James Lileks on anti-semitism

[Abdul Alhazred]

Lileks of the Minneapolis Star, but also a syndicated columnist.

And a blogger:
THEN THEY CAME FOR THE, UH , MORAVIANS, BUT I WAS NOT A MORAVIAN
http://www.lileks.com/screedblog/05/08/080805.html#081005

We’re often told that Islamic terrorism has an exact mirror in Christian-inspired extremism. Sure, there are thousands of jihadis killing and maiming people of all creeds and colors, but look at Timothy McVeigh! Can’t; he’s compost now. But when he was alive he wasn’t shouldering aside old ladies to make morning Mass; McVeigh was one of those pathetic Aryan pagans who would have beat up Jesus for his dusky hue. What about that abortion bomber guy, Eric Rudolph? Sorry; he calls himself a disciple of Nietzsche. Well, what about the Crusades? And Dresden? Fine. Drop us a line when someone drives a 737 into the Sears Tower on behalf of a bygone Pope and General Eisenhower.

It turns out, however, that there are similarities. There is something the Islamic extremists and some Christian groups share: they agree that Israel is the problem. ...

 

[Skeptic]

From that link:

The right and the left take turns deciding who’s going to be anti-semetic this century. For some time now the hard left in the West has led the charge against the Jews – or, as the sleight-of-hand term has it, the Zionists. The adolescent spirits of the left love nothing more than a revolution, a story of a scrappy underdog rising up against a colonizing power, and the Palestinians, with their romantically-masked fighters and thrilling weapon-brandishing, fit the bill. Plus, there’s something so deliciously naughty and transgressive about calling Jews the new Nazis – if it feels that good, it must be right.

Doesn’t matter that one side is a liberal democracy that grants rights to women and non-Jews, and the other side has thugs and assassins for rulers and sends its kids to summer camps where they learn the joys of good ol’ fashioned Jew-killin’; doesn’t matter at all. According to the script of the hard left, Israel was created when some Europeans (hisssss) invaded the sovereign nation of Palestine, even though we all know the Jewish homeland is somewhere outside of Passaic. Then for no reason Israel invaded the West Bank and Gaza – which for some reason had not been set up as New Palestine by the Egyptians and the Jordanians, but never mind – and made everyone stand in line and get frisked. Those who joined the line in ‘67 are just getting through now. Evil Zionists.

Don’t tell the Presbyterian council about Tibet or the Sudan. It would absolutely ruin their day.

 

[Cleon]

*sigh* more of the same...

Blah blah blah...Anti-Israel = anti-semitism, blah blah blah, communists, blah blah blah, how dare they side with terrorists...Blah blah blah

 

[CapelDodger]

THEN THEY CAME FOR THE, UH , MORAVIANS, BUT I WAS NOT A MORAVIAN

Something that is often missed in the Israeli context is that the Palestinians didn't come for the Jews - the zionists went to Palestine to take it from them. This quote - "When they came for me, there was nobody left to speak out ..." - speaks to all people and all times. Islamist terrorism isn't about anti-semitism, and quite vocally so - it's against all of us. Anti-zionism isn't about Jews it's about zionists - but they claim authority over all Jews, and why wouldn't ignorant people believe them?

Israel isn't a problem to fundamentalist Christians, to them the problem is that there are Jews not going back there to fulfill their role in the End Days. They're ready for Rapture, and the Jews are holding up the train.

 

[Ziggurat]

Lileks of the Minneapolis Star, but also a syndicated columnist.

And a blogger:

His web site seems to be down right now, at least from where I am. But he's great. I also really like his Institute of Official Cheer. One of the funniest places on the web. My favorite there is the "Gallery of Regrettable Foods".