THE VIRUS OF ANTI-SEMITISM

Mike Lyons
May 9
6 min read

The Goal of Anti-Semitism

The ultimate goal of anti-Semitism is the elimination of the Jews. In 1933, Hitler pursued his program to rid the world of the “Jewish pest”, executing his ruthless “final solution” to accomplish the total destruction of the Jewish people. What causes this virus? The “crime” of the Jews was their values and their success.

By way of a few examples, between 1921 and 1925, 45% of students admitted to New York City medical schools were Jewish. In 1933, almost half of Berlin’s doctors were Jews. Globally 29% of all Nobel prize winners have been Jews. In Vienna, Freud founded a new way of treating mental disorders and in Switzerland, Einstein reimagined the nature of the universe. Google, Oracle, and Facebook had Jewish founders. In Hollywood there is Goldwyn, Warner, Fox, and Mayer.

John Adams, the second President of the US wrote, “They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this earth. They have influenced the affairs of mankind more than any other nation.” The American economist, George Gilder observed that anti-Jewish feelings cannot ignore the massively disproportionate representation of Jews in almost every index of human achievement but he also noted that “The envy of excellence leads to perdition”.[i]

There has been a global rise in anti-Semitism since 7 October 2023. It is a virus which infects people throughout the world, including in Australia. Generally, Jews are not thought of as an oppressed minority because, paradoxically, they are “too successful!” A strong political response is needed, calling out and aiming to bring an end to this virus must begin with education and condemnation, and must be driven by committed political leadership.[ii]

The total number of Jews in the world is grossly overestimated. Global population figures are 2.3 billion Christians, 1.8 billion Muslims, 1.1 billion Hindus, 500 million Buddhists, and 15 million Jews, roughly 0.2% of the global population.

The Virus

According to the 1988 charter of Hamas, Muslims should “Fight Jews and kill them”. After October 7, a Hamas leader warned, “We will do this again and again”. In 2001, Ayatollah Khamenei stated, “It is the mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to erase Israel from the map of the region”. In 2012, the Iranians chief of staff announced, “The Iranian nation is committed to the full annihilation of Israel” and in 2021, Iran’s Brigadier said, “We will not back off from the annihilation of Israel. We want to destroy Zionism in the world”.[iii]

And yet in Israel’s fight against Hamas, there has been no end to accusations of “genocide” by Israel. Retired Col Richard Kemp (who commanded Britain’s forces in Afghanistan) said “None of us is aware of any army that takes such extensive measures as did the IDF last summer to protect the lives of the civilian population”. When he was challenged about the number of Palestinian casualties, he replied saying that it was the Hamas strategy to position its fighters in civilian areas, knowing that civilian casualties would result.[iv]

On October 7, Hamas carried out the most violent pogrom since the Holocaust. It was the third deadliest terror attack in modern history, murdering more than 1,200 civilian Jews and taking more than 250 hostages back into Gaza, giving rise to the Israel-Hamas war.

Jeffrey Sachs is an American economist, author and professor at Columbia University. He is a Jew and his wife and children are all Jewish and yet, since 7 October, he has published one article after another in John Menadue’s Australian “Policy Journal” known as Pearls & Irritations claiming that “Israel has deliberately starved the people of Gaza. Israel is a criminal and is in a non-stop war crime status. Israel believes in ethnic cleansing”. Sachs made the utterly bizarre claim that the Arab and Islamic countries, including Iran “Have once again reiterated their long-standing desire for peace with Israel”. Sachs has lost all credibility, spewing such utter drivel.[v] [“Genocide” by definition refers to a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violence and terror inspiring means, the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group].

Anti-Semitism in Australia

After the attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians who were raped, burned alive, tortured, shot and decapitated, the Sydney Opera House (SOH) was illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag. However, protesters massed at the SOH, flying Palestinian flags and chanting “Gas the Jews” and “F..k the Jews” (bizarrely interpreted after “careful” investigation by Australia’s enforcement agency as “Where’s the Jews”). Notably, these protesters were not part of Hamas but were “Innocent Australian Palestinian citizens”! Not a single one of them was arrested or charged. It was Sydney’s night of shame.

