Antisemitism
23 March 2026
Antisemitism has now become acceptable and even “stylish”. I apologize for writing so little about it.
This is from Michigan’s State Representative Noah Arbit:
Antisemitism operates differently than other prejudices. It is a flexible conspiracy theory that sees “the Jews” as behind any geopolitical conflict, economic injustice, social ill, or cultural rot – dealer’s choice.
In the Middle Ages, antisemitism attacked Jews as Christ-killers. In the 20th century it attacked Jews as racial pollutants on society. Today, it attacks Jews as an illegitimate sovereign nation, as in the State of Israel.
As I see it, the most common antisemitic conspiracy today is that Israeli interests control the U.S. government – through the Jewish diaspora, American synagogues, organizations like HIAS and political outfits like AIPAC.
This matters because the attack on Temple Israel should not be understood as an attempt to quote “prevent Jews from worshipping in peace,” but as someone attacking Temple Israel because it is proudly Zionist congregation and support the State of Israel.
When someone attacks a Jewish synagogue because they oppose Israel’s military actions, that’s antisemitism. When someone vandalizes a Jewish-owned business because they oppose Israel’s leaders, that’s antisemitism. When someone hounds and harasses Jewish elected officials because we refuse to disavow our support for Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, that’s antisemitism.
To be clear, no one is saying it’s antisemitic to criticize Israel. There are many sane and rational ways one can engage in critical conversations and debate about Israeli policies, politicians, or even the nature of American foreign policy toward Israel, as there is about any country, without invoking conspiracies that endanger Jews. But too many influential voices are actively choosing to speak recklessly and whip up hate against Jews, radicalizing far too many people, especially young people.
Like many Americans, I believe Vladimir Putin’s Russia to be a criminal terrorist state, but when was the last time someone bombed a Russian Orthodox Church, vandalized a Russian Cultural Center, or beat up a Russian restaurant owner because they oppose Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine? It doesn’t happen. So why is it regularly happening to Jews all across America?
All Jews, no matter what we think of Israel, its leaders, and its policies, are deserving of equal treatment under the law and equal treatment in civic, economic, social, cultural, and academic spaces. Anything else is pure, vile, dangerous antisemitism.
The relationship between hate speech and hate violence is cause and effect. The more anti-Jewish hate speech and anti-Zionist conspiracies are normalized and mainstreamed, the easier it becomes for more people to view all Jews, collectively, as legitimate targets for violence. That means: condemning and marginalizing antisemitic rhetoric literally acts to counter violence. Conversely, when people are silent or permissive in response to antisemitism, or worse, actually feed antisemitic conspiracies, they are complicit in establishing a permission structure for further violence against Jews.
The public and political leaders alike have a crucial responsibility to dial down their rhetoric, to take their rhetoric out of the space of conspiracy, and into the space of legitimate political debate. For example, saying “I vehemently oppose the policies AIPAC pushes and believe it has too much influence in Congress” has a profoundly different tone and impact than “Zionists control the entire U.S. government, and we must quash their influence.” One is a subject for debate, and the other engages in wholesale conspiracy that endangers Jews.
This crisis of antisemitism and anti-Jewish violence we face did not arrive overnight. It arrived through the passivity and silence of far too many individuals and institutions.
Here are some examples of antisemitism that I am calling out, and others should too:
When the employees of a Detroit bagel store quit because the owner is Jewish or has political beliefs they disagree with, that’s antisemitism.
When residents of Dearborn shut down a store because of its Israeli roots, that’s antisemitism.
When Palestinians and their supporters threaten Jewish students and institutions on campus, that’s antisemitism.
When public officials support these actions, as some have done repeatedly, that’s antisemitism.
Yes, I support free speech, but that does not include attacking or threatening individuals who may disagree with you. That is immoral and may be criminal. For students, it is also misconduct that should subject them to the disciplinary code of the institution.
My political blog focuses on what you can or should do to make the world a better place and yourself a better person. I have another blog on Cancer and Medicine.
I read all your comments (except hate speech) and try to respond briefly, although I can’t keep up a long conversation.
The index to my political essays since 5 November 2024 is here.
What you can do today:
Follow me at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nat-pernick-8967765
Threads or Instagram: npernickmich
BlueSky: natpernick.bsky.social
Email me at Nat@PathologyOutlines.com.
I also publish Notes at https://substack.com/note. Subscribers will automatically see my notes.
palestine will be free