I was reading the comment thread to Jameel’s hilarious post about secular Russians crashing a leftist demonstration in Tel Aviv, carrying signs that were NOT in the spirit of the demonstration as a whole. A few of the early comments actually address the post, but it isn’t long before the comment thread is taken over by a few individuals spewing vicious diatribes against the Jewish people.
I don’t believe there’s a Jew on Planet Earth who hasn’t encountered some sort of anti-Semitism in his or her life. And, like good Jews in the face of criticism (to put it mildly), Jews tend to look inward at their own conduct, their own achievements and failures, and rush to remind the world of their contributions to it. There are dozens (if not hundreds) of videos circulating on the Web proudly stating the life-saving accomplishments of the Jews, our triumphs in the fields of science, literature, art, commerce, finance, philosophy, and every other field we’ve applied ourselves to.
While these are useful for reminding Jews of our own good deeds, they mean nothing to the anti-Semite. Some of the characters leaving comments on Jameel’s post accuse the Jews of inventing polio (hey, they were the ones who came up with the antidote!), withholding a cure for AIDS, controlling the media and the US government, and exercising influence in the country far beyond their deserts. One person promises to come up with a plan to reinstate quotas (2% to reflect the Jewish percentage of the total population). Another promises a new holocaust as payback for the “holocaust” being inflicted by Israel (i.e. the Jews) on the Arabs in Gaza.
This drivel, and more, can be found in what these people write. And contrary to normative Jewish impulse, I believe that the correct response is NOT to remind them of all the good stuff Jews have done in the world. Because the truth is, they already know all the stuff we’ve done for the world. And it makes them hopping mad.
The solution is to put the focus on the angry misfits themselves, and the source of their own peevishness. Because like most anti-Semites, these people are ignorant, lazy, stupid, and constantly on the defensive. Rather than going out and getting an education, or a job, or a life (or therapy, or medication), they would rather dump on the people they see who do everything better than they do. America is the perfect setting for an experiment on how non-Jews do versus the Jews. Putting aside the handicaps Jews had in the beginning (i.e. the quota system), other things being equal, how have they fared? I’d say both have done pretty well. But proportionally, Jews do better. Why? Despite equal opportunity, non-Jews get fewer years of education relative to Jews. This limits opportunities for professional advancement (as does sitting on one’s ass, griping about other people). Jews and non-Jews place unequal emphasis on the importance of literacy and learning, justice, the rule of law, and the value of human life. Non-Jews (Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists) embrace fatalism as part of their religion; Jews believe they have the power to change the world and themselves.
In short, successful people are undaunted by adversity. Rather than giving up or finding someone else to blame, they work harder. Successful people build themselves up through education, experience, and belief in themselves. Successful people don’t need to put others down to succeed. They don’t need to find someone to blame to overcome failure. They don’t need to hate others to love themselves.
In other words, non-Jews and Jews are successful insofar as they embrace the values inherent in Judaism. So perhaps the solution to anti-Semitism is for the Jews to round up all the anti-Semites and … convert them!
One day later…
This was a post about a very tongue-in-cheek solution to the problem of anti-Semitism in the world. In calling anti-Semites ignorant, lazy, and stupid, I really did not expect a small but very vocal posse of anti-Semites to stand up and ask be counted as such in the Comments section. (They also fulfilled the title of the post.) They and other bottom-feeders who troll the Internet looking for places to park their hatred and invective (not necessarily on the subject at hand) may make the Comments section a little nauseating to read. If you have the stomach to see what the current climate accepts for public discourse, read on. If you have a nice dinner planned for later in the evening, you may want to skip that section.
Shimshonit 
Typical racist Zionist propaganda. Jews value human life LESS than “goyim,” as can clearly be seen by the flotilla massacre.
Rebecca has kindly offered to become Exhibit A in our examination of the anti-Semite. Angry? Check. Ignorant? In spades. Needs therapy? The word “bitch” is in her email address; I’d say so. So sad.
I hope you’re joking about converting them. We have enough trouble with fake gerim as it is. We don’t need to add to the problem.
No worries, Ari. (And believe me, they–anti-Semites–need us a lot more than we need them.)
Gerim are mostly anti-Semites who think that they’ll get some of our “Jewish gold” if they convert. Then after they convert and realize that we don’t have gold buried everywhere, they stop being observant, rendering their conversions null and void.
