The Rising Tide of Antisemitism: A Call for Unity Before It’s Too Late

I cannot view the current wave of antisemitism heedlessly. During the last decade I’ve warned through media articles and books about the threat of a potential new Holocaust on American soil or Europe, in light of the growing anti-Jewish sentiment from multiple fronts. Throughout the years, when I met American Jewish leaders to express my concern, they reacted with incredulity. Today, no one can claim that antisemitism is not an intensifying problem basically in every corner of the world or say that “in the meantime, the situation is still okay.”

The perspective has changed but the worst can still unfold in a blink of an eye. Former Democratic New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind has questioned, “Why are Jews being assaulted in a way they were assaulted in pre-Nazi Germany?” and said, “if you were to ask Jews 20 years ago if a Holocaust could happen in America, you would get a uniform answer: ‘it’s impossible, not in America.’ Well, that’s not the case anymore.”

The pandemic had unleashed a new global wave of antisemitism, and I had also often said during the pandemic that despite the moment people tackled it, the animosity against Jews will burst uncontrollably.

Enter the aftermath of October 7. Not only have Jews been blamed for the pandemic and all the world’s evils, but as Israel was forced to enter into war on multiple fronts to defend itself from enemies, global antisemitism indeed exploded.

Within the span of a few weeks, we have witnessed a series of events reflecting the rising tide of global antisemitism. In Amsterdam, violent attacks targeted Israeli soccer fans following a Europa League match, resulting in injuries to several Israeli nationals. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders, alleging war crimes related to the Gaza conflict. This action has been followed by support from the leadership of several countries, including Ireland, Netherlands, France, Sweden, South Africa, Italy, and Norway. Additionally, a Jewish man was stabbed near a Chabad center in Zurich, Switzerland, and Zvi Kogan, a Chabad envoy, was found murdered in the UAE.

I have extensively spoken and written about the reason for antisemitism, but I decided to write my latest book, New Antisemitism: Mutation of a Long-Lived Hatred, because I feel a deep duty to forewarn about what lies ahead in this generation based on what our sages foresaw centuries ago for our critical time. The recognition of the root cause of antisemitism is a mandatory first step of the utmost importance toward addressing the problem and unearthing its solution.

Without such awareness, the people of Israel will continue their centuries of agony. I do not want to refer to it in terms of the final solution but as the final calculation we must make. We can still break the vicious circle we have endured until now, looking at antisemitism from a superficial perspective. How much more blood do we have to shed? How many more lives need to be lost? It is up to us, and only us, to stop the endless suffering.

Today, more than ever before, the Jewish people are called to perform a special role in humanity: to unite (“love your friend as yourself”) and be a conduit for unity to spread to humanity (to be a “light unto nations”) — and antisemitism appears as a force to pressure the Jews to implement their role if they make no moves in that direction by themselves. This is the role that the Jews acquired when they gathered from all parts of Babylon some 4,000 years ago, under the guidance of Abraham, who led them to attain spiritual unity, where from unity among themselves they reached unity with the force of nature which is destined to permeate the entire world.

The Jews lost connection to their spiritual unity some 2,000 years ago as they entered the period of exile. In our time, there is a renewed sense of urgency for unity to reawaken in humanity. As such, all fingers point at the Jews, albeit subconsciously, for them to implement the method of connection that they received in Abraham’s time. This is the reason for the exponential rise of antisemitism in our time.

As myriad problems hit people around the world due to a lack of social cohesion, the need for unity above divisions becomes more and more relevant, and the more people feel pain in their lives, the more they subconsciously feel that Jews are behind that pain — for failing to come forward with the method of unification of all peoples.

Whether we like it or not, these are the laws of nature. They are based on two opposed forces — attraction and repulsion, connection and discord — and Jews have the method to combine them, creating a common field of interaction between the poles to reach balance. So now we are called upon to carry out the great task of restoring our unity willingly and mindfully. Consequently, we and the world will achieve peace.