(JEWISH GROUP) What Anti-Semitism in America Looks Like From Israel

[question everything]

2. I think that every person reacts based on childhood memories

In the first years of Israel, the greatest hawks were Holocaust survivors. The "never again." Even during the recent war in Lebanon - 2006? some survivors were reminded of the Holocaust.

For them, the threats from the neighbors, from the Palestinians in the territories is anti-Semitism.

Most Israelis, born and raised there, are not familiar with "classic" anti-Semitism. They cannot begin to understand why someone would tolerate going to public school and being told that they "killed god." They cannot understand why American Jews do not react violently for "Jews will not replace us." They know how they'd react. I think that Meir Kahane was trying to build resistance to local anti-Semitism.

I am not sure whether describing the reaction of American Jews as frightened is the correct one. At least, I think that the reaction to Charlottesville was more of an anger and disgust.

It is like reacting to a bully: are you going to complain to the teacher, or are you going to punch his face?

Different places, different lives, different experience.