A Noahide's Perspective on anti-Semitism

"Antisemitic incidents are rising across the world at a rate unseen since World War II"[1]
"[A] 400% increase in antisemitic activities since the outbreak of the war in Gaza."[2]
"Jews in Europe still face high levels of anti-Semitism".[3]

   This malady has existed for millenia. Anti-Semitism, defined as prejudice against or hatred of Jewish people[4], is present all across the globe and exhibited in individuals from every background. Ranging from simple anti-Jewish statements to real acts of violence and atrocities, it has caused much trauma over the generations and ultimately claimed countless lives.

 
   Anti-Semites have used different justifications and nonsensical explanations to show how a single nation can be a problem to humanity. Nobody can fully understand why so many people around the world developed animosity towards this small, scattered nation under various pretexts. One thing is certain: anti-Semitism is an evil phenomenon that needs to be dealt with.

 
   The most infamous display of bloodshed motivated by anti-Semitism is the Holocaust, which took more than 6 million lives[5], over one-third of the world Jewish population, or two-thirds of European Jewry. The horrors of the Holocaust were also heavily experienced by North African Jews.

   The cruelty and viciousness of this genocide cannot be described by words. People, mostly Jews, were mass murdered in concentration camps, in gas chambers, in ghettos and so many died from mass execution by shooting, by burning, or in death marches.[6] Prisoners would be tortured, overworked, experimented on and frequently died from starvation and exhaustion. The liberators of the extermination camps stood appalled at the enormous atrocities that had been committed there.

   Upon occupying any other country, the German Nazis (may their names be blotted out!) were often aided and abetted by the locals. At the same time, those who heroically provided shelter to Jews did so under the threat of death penalty.

   Even though many other groups of people would die at the hands of the Nazis[7], the main target was the Jewish people. The perpetrators were so obsessed with the idea of exterminating Jews that they even made assisting the victims a capital offense. Fueled by centuries of European anti-Semitism, many of the local residents willingly helped kill their Jewish neighbors.

   Even today, after the defeat of Nazi Germany and criminal trials of Holocaust perpetrators, after the publicization of their crimes around the world, and after the Nazis became synonymous with utter wickedness and evil, there still exist too many individuals who believe that Jewish people are a problem. Not even a century after World War II, we read the headlines that anti-Semitism is on the rise.

   One has to realize that hatred of Jews is no modern thing.[8] Already in the beginning of the Common Era, they were persecuted in the Roman Empire. Early Christians began laying the blame on the Jewish people for the crucifixion, which continued into the Middle Ages.

 
Many Jews were killed during the First Crusade. [9]

They would be accused of blood libels.

They were even presented as the cause of the Black Death plague.

 
Jews would often die at the hands of an angry mob or a fanatical priest.

Some countries (notably Spain and England) ordered the expulsion of all Jews from their territory. [10][11][12][13]

   The end of the Middle Ages did not stop anti-Semitism in Europe. For instance, Martin Luther, the father of the Christian Reformation, is known to have held radical anti-Jewish views. [14] 

   It can be said that almost all countries in the world where Jews live have a portion of the population who are biased against them. Even if some Jews migrate to a remote corner of the world with no history of anti-Semitism, Jew-haters will be there after a period of time.

   One who reads the Torah will be able to trace anti-Semitism back to the time of the Children of Israel's enslavement in Egypt. The Pharaoh ordered a genocide against Israelite male newborns, who were to be thrown into the Nile River[15]. A second well-known instance of hatred against Jews is recorded in the book of Esther, where Haman, counselor to Persian king Artaxerxes, obtained from the king an order to destroy all Jews in his empire simply because of Haman's personal feud toward a Jew.[16]

   History repeats itself many times, with Nazi Germany and its obsession with killing Jews strikingly similar to the biblical accounts of anti-Jewish tyranny. In all three instances, the history of the Jewish people did not end (G-d forbid! ), which is all thanks to Divine Providence.

   In the case of the story of Esther, no Jewish blood was actually spilled, because Haman's wicked plot was foiled (Thank G-D!). Judaism's tradition traces anti-Semitism even further back in time, to the time of the patriarch Jacob, who is the ancestor of Israel (i.e, the Jewish people). It is stated in the tradition that in every generation, some individuals arise who wish to destroy Israel, but G-d intervenes to deliver His chosen people. [17]

   We have seen that Judaism views anti-Semitism as coexistent with the Jewish people. As long as Jews have existed, they have been hated by many. Wherever they move, anti-Semitism follows them shortly after. And this is somewhat similar to a human disease: part of the population is infected and contracts it in different ways. A good analogy here would be an allergic reaction. All that is needed for an existing allergy to manifest itself is the presence of the allergic substance. [18]


   After experiencing severe anti-Semitically motivated incidents in non-Jewish countries, the response of many is to back down on maintaining their connection to their Jewish heritage and to assimilate, hoping that they will blend into the local society and will be soon recognized by the people as "one of their own." However, this has never worked. The anti-Semitic fragment of the population will not accept even assimilated Jews. They will not be viewed as fellow citizens but rather as outsiders, simply as Jews.

   In the course of the past few centuries, it has been evident that assimilation is no good recourse. It may even be the opposite of a solution, because it would blind a person's eyes to reality. He or she would not realize that anti-Semitic people tend to be unmerciful and persecute simply based on one's Jewish descent. In other words, they just can't forgive a person for having been born a Jew!

