^{Photo courtesy of Yahoo.com}

Semite (noun): a member of any of a group of peoples of southwestern Asia chiefly represented by the Jews and Arabs. (Mirriam-Webster)

Antisemitism (noun): hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people. (Oxford Languages)

What happened to the Arabs? Aren’t they Semites, too?

It appears that “antisemitism” used to mean a “hostility toward or prejudice against” anyone living in the Middle-East, but is now directed exclusively at Jewish people generally and the country of Israel in particular. OK, language changes, and usage and context is important. So today, if you’re an “anti-Semite” you’re anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. Fine.

This world has an overabundance of anti-Semites…

There was a rally the other day at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. Shouts of “Allahu akbar” rang out in support of the Hamas terrorists at the site where over 3,000 innocent people died at the hands of other Arab terrorists.

For the record, I recognize “Allahu akbar” has always been a peaceful expression – “God is great” – used by Muslims the world around as an affirmation of their faith, the same way “Praise God” or “Praise Jesus” is used in the Christian world. And I know that the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful people. Sadly, “Allahu akbar” has become a pro-terrorist slogan, a phrase linked to violence against innocents.

The country of South Africa – no stranger to racism, Nelson Mandella notwithstanding – has filed a grievance before the World Court accusing Israel of genocide because of their actions in Gaza. It seems the Middle-East doesn’t have a lock on government-endorsed antisemitism.

Lost in the entire dialogue, ignored by media, pundits, and now governments, are the events of October 7 that triggered this war. The murder and rape. The kidnappings and executions. The terror inflicted by Hamas against the Israeli people. That Hamas is steadfast in their dedication to destroy Israel utterly. That Hamas puts their own civilian population between them and the Israeli army – using them as human shields, cannon fodder – deliberately putting them in harms’ way. That Hamas is recognized around the world as a terrorist organization.

Apparently none of that matters. Apparently it’s OK to kill and rape, as long as it’s against Israel, even if you specifically target the most vulnerable women and children.

Ignored as well have been the IDF’s efforts to minimize civilian casualties during this war, to get aid to them (and also ignored is Hamas diverting that aid to their own use), an effort that adds considerable risk to their effort to defeat Hamas and protect their citizens from future terrorist acts. An effort rendered almost impossible by the acts of Hamas itself, but you won’t hear that from the media.

I’ve said before I have issues with the Israeli government; I’m not altogether certain the Palestinians in general have been given a fair shake (and remember, there are many Palestinians who are actually citizens of Israel), and I disagree with many of the actions the government of Israel has taken over the years; I’m not a fan of hard-line governments wherever they are.

But I’m not an anti-Semite. Not by either definition, old or new.

But I’m afraid. This polarized atmosphere promises to be deadly. Too much is being deliberately ignored, swept under the rug, misleading the public into supporting world terror.

If we don’t start paying attention to what’s really going on, here and abroad, we will find ourselves in the thick of World War III. And we will lose.