Linda Goudsmit
The political purpose of anti-Semitism
By Linda Goudsmit
Anti-Semitism originated during biblical times when Jesus Christ, the most famous Jew in the world, left traditional Judaism to create a new religion. Christ's first century Jewish following was eventually expelled from the synagogues and Christianity established an identity separate from Rabbinic Judaism. Followers of Christ were called Christians and the original Jewish population was divided.
The Old Testament remained with the Jews and the New Testament belonged to the Christians. Jesus was a Nazarene and lived most of his life in the town of Nazareth in the province of the Galilee. Israel's history has been a continuous struggle for national sovereignty. Israel was invaded and occupied by Babylonians, Persians, Syrians, Greeks, and Romans but also enjoyed periods of sovereign self-rule under Hebrew Kings. At the time of Jesus the Romans occupied Israel.
During the time of Jesus Judaism was divided into four main groups. The Zealots were revolutionaries who chose a military option to free themselves from the Romans. The Sadducees were wealthy pragmatists who tried to negotiate and compromise with the Romans. The Pharisees chose spiritual purity and strict adherence to the Torah. The Essenes withdrew from the struggle by committing themselves to monastic life waiting for God to save them.
Jesus brought a form of non-violent resistance that resonated among the people and empowered them. During the time of Jesus politics and religion were deeply intertwined so his influential teachings and growing popularity were a threat to Rome and to traditional Judaism. Jesus was sentenced to death by Romans on the charge of political treason for claiming to be "King of the Jews." The Roman occupiers of Israel considered Jesus to be a political threat and the Jewish leaders considered him to be a religious threat. Both were responsible for his crucifixion yet the Gospel narratives only blame the Jews – it was the beginning of institutionalized anti-semitism for political purposes.
Early Christianity in the Roman empire was considered a sub-sect of Judaism. In 64 AD Emperor Nero blamed the Christians for the Great Fire of Rome and the scapegoating, persecution, and killing of Christians continued until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and proclaimed the Edict of Milan in 313 AD which insured benevolent treatment for Christians within the Roman Empire. Some consider the Edict of Milan a political pact between Romans and Christians to stabilize the country's growing instability. Monotheistic Christianity was incompatible with the traditional polytheistic "pagan" Roman religion but Christianity prevailed and became the official religion of Rome in 380 AD under Emperor Theodosius I. The persecution of Christian and non-Christian heretics followed.
Government sanctioned anti-semitism has been used for political purpose since Theodosius I. It is an extremely effective political tactic that deflects attention away from the government's own failures and focuses attention on the blamed target. Wikipedia lists some examples: The Rhineland massacres preceding the First Crusade in 1096, the Edict of Expulsion from England in 1290, the Massacre of Spanish Jews in 1391, the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion from Spain in 1492, the Cossack massacres in Ukraine from 1648-1657, various anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire from 1821-1906, the Dreyfus affair in France, the Holocaust in German-occupied Europe, official Soviet anti-Jewish policies, and Arab and Muslim involvement in the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries.
The political purpose of anti-semitism is to galvanize support for a political movement during times of social and political upheaval. Anti-semitism in America today is a variation on the deflection theme because it is not President Trump's administration that supports anti-semitism it is Obama's Leftist/Islamist axis legacy that is trying to depose President Trump. Obama's eight year radical socialist, anti-semitic, anti-American, pro-Muslim term encouraged Leftist/Islamist anti-semitism. After Hillary's stunning loss to President Trump the globalist elite Deep State continued funding Obama's anti-semitic "blame the Jew" policies through his "resistance" movement. The leftover Obama saboteurs and globalist advisors continue to foment the anti-semitism in Trump's government.
The current anti-semitism in America is being fomented to solidify the Leftist/Islamist axis and deflect public attention from the movement's anti-American platform and their intention to destroy American democracy. The concurrent restrictions on freedom of speech in the United States is being instigated by the Deep State's attempt to further destabilize and destroy President Trump's government.
Today the rise in anti-semitism worldwide and at home is a consequence of the globalist initiative that is relying on the Leftist/Islamist anti-semitic screeds that blame Israel and the Jews for the chaos in the world. Here we go again. It is the globalist elite – not the Jewish people – who require chaos for transformative change. The political purpose of the anti-semitism they foment is to deflect attention from their own intention to internationalize the world under their own dystopian rule of one-world government.
Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany's economic problems to galvanize support for the Reich and deflect attention from its expansionist goal to take over Europe and the world. Islam blames the Jews to galvanize support for the caliphate and deflect attention from its expansionist goal to impose sharia law worldwide. The Leftists blame the Jews in support of "social justice" and their identity politics. The activists of the Leftist/Islamist axis comprise the useful idiots for the globalist just like the Japanese were the useful idiots for Hitler. Hitler was an Aryan supremacist – does anyone actually believe Hitler's sincerity in naming the Japanese "honorary Aryans" or that Hitler would ever abide by any pact he made with them?
The current trend of anti-semitism fomented by the Leftist/Islamist axis is assaulting American separation of Church and State with its demands for political correctness, moral relativism, and historical revisionism. No one will be safe or protected if this continues because if the Leftist/Islamist axis is successful in dismantling the foundational principles of America they will eventually destroy American sovereignty.
For 241 years the United States remained a shining example of the intentional separation between Church and State. Tomorrow it may not be so. The conscious effort by our founding fathers' to disallow the intrusion of religion into politics has provided protection for America's diverse citizenry including its Jewish population. For the first time in United States history free speech is not protected. The First Amendment is being challenged by censorship and a preference for Islam disguised as political correctness. Any criticism of Islam is being labeled Islamophobic hate speech. Do Americans really want Islamic sharia law forbidding criticism of Islam to replace our First Amendment? I don't.