Shimshonit, you’ve got a lot of nerve complaining about legitimate criticisms of Israel’s racist policies when your own comments are filled with racist anti-gentile propaganda. People are waking up and starting to realize all the duping that the Jews have been up to. But you probably think that’s “anti-Semitic” just because I don’t want Jews to throw me into a gas chamber and burn me in a oven. You want everyone to pretend that Jews are nice, wonderful people. Well, you just keep up this attitude and see where it leads you…straight to another holocaust that’s where it leads. Only this time it’ll be a real holocaust and not something that stephen jewberg made with special effects in hollywood. Nobody can get so skinny like in those pictures and still be alive so we know they’re fake. All the holocaust “death camp” pictures are so fake that even a child would know it. As a great man once said: “you can fool some of the people, but not all the time, and not forever.”
Ari: You might want to read more of my posts to see what you’ve walked into. (Hint: I’m a giyoret.)
Aiya: Criticism based on facts is fine. Criticism based on hatred is not. Thank you for presenting us with Exhibit B.
No offense but don’t you think that should be on the headline of your blog so that people know? Obviously if I saw you I’d know you for a shiksa, but when you just put up pictures of flowers, how am I supposed to know. Of course I have no way of knowing if you are a sincere convert, but the odds of that are very unlikely, especially since you use the internet, as proven by this blog. Stats prove that when there are gerim there is anti-semitism. Next time there is a terrorist attack, remember that you are responsible and to blame. And maybe when someone invites you to his house for a shabbat meal, you can start by apologizing for centturies of persecution. I was at a shabbat table once and there was a giores but she looked jewish, and then she said “i converted” and I said “well” and she said “well what” like she had nothing to feel guilty about. And leftist Jews are the ones who feel all the guilt when it ought to be the goyim feeling guilt. And when did you convert, but the way? Because if you’re still in the process, you should know right now that there is no “Jewish gold.”
Ari, thnx 4 the link. ur spot on right. HEY SHIMSHONIT LADY, GO BACK 2 GOYVILLE!!! Seriously, this ger business is getting out of hand. We need to have an across the board annullment of all gerus and stop all gerus altogether. Shlomo hamelech did it and in our day it’s just as urgent. The choices are between 2 things.
#1 Revoke all gerus and put a stop to new gerus
#2 Another Holocaust (G-d forbid)
Sure some feelings will get hurt, but if you had a cancer in your foot, wouldn’t you rather get ur foot amputtation than to get dead? That’s the choice we face today.
Ari and S: Your comments are a good example of some of what’s wrong within the Jewish world. (Lest anyone think it’s completely rosy.) Then again, you could be non-Jews out to undermine my premise that Jewish values–when sincerely embraced–make more successful people. If indeed you are Jews (and I have no way of knowing if you are) it seems to me you’ve missed something (i.e. the mitzvah to love the ger, that King David–from whom mashiach will be descended–had a giyoret for a great grandmother). Your comments make it sound as though you two are in the throes of bitter divorces from women who converted to Judaism in order to marry you. Whatever the reason, I’m sorry you’re so unhappy.
This is an excellent example of the problem with so called gerim.
“Your comments are a good example of some of what’s wrong within the Jewish world.”
Excuse me, but who are you to be criticizing us? If you want to criticize, go back to your own people and criticize them. First get your own house in order before you tell others what to do.
Thank you.
Shira
Shira: If you believe in halacha, I AM you. As such, I have every right to criticize what happens in the–MY–Jewish world. If you can’t take it, perhaps you’d better find another religion.
You’re welcome.
I’m pretty sure the hirsch and Finkelstein fellows are trolls. You seem to have opened quite a pandora’s box, though, hopefully this will be the end of it.
I think Ari is the parallel of the antisemite that could be called an “anti-goyite” and “anti-gerite”
So sad that there are so many of them and that they are so vocal…
shimsonit;
i’d join you in defending gerim [myself included] against the attacks of those such as ari, shira, and mr. finkelstein, but i’m delighted to see that you did a damn fine job of it.
kol hakavod.
Seth: I suspect you’re right. Such a pitiful species, trolls.
Fille: Still with me! Wow.
Shualah Elisheva: Thank you for the vote of confidence; always nice to be appreciated.