Letter to the Editor: Response to “Antisemitism is the Big Tent for Fools”

The following letter was sent to Yellow Scene Magazine. As with all Letters to the Editor, the views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publication.

Dear Editor,

I respond to the letter published on June 30 with the title, “Antisemitism is the Big Tent for Fools.” The author argues that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism; the former opposes the existence of the State of Israel while the latter is Jew-hatred. It is not that simple. For starters, Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people and is the only country in the world whose right to exist is questioned. And, it is the only country in the world where Jews constitute a majority of the population. At the outset, one must ask why there is this special animus – indeed hatred – against this one country. Could the fact that it is Jewish play any role in that hatred? I think so.

Second, Israel was established by a vote of the United Nations after the British Mandate to govern the area ended in 1947. Israel’s sovereignty has been recognized by the United States, the Soviet Union, and the European countries. In fact, 163 of the 192 members of the United Nations recognize it as a sovereign state. The countries that do not recognize Israel are Muslim countries and Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela. The Muslim countries, which are the most numerous among those that have not recognized Israel, simply do not want a Jewish country in an area that they believe should be all Muslim. In other words, no Jews allowed. That sounds like antisemitism to me.

The most important reason that demonstrates that anti-Zionism is antisemitism is reflected in the rhetoric of the so-called anti-Zionist, a rhetoric that basically calls for the extermination of the Jewish population of Israel. What does “from the river to the sea Palestine shall be free” mean other than the elimination of Jews? Iran has been an implacable foe of Israel since the Iranian revolution of 1979, calling for the elimination of the Jewish population in Israel, continually threatening Israel, and training and arming its terrorist armies (Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.) to carry out this genocide. That is what antizionism looks like on the ground – a bloodthirsty attempt to eliminate Jews. One need only look at the videos taken by Hamas terrorists on October 7. This was unadulterated Jew hatred in the guise of “resistance.” This is what “antizionists” are supporting, and it is antisemitism.

Israel has been a sovereign country for 78 years and has contributed mightily to the world in that time, as evidenced by Nobel prizes in many fields, stunning technological achievements, medical inventions, etc. It has tried in good faith to implement the UN resolutions calling for a two-state solution and has been rejected time after time. The Jewish residents are not going to leave the land and are not going to stop defending themselves from attacks. Those who call for its destruction are calling for continued violence and war. That’s a tragic mistake.

Sincerely,

Mark Loewenstein