Conspiracy theories are what make Jew-hatred unique, says Deborah Lipstadt
(December 18, 2022 / JNS) The US State Department’s spokesperson on Jew-hatred says there is a key element in anti-Semitism that differentiates it from other types of hatred. It’s the conspiracy theory.
‘You can’t really grasp what anti-Semitism is, even if you care a lot about it,’ unless you understand what makes hatred of Jews unique, says special envoy Deborah Lipstadt of the State Department to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. – Shabbat briefing on Friday.
“If it’s someone you hate, you just want to keep them down and keep them out of your life and keep them in their box. But if it’s someone who’s in control, you have to stop them by any means necessary because they’re damaging your own well-being,” she said in a chat with agent Shelley Greenspan. White House liaison to the Jewish community.
“Whether it’s ‘death con 3’ or ‘any means necessary’, stop them for my own survival. And that’s what we see in a lot of the anti-Semitic rhetoric we see, with attacks and efforts anti-Semites,” Lipstadt continued.
Death con 3 was a reference to one of the many threats made against the Jewish community by rapper Kanye “Ye” West.
Lipstadt, a well-known and often referenced scholar and historian, told those listening to Zoom that the key to combating anti-Semitism goes beyond her own expertise.
“It’s going to sound a little strange as someone who has done her whole life” as an educator, she said. “Education is of crucial importance, but education cannot go further. You can be well educated and still be an anti-Semite.
Lipstadt pointed to the fact that of the four Nazi Einsatzgruppen, or mobile killing units, best known for their role in the systematic murder of Jews in mass shooting operations on Soviet territory, three were led by people PhD holders.
She pointed to a government-promoted approach of tolerance that seeps into the home, as well as vocal support from communal leaders, as keys to reducing hatred of Jews.
While Lipstadt spoke in general terms about this month’s White House roundtable on anti-Semitism, Greenspan explained the need for last week’s announcement of an interagency government task force to combat anti-Semitism. hatred of Jews, as well as Islamophobia and other forms of prejudice.
“Many individual organizations currently play a role in the fight against anti-Semitism. But closer coordination is needed to share best practices, data intelligence and also to identify gaps in some of our efforts,” she said. “We also need to streamline overlapping activities and roles to truly execute a national strategy. And this does not mean that in the first months we will solve the problem of anti-Semitism, but it will allow us to approach the problem in a much more effective way.
Greenspan added that the biggest challenge in combating anti-Semitism at the federal level has been the lack of coordination between different agencies, and sounded a note of hope that the White House effort could lead to results. tangible.
“In terms of the work that I do on anti-Semitism, I speak individually to the Department of Education, to the Department of Homeland Security, but I’ve noticed a lot of them don’t speak to each other,” she said. “And often it’s a lot of Jewish community leaders who introduce me to my counterparts from different agencies, because they have really good contacts.”
Lipstadt took the opportunity to talk about his recent trips to London, Brussels, Paris, Strasbourg, South Africa and Morocco. She said many of the problems facing Jews in the US started in the UK, including problems on college campuses and with the BDS movement.
She also spoke of an encouraging encounter with younger members of London’s Jewish community, following a screening of a play at the Royal Court Theater called ‘Jews. In Their Own Words,” drawn from interviews with a dozen Jews who had been deeply affected by the anti-Semitism they experienced in the Labor Party under Jeremy Corbyn.
“Not only did I see the play, but I then participated in a round table with the actors and the people they portrayed. And it was very strong to understand a kind of anti-Semitism that we sometimes don’t pay attention to. But it was very taxing for them,” Lipstadt said.
She said a meeting in October with anti-Semitic envoys from the European Union and affiliated countries led to calls for a follow-up summit.
Lipstadt concluded the discussion of his travels on a somber note, recounting a meeting in a synagogue with a dozen representatives of the “small but very strong Jewish community” in Strasbourg, a city whose Jews have had a horrific history.
“One of them told me half jokingly, very, very half, that around this table are just pessimists and children of pessimists. And I looked up and waited. And he said, ‘The optimist didn’t survive.’ It was a chilling remark,” Lipstadt said. “Much of Jewish humor is dark.”