Amid the explosion of anti-Semitism in the Middle East and Europe, America has not been immune. The most disturbing manifestation is the accusation that it is because of the Jews that America is at war in Iraq.
This is an old canard. Charles Lindbergh and his America First movement before U.S. entry into World War II, claimed that it was the Jews alone that wanted the nation to fight the Nazis.
During the days leading up to the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Pat Buchanan said only "Israel's amen corner" supported war against Saddam Hussein.
And in the months leading up to the current conflict, a U.S. Congressman, later supported by a number of journalists and commentators, charged that a group of neo-conservative Jews, because of their interest in Israel, was driving America to war.
Now, with questions and doubts rising about the war, the "blame the Jews" theme has resurfaced.
Most significantly, Senator Ernest F. Hollings of South Carolina charged in a column that we invaded Iraq "to secure Israel," and added that a group led by "Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, and Charles Krauthammer" have believed "that the way to guarantee Israel's security is to spread democracy in the area."
This is classic anti-Semitism. It attributes to a few Jews power beyond reason, in this case seeming to assign more power to Richard Perle, Elliot Abrams, and Paul Wolfowitz than to President George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Colin Powell. It rests on the prejudice that longtime government officials who happen to be Jewish are more loyal to Israel than America. And it assumes that Jews, rather than functioning as individual Americans, automatically are engaged in conspiracy with other Jews.
It is important to keep these characteristics in mind in evaluating whether a critique is anti-Semitic or not. Simply because an individual disagrees with an approach to foreign policy that is defined as neo-conservative in no way makes that critique anti-Semitic. Nor does mentioning the names of individuals who happen to be Jewish, as long as they are not alone in being mentioned, that it is not presented as if these individuals are controlling or determining American policy, and if there is no implication that they are taking their position because of their concern for Israel, rather than trying to serve American national interests. Unfortunately, a number of the critiques meet the anti-Semitism standard.
The very fact that conspiracy accusations against Jews are surfacing again now that the operation in Iraq is under greater scrutiny should not be surprising. The ways these trends play out speak to the unique characteristic of political anti-Semitism.
At its heart is the attempt to explain difficult and sometimes controversial events and decisions in a way that the public can understand them, even if it is a complete distortion of reality. During the first Persian Gulf War, Pat Buchanan's charge against American Jews went nowhere because the vast majority of the public easily understood what the war was about – after all, Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait and the whole world seemed to be siding with the U.S. in our struggle. So what in the world was Pat Buchanan talking about?
In this conflict, however, first before the war, and now that things do not seem to be going so well, the opportunity for scapegoating is perfect. Before the war it seemed that the Administration was fairly isolated in its decision to take on Saddam so the inclination to look for secret reasons as to why the President opted for war was strong. And there is no better conspiracy theory available than "blame it on the Jews."
The war, however, went well in its military phase and so the need for such theories suddenly disappeared. Now, however, it has reappeared as people are wondering how we got into this difficult situation. Once again, the conspiracy theory that explains our problems is available for those who want to exploit it.
Fortunately, unlike the 1930's when Lindbergh's message resonated with millions of Americans, today the public overwhelmingly rejects such scapegoating.
The very fact, however, that such charges surface in the mainstream is a reminder that anti-Semitic conspiracy theories can take root when the public is confused and uncertain about difficult events and government decisions. These false and dangerous accusations must be exposed for what they are. And we are learning once again that we can never be complacent about the power of the anti-Semitic idea, even in America.