   In fact, this is what some rabbis point to based on the works of Jewish Sages, of blessed memory. The rabbis' explanation is that G-d lets anti-Semitic acts occur, in order to prevent the Jewish people from assimilating.[19] They are repeatedly taught the lesson from Above that they must not give up on their Divinely-given heritage and try to be like the other nations. For the other nations will simply not accept Jews as their own.

   Returning to the analogy with a disease, it would be useful to refer to an article[20] on Chabad.org, which deals with the roots and essence of anti-Semitism. Expounding on a famous passage in the Talmud, the article presents hatred against Jews as a kind of spiritual disorder. Those susceptible to it are people who have a profound void deep inside. In other words, a person lacks values, lacks meaning in life and lacks self-fulfillment. They may be strong outside, but have a deep "hole" in their soul.

   Such a personality may at some point in time lift up his/her eyes and behold the Jewish people. He/she notices that Jews are mysteriously special and different from everybody else.

Dispersed and exiled, but at the same time successful.

Week and stateless, but at the same time influential.

Small and few in number, but so powerful on a broad scale.

   Jews have shaped the religion and worldview of more than half of the world's population and largely contributed to the founding of Western society.

   The person sees all of it and develops envy, jealousy and eventually hatred against Jews, because they have everything that he does not have. The Jewish people collectively has a deep meaning in life, great values, a goal and self-fulfillment, all of which this person lacks.

   Make no mistake by thinking that anti-Semites are not responsible for their conduct, when their condition is compared to a mental disease. However, when one sees a Jew-hater, one may often infer that his hatred is a display of his inner spiritual hole.



   I am of the opinion that the way for Jews to combat this evil is not to back down, but to double down on one's Jewish culture, identity and traditions. In this way, a person would be shining a light that would illuminate the darkness and evil around him and potentially even the hearts of those who have a spiritual void inside, so that they, too, understand and perceive the innate beauty of the people of Israel. This view has also been voiced by many rabbis and leaders of thought worldwide. [21]



   As a Noahide (a non-Jew who believes in Judaism - yes, that is actually possible!)[22], I believe in the existence of G-d who has manifested Himself to humanity and revealed to them the basic rules by following which, people can achieve harmony in the world. The simple rules of abstaining from murder, from theft etc. can advance goodness on Earth when abided by[23]. The more people do so, the better it becomes for humanity.


   May G-d soon send relief to humankind by bringing His heavenly Kingdom to Earth and sending His Messiah-Redeemer, thus ushering in the era of peace and prosperity in the whole world, when tears and pain shall come to an end!


   At that time, no one shall hurt or discriminate against their fellow human beings, whether because of race or ethnicity or something else, but they will all live in peace with each other, and as the prophet Isaiah said, "All the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea". [24]


   And may the Jewish people soon be redeemed and delivered from exile and dispersion and may they live at ease, together with all the other nations!




May it be soon and in our days, Amen!

Footnotes:

  
1 https://www.dw.com/en/antisemitism-rising-dramatically-across-the-world-report-finds/a-69000456 

2 https://www.visionofhumanity.org/gaza-conflict-leads-to-rise-in-antisemitism-and-islamophobia/ 

3 https://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2024/jews-europe-still-face-high-levels-antisemitism 

4 https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism 

5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust 

6 https://www.auschwitz.org/en/history/auschwitz-and-shoah/the-extermination-procedure-in-the-gas-chambers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_ghettos_established_by_Nazi_Germany

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_marches_during_the_Holocaust 

7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victims_of_Nazi_Germany 

8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_antisemitism 

9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusade 

There were at least eight crusades, and the First Crusade was among the deadliest ones for Jews 

10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel 

11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jews_during_the_Black_Death 

12 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrand_Mart%25C3%25ADnez 

13 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_Jews_from_Spain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Expulsion 

14 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_and_antisemitism 

15 Exodus 1:22 JPS: "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying: ‘Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.’" 

16 The Book of Esther 

17 https://www.sefaria.org/Pesach_Haggadah%2C_Magid%2C_In_the_Beginning_Our_Fathers_Were_Idol_Worshipers.1?lang=bi 

18 Please forgive me if such an analogy is inappropriate for describing this evil, but I want to show that anti-Semitism is a general human problem which does NOT stem only from one worldview like Christianity, Islam etc. 

19 https://torah.org/torah-portion/community-original-assimilation/ 

20 Why Is There Antisemitism? by Aron Moss, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2902/jewish/Why-Is-There-Antisemitism.htm 

21 https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/7165599/jewish/In-Sydney-Aftermath-Chanukah-Lights-Must-Shine-Brighter.htm 

22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noahide 

23 The seven commandments of G-d (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah) which apply to non-Jews, that is, the Children of Noah, are the following: 

   1. Idolatry is forbidden. 

   2. Blasphemy is forbidden. 

   3. Murder is forbidden. 

   4. Theft is forbidden. 

   5. Sexual immorality is forbidden. 

   6. One may not eat a limb taken away from a still-living animal; interpreted as also prohibiting animal cruelty. 

   7. Establish courts of justice. 

 24 Isaiah 11:9 JPS: "They shall not hurt nor destroy 

   In all My holy mountain; 

   For the earth shall be full 

of the knowledge of the LORD, 

   As the waters cover the sea." 

  This article was published on January 27th, 2026 (the 9th of Shevat, the year 5786 from Creation), on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

   The victims of the holocaust will always continue to be remembered, and may such a genocide and catastrophe never happen again!