© Linda Goudsmit
September 25, 2017
Anti-Semitism originated during biblical times when Jesus Christ, the most famous Jew in the world, left traditional Judaism to create a new religion. Christ's first century Jewish following was eventually expelled from the synagogues and Christianity established an identity separate from Rabbinic Judaism. Followers of Christ were called Christians and the original Jewish population was divided.
The Old Testament remained with the Jews and the New Testament belonged to the Christians. Jesus was a Nazarene and lived most of his life in the town of Nazareth in the province of the Galilee. Israel's history has been a continuous struggle for national sovereignty. Israel was invaded and occupied by Babylonians, Persians, Syrians, Greeks, and Romans but also enjoyed periods of sovereign self-rule under Hebrew Kings. At the time of Jesus the Romans occupied Israel.
During the time of Jesus Judaism was divided into four main groups. The Zealots were revolutionaries who chose a military option to free themselves from the Romans. The Sadducees were wealthy pragmatists who tried to negotiate and compromise with the Romans. The Pharisees chose spiritual purity and strict adherence to the Torah. The Essenes withdrew from the struggle by committing themselves to monastic life waiting for God to save them.
Jesus brought a form of non-violent resistance that resonated among the people and empowered them. During the time of Jesus politics and religion were deeply intertwined so his influential teachings and growing popularity were a threat to Rome and to traditional Judaism. Jesus was sentenced to death by Romans on the charge of political treason for claiming to be "King of the Jews." The Roman occupiers of Israel considered Jesus to be a political threat and the Jewish leaders considered him to be a religious threat. Both were responsible for his crucifixion yet the Gospel narratives only blame the Jews – it was the beginning of institutionalized anti-semitism for political purposes.
Early Christianity in the Roman empire was considered a sub-sect of Judaism. In 64 AD Emperor Nero blamed the Christians for the Great Fire of Rome and the scapegoating, persecution, and killing of Christians continued until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and proclaimed the Edict of Milan in 313 AD which insured benevolent treatment for Christians within the Roman Empire. Some consider the Edict of Milan a political pact between Romans and Christians to stabilize the country's growing instability. Monotheistic Christianity was incompatible with the traditional polytheistic "pagan" Roman religion but Christianity prevailed and became the official religion of Rome in 380 AD under Emperor Theodosius I. The persecution of Christian and non-Christian heretics followed.
Government sanctioned anti-semitism has been used for political purpose since Theodosius I. It is an extremely effective political tactic that deflects attention away from the government's own failures and focuses attention on the blamed target. Wikipedia lists some examples: The Rhineland massacres preceding the First Crusade in 1096, the Edict of Expulsion from England in 1290, the Massacre of Spanish Jews in 1391, the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition, the expulsion from Spain in 1492, the Cossack massacres in Ukraine from 1648-1657, various anti-Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire from 1821-1906, the Dreyfus affair in France, the Holocaust in German-occupied Europe, official Soviet anti-Jewish policies, and Arab and Muslim involvement in the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries.
The political purpose of anti-semitism is to galvanize support for a political movement during times of social and political upheaval. Anti-semitism in America today is a variation on the deflection theme because it is not President Trump's administration that supports anti-semitism it is Obama's Leftist/Islamist axis legacy that is trying to depose President Trump. Obama's eight year radical socialist, anti-semitic, anti-American, pro-Muslim term encouraged Leftist/Islamist anti-semitism. After Hillary's stunning loss to President Trump the globalist elite Deep State continued funding Obama's anti-semitic "blame the Jew" policies through his "resistance" movement. The leftover Obama saboteurs and globalist advisors continue to foment the anti-semitism in Trump's government.
The current anti-semitism in America is being fomented to solidify the Leftist/Islamist axis and deflect public attention from the movement's anti-American platform and their intention to destroy American democracy. The concurrent restrictions on freedom of speech in the United States is being instigated by the Deep State's attempt to further destabilize and destroy President Trump's government.
Today the rise in anti-semitism worldwide and at home is a consequence of the globalist initiative that is relying on the Leftist/Islamist anti-semitic screeds that blame Israel and the Jews for the chaos in the world. Here we go again. It is the globalist elite – not the Jewish people – who require chaos for transformative change. The political purpose of the anti-semitism they foment is to deflect attention from their own intention to internationalize the world under their own dystopian rule of one-world government.
Hitler blamed the Jews for Germany's economic problems to galvanize support for the Reich and deflect attention from its expansionist goal to take over Europe and the world. Islam blames the Jews to galvanize support for the caliphate and deflect attention from its expansionist goal to impose sharia law worldwide. The Leftists blame the Jews in support of "social justice" and their identity politics. The activists of the Leftist/Islamist axis comprise the useful idiots for the globalist just like the Japanese were the useful idiots for Hitler. Hitler was an Aryan supremacist – does anyone actually believe Hitler's sincerity in naming the Japanese "honorary Aryans" or that Hitler would ever abide by any pact he made with them?
The current trend of anti-semitism fomented by the Leftist/Islamist axis is assaulting American separation of Church and State with its demands for political correctness, moral relativism, and historical revisionism. No one will be safe or protected if this continues because if the Leftist/Islamist axis is successful in dismantling the foundational principles of America they will eventually destroy American sovereignty.
For 241 years the United States remained a shining example of the intentional separation between Church and State. Tomorrow it may not be so. The conscious effort by our founding fathers' to disallow the intrusion of religion into politics has provided protection for America's diverse citizenry including its Jewish population. For the first time in United States history free speech is not protected. The First Amendment is being challenged by censorship and a preference for Islam disguised as political correctness. Any criticism of Islam is being labeled Islamophobic hate speech. Do Americans really want Islamic sharia law forbidding criticism of Islam to replace our First Amendment? I don't.
© Linda Goudsmit
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
