It’s no use using facts to fight antisemitism - The Jewish Chronicle

Passover is the Jewish celebration of freedom and the birth of our nation, but it also marks the point of departure for over 3,330 years of antisemitism. The arguments used by Pharaoh to incite hatred against his Hebrew guests (such as accusing them of being a disloyal fifth column), and the measures he took (genocide through the extermination of all baby males) set the standard for countless oppressors who have followed in his footsteps.

I don’t intend to make anyone fighting against antisemitism despair, including myself, especially since we are still here, while what is left of the pharaohs are interesting artifacts in museums. However, this context is important to set realistic expectations: antisemitism is not going anywhere and will not be eradicated in the foreseeable future.

However, we can and should think of new strategies to cope with antisemitism, as the current approaches are obviously failing. This failure is based on two major false assumptions. The first is the belief that echoing facts about the October 7 atrocities on social media can sway opinions and nurture empathy and counteract antisemitism. This approach often overlooks the contextual and narrative frameworks at play in the minds of those we are trying to influence. For example, neo-Marxist power structure theories influence many young Westerners, while young Muslims may hold misconceptions about Judaism (and, in fact, about Islam as well). Bombarding them with facts is useless without tackling the core narratives driving their antisemitism.

The second assumption is that highlighting Jewish suffering due to antisemitism will roll back the cause of this suffering. Most of these activities are not only ineffective but also counterproductive. For example, Jewish billionaire Robert Kraft has committed $25 million to make TV commercials to raise awareness about antisemitism and hate, including one during the Super Bowl that featured rapper Snoop Dogg and former NFL player Tom Brady holding a shouting match to call out hate.

Last year another commercial portrayed a non-Jew showing empathy to a Jewish woman by cleaning antisemitic graffiti off of her garage door. Similarly, many campaigns target the black community in an attempt to harness its support for a fellow persecuted minority.

According to research (see, for example, the excellent work done by Boundless Israel) these campaigns have the opposite effect. Despite an unprecedented wave of antisemitism since World War II, Jews are still one of the most successful, wealthy and powerful minorities in the US and globally. Trying to portray them as powerless victims and asking for the support of minorities who indeed have much less power (and could not even dream of purchasing 60 seconds on Super Bowl night to advocate for their group) is not only futile, but actually turns those groups off.
Going back to Passover, let us learn from what Moses did in the face of the first antisemitic tyrant. He did not argue about the facts but rather put forward an alternative story with universal implications (monotheism); and he did not beg for his people’s lives but rather projected power.

No, I do not suggest we pray for plagues to shower upon the heads of those who hate us. In fact, I suggest we spend much less time, money and energy on them. First and foremost, an effective strategy in this field is offering our own narrative, such as emphasising that Jews are indigenous to the Middle East, defenders of its minorities (Kurds, Druze and more), and global partners with followers of authentic Islam in their fight against the tyranny and radicalism displayed by Iran, Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood and their various proxies.

The second part of an effective strategy would be prioritising investment in our allies over street-fighting with our enemies online. If one were to tell our ancestors from just three or four generations ago about the scope and diversity of our current allies, they would not believe it.

Our allies span Japanese groups who believe they are descendants of the lost tribes to Chinese and Koreans who admire the Start Up Nation; South Asian Muslims; Hindus; a significant number of Middle-Eastern Muslims; African tribes; large parts of the Christian world, and more.

Yet, we know very little about what motivates these allies and what holds others back from joining them. What we do know, however, is that a lot of the support and attraction stem from the cultural and religious context of the Jewish people. We need to better understand who the allies of the Jewish people are, map them, understand their motivations and propose measures for further cultivating the existing allies while expanding this circle.

After 33 centuries of antisemitism, the last 20 of which – until 1948 – were spent in exile, trying to survive in isolation, the time has come to change the perception of ourselves and of the other. Unlike most nations, we have lost the organisational tradition of working with friends as powerful and equal allies because for so long we had almost no friends.

Unfortunately, we are still stuck in that mindset and, as a result, are not allocating adequate resources to the groups seeking our partnership with outstretched hands. Let us reach back to them and fight hatred together.

Rabbi Levi is managing director of the Ohr Torah Interfaith Centre. He spoke at the Contemporary Antisemitism conference held in London earlier this month

Topics:

Antisemitism