Recent Antisemitism

A matter of rising concern around the globe today is anti-semetism, occurring increasingly in the past few years. Unfortunately, Jews have become accustomed to it as occurrences much worse have tortured the Jewish nation for thousands of years. It is so upsetting that society has failed to give our suffering the proper attention it deserves. Before one dives into the analysis of any prejudiced actions taken against the Jews, it is important to understand what antisemitism really means. The dictionary definition of anti-semetism is “hostility to or prejudice against Jewish people.” Only two weeks ago, famous actor and entertainer Whoopi Goldberg made a comment on The View centered around the following idea: the Holocaust had no relation to race whatsover, and “this is white people doing it to white people, so y’all going to fight amongst yourselves” (Gerstmann). As a black woman who must be familiar with feeling unwanted due to her race, one would think that Goldberg would empathize with Jews and understand their pain. Obviously, and unfortunately, that is not the case. She, along with many other celebrities, has even expressed that she is against racism towards all minorities and oppressed people, such as Blacks, Arabs, and Asians. The Jews are a minority, too. She is well aware of the influence she has on people and sticking these ideas into people’s minds does no good. This can be extremely dangerous and cannot be taken lightly. Uneducated and gullible individuals may begin to belive that the Jews were not persecuted during the Holocaust or at any point in history. The world cannot forget the Holocaust or the same situation will occur again. The Holocaust was not a unique event. For this reason, we must stand up to any anti-semitism and consistently educate ourselves and the world about the history and recency of Jewish oppression. It is important to note that Goldberg did issue an apology, and maybe this was simply an innocent mistake. What matters most, though, is that it doesn’t occur again.