said it best: “Never believe that antisemites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The antisemites have the right to play.” And play they do.
At the end of the day, the Jew-haters aren’t looking for a logical explanation to resolve the issues at hand. Rather, they are looking for an opportunity to grasp onto any belief or cause that condones hatred against Jews. What is couched as a legitimate concern for a social cause and justice is just another opportunity to castigate and spew anti-Israel vitriol.
The reason the lies hurt is because we are the people of the Book and we value truth above all. The Torah charges us “Justice, justice, you shall pursue.”
Case in point:
When Madoff did wrong, rather than defend a vile crook, Jews wanted him tried and brought to justice. When O.J. Simpson did wrong, most blacks polled said he was innocent, even in the face of all of the evidence, not to mention his previous abuse towards Nichole Brown.
The Torah establishes the golden standard of truth. Lying is bad. A judge cannot favor the wealthy, nor have more mercy on the poor when rendering justice. The seal of Hashem is truth. Moshe Emes V’soraso emes. When we buy kosher food, we trust that it has been schechted correctly, cooked and prepared according to halacha. When we purchase an esrog without a pitom, we trust the person selling it to us is being truthful.
Yaakov did not want to lie to his father Yitzchak, nor did Rivkah want him to. However, his brother’s essence was lying, so he had to literally fight fire with fire. Besides, he had bought the birthright from Eisav. This very sleight of hand was also utilized in his dealings with Lavan, the master of deception.
Eisav is compared to a pig, which is known to have split hooves, but it does not chew its cud, often giving the impression that it is kosher when it is, in fact, it’s anything but.
The fact that the Muslim media can lie to such a degree is no more shocking than the horrible atrocities they shamefully committed openly, even joyfully.
So how do we process the blatant lies and hatred fostered against Israel by… well, practically everyone, except of course, the very few who support Israel. First, we accept that no matter what we say, the listener isn’t interested in truth. He wants to hate. Plain and simple. How do I, a minority who is hated for no other reason other than that I am part of God’s chosen people, process the repetitive lies?
I remind myself that being on the right side of history rarely puts you in the majority. Jews might have been the weak minority during the Holocaust, but I still haven’t met a Jew who if given the choice, Holocaust survivors included,would rather be a Nazi. Why? Because our souls would rather die than live with the thought of exterminating and torturing women, children and innocent people.
The fact that we are the minority, facing baseless hatred from practically every corner of the world should only empower us. God has never let us down, and He never will. Thousands of years of our history only reinforce this fact. Knowing this means that we should hardly be shaken when the world is against us. The haters are playing their role to the hilt. Our job is to stay focused, ignore the haters and continue to connect with Hashem viz a viz mitzvot, the foolproof antidote to all bad things in the world. This very distinction that we are a nation that dwells alone shouldn’t be a source of pain for us. On the contrary. It should empower us!
Avi Ciment lives in Florida and is a longtime columnist for The Jewish Press. He lectures throughout the world and has just finished his second book, “Real Questions Real Answers.” He can be reached at www.AviTalks.com.