Facing criticism for the government’s failure to take meaningful action to tackle violence against Jews, Prime Minister Albanese responded, “What people are looking for when it comes to anti-Semitism is to unite against abhorrent instances”. Eventually, under pressure, he called a national cabinet meeting to address anti-Semitism, but only after the firebombing of a childcare centre plus many other anti-Semitic incidents, including arson attacks and the targeting of synagogues, restaurants, private homes and vehicles.

When Holocaust remembrance day fell on 27 January (the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz) the Albanese government appointed foreign minister Penny Wong to attend. A petition calling for Wong to be replaced was signed by thousands complaining that she did not show the level of understanding or empathy which the Jewish community deserves. The petition fell on deaf ears.[vi] Albanese and Wong mouth Israel’s right to defend itself while, at the same time condemning every Israeli act of self defence. Greg Sheridan wrote in the Australian newspaper criticising Wong’s speech at the United Nations as being “So morally obnoxious in its treatment of Israel and so selective in its politically convenient moral posturings, as to be utterly unworthy”.

Perhaps it is not too much to hope that after Labor’s resounding success at the Federal election on 3 May and the boost to Albanese’s authority, Australia can look forward to bold policy reform, including a bolder challenge to the scourge of anti-Semitism in Australia. However, it is not immediately looking good with the most recent announcement of the dumping by the Albanese government of two high-profile Labor ministers to the backbench, the party’s most senior Jewish and Muslim MPs, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Industry Minister, Ed Husic.

Based upon the 2021 Australian Census, the Jewish population in Australia represented approximately 0.46% of the total population which translates to roughly 116,967 Jews out of a total population of 25.4 million. According to figures published by the JCA in 2024, the totals of religious groupings in Australia are: Christians – 44%; No religion – 39%; Not stated – 6.9%; Islam – 3.2%; Hinduism – 2.7%; Buddhism - 2.4%; Other – 1.3%; and Judaism – 0.4%.

As for Jewish “success”, more than 30% of those named in the top 20 richest on Australia’s Rich List, are Jews! The number of Jews in the professions such as law and medicine are disproportionately high. Perhaps, after all it is “success” itself which brings the virus of anti-Semitism! As George Gilder said (See note 1) “The envy of success leads to perdition”.

The Jews have Survived and Thrived

3,300 years ago, Egypt enslaved the Jews. 2,500 years ago, Persia declared genocide but the Jewish people survived and rebuilt the Second Temple. 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire crushed Jerusalem, destroyed the Second Temple, slaughtered over a million people and exiled the survivors. For 1,300 years, the European Christian Empire persecuted the Jews through pogroms, forced conversions, inquisitions and ghettos but the Jews adapted and survived. Despite Hitler’s “final solution”, the 1,000 Year Reich crumbled and the Jews emerged and re-established the State of Israel.

After World War II, much of the Islamic world took on the battle against the Jews, but the Jews have prevailed and built the only democracy in the Middle East.[vii] Jews had lived across the Arab and Muslim world for centuries, not as equals, but as “dhimmis”, second-class citizens. When the State of Israel was born, nearly a million Jews were expelled or forced to flee from Arab lands. Jewish communities that had lasted for millennia vanished almost overnight.

The Jews returned home after 2,000 years in exile, not to conquer someone else’s land but to reclaim their own. They are indigenous to the Land of Israel. Their language was born there. Their ancestors prayed there facing Jerusalem. They did not colonise the land. They revived it.

Today the Jews live in a post-October 7 world. It is a world where the Jews are done with apologizing and done with seeking approval. Anti-Semitism did not prevent Jewish success. It caused it.[viii]

“Never Again” is not a slogan. It is a doctrine.

Listen and Look

Two important and worthwhile Conversations are highly recommended:

Allan Dershowitz: “People Have no idea what’s Really Happening in America

https://youtu.be/U8BSklaCDGA?si=tgUmlrjNctGvfVAh

AND

The Last Musician of Auschwitz

https://iview.abc.net.au/show/last-musician-of-auschwitz

AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM – HEAR THE OTHER SIDE

[i] Who's Afraid of the BIG BAD JEW? By Rabbi Raphael Shore 2024

[ii] Is Anti-Semitism a Virus? The Hannah Arendt Centre for Politics and Humanities (HAC), April 2022

[iii] Impossible Takes Longer, by Daniel Gordis, 2023